munity recently purchased_ an acre for ing point will be when the congrega- a synagogue on the northviest corner tion starts offering a religious school, of Walnut Lake and Orchardd-Lake something she wants in place by the roads. It has enough money saved to year 2000. begin construction; letders hope to lost;*-lotolpeople because have the synagogue completed by the we didn't provide any programs for fall of 1999. For the first time ever, children," she said. "Even when we the community is actively searching started to do regular Shabbat services, for a rabbi and members are talking there was no place for the children to about eventually starting up children's go. A lot of the people who wanted programs and a religious school. thejr kids to have an education had Things won't be easy in the short run, however. Sasson Natan, the chaz- z.an who helped orchestrate the con- gregation's revival, moved to Chicago two months ago. And Sephardic rab- bis — particularly ones capable of dealing with the diversity of Detroit's Sephardic community -- aren't so easy to find. "The pot is smaller [than for Ashkenazi rabbis], so we have to bring in people from far away," said Kadima Ben-Ezra, who grew up in the Sephardic Community of Greater Detroit and is its recording secretary. The congregation is trying to woo one local Sephardic rabbi, former Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Principal Rabbi Avra- ham Cohen, but so far with no suc- cess. "I'm of course very flattered and I have a strong relationship with the community, but I don't see how I could do it; what with them moving to West Bloomfield," said Cohen, who teaches a Wednesday night class for the Sephardic community and advises members on spiritual matters. "I feel like Oak Park is where I need to be right now." In addition to being without a spir- itual leader, the congregation must find another way-station because its temporary home, Congregation Beth - Achim, is making way for Akiva Hebrew Day School as Beth Achim merges with Adat Shalom Synagogue. Nonetheless, leaders are optimistic. "By next year, we'll have our syna- gogue and rabbi, and hopefully other families - will join then," said Eli Shalom, who is vice-presi- dent of the congregation. He estimates that there 9 t are 150-170 Sephardic families in the Detroit area, many of which already turn out for High Holiday services. He hopes that within five years, most will become members of the congrega- tion. Board member Sam Pape at Sasson Natan going- For Ben-Ezra, the turn- away party. . 9/4 1998 70 Detroit Jewish News no choice but to go to other syna- gogues. Now we have a lot of older people whose children and grandchil- dren are not members, and we're going to try to bring them back"- Many of these children and grand- children are descendants of the first wave of members. Founded in 1917, when Turkish immigrants Jacob and Judith Chicorel arranged High Holi- day services in their home, the Sephardic community then primarily consisted of immigrants from south- ern Europe and the Mediterranean. At that time, Ladino, a mix of Spanish and Hebrew, dominated services and gatherings.' "When your parents didn't want you to know what they were saying, they spoke Ladino," said Susan Alspector, whose parents, Sam and Pearl Papo, met through the Sephardic Community of Greater Detroit. Mow sepice,s are mostly in Hebrew, and- Ladin8 a dying language worldwide — is spoken by only about 20 members of the congregation. More recent generations to join come from Israel and the Middle East. Jacob David, who grew up in the community and remains active, estimates that the community is now an even mix of European and Middle Eastern, with Middle Eastern becoming more dominant. However, a melange of lan- guages can be heard at all functions, and with members from Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran and else- where, the com- munity is a ver- itable United Nations. Board member Jacob Many active David speaks at Sas- members of the son Natan's going- Sephardic con- away party. gregation are married to Ashkenazi Jews, something which is not religiously a problem for either group. Jacob David's wife, Pam, is Ashkenazi, and the family also belongs to Congregation Shaarey Zedek. Alspector married an Ashke- nazi man and for years was active pri- marily in Ashkenazi congregations, but recently has become more active in the Sephardic community. "There are very few Sephardic cou- ples in which both husband and wife are Sephardic," said Kadima Ben- Ezra, who met her husband, Isaac, through the Sephardic congregation. "It's because the community is so small. But even with Sephardic- Ashkenazi couples, we could attract a lot of them if we offered more pro- grams." Ben-Ezra is herself half Ashkenazi and received her religious education through a Hebrew school sponsored by the Lubavitch Foundation of Michigan. However, her mother, Lau- rette Lavadi —from Morocco — always made sure the family was also active in the Sephardic Community of Greater Detroit.