Noah Beletskiy
is a contented
baby.
A West Bloomfield couple
experiences the joy and
wonder of their first
child's birth.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
Special to The Jewish News
W
hen Andy Beletskiy
attended brit milot in
the past, it was not
unusual for him to
wince and feel a bit faint during the
covenant ceremony.
"I look away most of the time. I
think most men do. It isn't a pleasant
experience," he said.
But on Oct. 18, all he could do
was beam while watching Cantor
Samuel Greenbaum do his work.
That is because the child of the
covenant was his first-born, Noah
Isaac Beletskiy.
"It is different when it is your own
kid," he said. "I was so proud. This is
where the whole covenant thing hap-
pens, when he becomes a Jew. I can't
describe the feeling."
The feeling was the culmination of
a relationship that began nine years
ago when Andy, now 27, met his wife
Ericka, now 25. The West Bloomfield
residents married three years ago and
spent the last nine months growing
even closer as they anticipated the
birth of their child.
But neither expected the wonderful
feelings they would experience when
Noah made his entrance into the
world surrounded by people who
loved him even though they had never
laid eyes on him.
That development began after
Ericka went into labor after attend-
ing a water aerobics class in the late
morning of Oct. 9. Ericka called
Andy, who met her at the doctor's
office. The pair proceeded to DMC
Sinai Hospital, calling relatives
around the country to share the
impending news. By the time Noah
was born at 4:30 a.m. Oct. 10, Eric-
ka's sisters had flown in from Col-
orado, Florida and Lansing and had
joined her parents
and his mother out-
side the labor and
delivery room door,
ready to greet the
eight-pound four-
ounce, 22-inch-long
addition to the family.
"I think all of our
lives have more mean-
ing because of Noah,"
Ericka said.
"I know I feel bet-
ter, so much more fill-
filled because of him."
Even more relatives
and friends — 150 in
total — piled into the
North Wabeek home
of Noah's maternal
grandmother, Fran
Nagle, to witness his
brit milah.
Noah was named
for his maternal great-grandfather,
Nathan Krause, and his paternal great-
grandfather, Isaac Klayn.
In the days since the festivities sur-
rounding his birth, Noah has spent a
lot of time peering through his blue-
gray eyes at his new parents, discover-
ing his thick mop of hair, eating and
sleeping. "He is a really good baby, a
really happy boy," his mother said.
While action has calmed for a
while, the new parents love for their
child has not.
"I think it is a miracle. It is won-
derful — everything and more than I
expected," Andy said. "Every day, I
come home and look at him and can't
believe that he is my son. It is just
unbelievable how incredibly we have
been blessed." 0
11/6
1998
Detroit Jewish News
65