4P

The Craft of Tait

Story by SHELLI DORFMAN

Photos by KRISTA HUSA

M

ost of the children in
the Temple Israel social
hall last week were mak-
ing a prayer shawl for
themselves, but Josh Burda had anoth-
er idea.
Since he is already bar mitzvah, he
wanted his tallit to go to his mother,
Elissa, a member of the Temple Israel
religious school staff, "to wear at my
brother Mike's bar mitzvah in May
2000."
That Josh was looking ahead and
thinking about his whole family was
just what Temple Israel's organizers of
the unusual program in tallit-making

11/20
1998

14 Detroit Jewish News

had in mind. They say that having
children create their own shawls will
strengthen their understanding of reli-
gion as they approach their bar or bat
mitzvah and make them appreciate
the scope for individual creativity
within the broad religious tradition.
Nearly 100 Temple Israel Tyner
Religious School sixth graders are cre-
ating their own personalized, ready-to-
be-worn, heirlooms.
On Nov. 12, the group received
instruction from Israeli artist and pro-
ject originator Yorron Hackmon. The
joint parent-teacher-student undertak-
ing is a part of the temple's "So your