High
Holiday
Rush

Jewish stores are
busy with the
increased business
of the month of
Tishrei.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
Special to The Jewish News

F

or Borenstein's Book and
Music Shop manager
Chaskel Borenstein, carry-
ing the latest in sukkahs is
essential during this, his second
busiest season of the year.
That is why this year he decided to
carry a new version of the
sukkah, the temporary booth
used for meals during the eight-
day festival of Sukkot. Measuring
40 inches by 40 inches when con-
structed, this style is slightly larger
than a telephone booth and as
such may be the butt of jokes and
Jewish fraternity pranks regarding
the number of Jews one can fit in
a sukkah.
"This is the first travelling
sukkah I have carried. It is so
small that you can fold it up and
fit it into the trunk of your car,"
Borenstein said of the $179
item. "But it is also so small that
only one person can go in it at a
time. You have to take turns
using it." From Rosh Hashanah
to Simchat Torah, area Jews are
expected to frequent gift shops

,

— both Judaic and secular — to
purchase items like the pre-fab
sukkahs for the High Holiday sea-
son. From tallitot and machzorim to
apple candles and Jewish music
compact discs, shoppers will sorrop
up bargains in only slightly less vol-
ume than that experienced during
Chanukah, shop owners say.
"This is a busy time of the year.

Not as busy as Chanukah but still
pretty steady," said Alicia Nelson of
Tradition! Tradition! in Oak Park.
One thing serious shoppers are
seeking are traditional Judaica such as
tallitot and kippot. Although some
are buying the ritual items out of
divine inspiration during the Days of
Awe, most are simply updating their
mahzorim or replacing the threadbare
or older tallitot that have served
their purpose on one too many a
holiday.
This is the time of year when
people realize that they are going to
shul and they can't put off buying a
new tallis," said Sender Kagan, man-
ager of Esther's Judaica in West
Bloomfield.
Avrohom Plotnik, owner of
Spitzer's Hebrew Book and Gift
Shop in Southfield, agreed. "This is
not a gimmicky type of holiday like
Chanukah. Mostly people are com-

Top: Some Judaica items at
Borensetins.

Right: Chaskel Borenstein was
well prepared.
'

9/25
1998

Detroit Jewish New