Choices in mikva'ot;
doing the AJE shuffle;
Hearts of Gold.

In the past few months, four people
have entered the nation's second
largest Reform temple only to exit as
Conservative Jews.
Since Congregation Beth Achim
closed its Southfield building in the
fall, draining the only mikvah, or ritu-
al bath, under Conservative auspices,
prospective Conservative Jews have
been going to Temple Israel for the
final step in their conversion process.
Built in 1995, Temple Israel's mik-
vah is the only Reform mikvah in the
country, says Executive Director
David Tisdale. It is used about 12
times a month, primarily for Reform
conversion ceremonies and pre-wed-
ding immersions.
Although an amicable arrangement,
the use of Temple Israel by
Conservative Jews is temporary. Adat
Shalom Synagogue, which merged
with Beth Achim last summer, is plan-
ning a new mikvah tentatively sched-
uled to open in November.
"The more mikva'ot, the better,"
said Adat Shalom Rabbi Daniel

Nevins, who hopes to see more liberal
Jews immersing themselves in the
future, and not just for conversions.
Mikva'ot are used for ritual cleansing,
whether before weddings or holidays
and — among more traditional Jews
— to follow the laws of family purity,
whereby a couple abstains from sexual
relations during menstruation and does
not resume contact until the woman
immerses herself in the mikvah.
Although few non-Orthodox Jews
practice family purity laws, a growing
number are exploring the traditional
ritual, said Nevins, noting that in
some circles the man as well as the
woman immerses in the mikvah (on
sepal -- occasions) before resuming
marital contact.

In its seven years at the old United
Hebrew Schools building on 12 Mile
Road in Southfield, the Agency for
Jewish Education of Metropolitan
Detroit has never put up a sign
announcing its presence.
So that's one less thing to move this
summer, when the $1.2 million
agency relocates to the third floor of
the Max M. Fisher Federation
Building in Bloomfield Township.
The move literally brings the AJE
closer to the Federation's Alliance for
Jewish Education, a 40-person task
force created last fall to oversee all
aspects of education in the Jewish
community. The Alliance is intended
to address many of the issues — such
as "fuzziness" in overall planning —
raised in a critical evaluation of the
AJE completed last summer.
The AJE's departure opens up addi-
tional classroom and office space in

the building, owned by the United
Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan
Detroit, for longtime tenant Yeshivas
Darchei Torah. The 12-year-old
Orthodox day school last week became
a Federation constituent agency under
provisional status for two years.
The UJF, Federation's real-
estate/banking arm, will likely make
the whole building available for
Darchei Torah, said Federation Chief
Operating Officer Mark Davidoff.
Darchei Torah, with 300 students
overall, also holds classes in a rented
school building in Southfield.

Among the nine metro Detroit volun-
teers to be honored April 21 by the
United Way's "Heart of Gold" awards
are two known largely for their
activism in the Jewish community.
Businessman N. Brewster Broder
of West Bloomfield was selected for
his work with the Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan Detroit, the
Jewish Community Centers
Association, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, Kadima and
the United Jewish Foundation, as
well as the American Red Cross,
Travelers' Aid Society of Detroit and
United Way of Michigan.
The United Way also chose Marsha
Zucker of Huntington Woods for her
20 years of service to the National
Council of Jewish Women and its
numerous community programs.
The.United Way says the award is
designed to recognize "outstanding
individuals known for their personal
contribution and dedication to mak-
ing a significant difference in our
community

The Women's Landsmanschaften
Organization gathered in a park
for one of its meetings in this
photograph from the 1930s.

Photo courtesy of the Leonard N. Simons
Jewish Community Archives/Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit. If you have information
about this photograph, please call Heidi Christein,
Jewish community archivist, (248) 642-4260.

26 Detroit Jewish News

From the pages of The Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.
.........
1989 .
Agudath Israel of America filed a
friend of the court brief with the U.S.
Supreme Court arguing that there is
no basis for abortion to be considered
a fundamental constitutional right.
Responding in an article in Newsweek
on the disappearance of hell from
Jewish theology, Rabbi Daniel Landes
of California said, "Jews have been
through the Holocaust. There is no
need to talk about hell."

c

1979

A 70-year-old Jewish Egyptian
woman, Leah Mandelbaum,
became the first Egyptian immi-
grant to Israel.
In response to a critical shortage of
dental professionals in Israel,
Emunah Women of America planned
to open in Jerusalem the first school
of dental technology for women.

1969

President Zalman Shazar of Israel
met with President Richard Nixon
at the White House to restate Israel's
position on the Four Power talks.
An earthquake that shook the Middle
East was the strongest recorded in the
area in 50 years; there was, however,
no damage in Israel.

1959

Marking
100 Years
Of Detroit Jewry

4/2
1999

Remember
When

Young Israel Center of Oak Woods,
the first south Oakland County
congregation to establish its own
synagogue, planned the celebration
of its fifth anniversary.
Plans were made for the first under-
water exploration of biblical archae-
ology to be conducted off the
Israeli coast in the Mediterranean.

Irwin I. Cohen, Detroit attorney,
was appointed by the city's mayor
to be a member of the board of
commissioners of the Detroit
House of Correction.
Julius Chajes, director of music at
the Jewish Community Center, pre-
sented a piano recital featuring
Roslyn Clayman, Reva Kowalsky,
Joan Machin, Judith Patterson and
Robert Shulman.

N

