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Welcome

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JENNIFER L. MATTLER
Special to The Jewish News

Jr

udaism is filled with many
beautiful rituals, but until
recently there has not been
an "official" ceremony for
baby girls. Today, more parents are
celebrating the birth of their daugh-
ters with a unique simchat bat cere-
mony.
Marianne and Robert Bloomberg
recently planned such a ceremony
for their first-born, daughter Allison
Sabrina. They worked with
Congregation Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi
Joseph Krakoff to create a meaning-
ful event to welcome Allison into
the covenant of Abraham and the
Jewish people.
"This ceremony began in the
'70s, but it did not catch on till the
late '90s," said Rabbi Krakoff.
The Bloombergs not only
received guidance from Rabbi
Krakoff, but they used prayers found
in The New Jewish Baby Book by
Anita Diamant. The ceremony start-
ed out with the couple walking in
with Allison and saying the greeting,
brucha haba-ah (blessed is she who
enters).
The Bloombergs selected many
prayers and readings related to the
creation of human beings, being
fruitful and multiplying, the blessing
over wine, blessing a child and other

young couple
adds to a new
ceremony to
honor their
baby girl.

Allison Sabrina Bloomberg at her simchat bat.

prayers that sanctify and bless a
good life. They chose prayers that
had a special meaning to them.
The Bloombergs sought to incor-
porate the concept of "seven bless-
ings," seven being a special number
in Judaism (seven days to create the
universe, seven wedding blessings).
Robert Bloomberg explained, "We
had synagogue clergy as well as
friends who are clergy that we want-
ed to give kavod (honor) to and
thought this was a nice way for
everyone to be involved."

The seven included Rabbis Irwin
Groner, Stephen Weiss, Leonardo
Bitran and Michele Faudem, Cantors
Chaim Najman and Sidney Rube, and
Michael Pont, a close friend and rab-
binical student.
Allison's simchat bat took place in
the small chapel at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek on March 21. The syn-
agogue is where the Bloombergs met.
"The ceremony was important to
us, and we wanted it in the chapel for
a real ceremonial feel," said Marianne
Bloomberg. The 20-minute service

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56 Detroit Jewish News

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4/16
1999

was followed by a dessert reception in
the foyer outside the main sanctuary:_
for the 200 guests.
Allison Sabrina (Talia Shoshanah)
was named in loving memory of her
maternal great-aunt Thelma
Milgrom and her paternal great-
grandfather Samuel Dubrinsky.
Allison's cousin, Mark Milgrom, and
uncle, Howard Bloomberg, spoke
during the ceremony about these c --\
- /
two special people. The guests felt
the love and affection as the two
spoke about their relatives' lives and
the impact they had on both
Marianne and Robert's life.
Allison's grandparents, Jackie and
Myron Milgrom and Phyllis and
Arnold Serlin, great-grandmother
Belle Dubrinsky, and aunts Marcy
Bloomberg, Kyra Bloomberg, Andrea
Serlin, Carole Lasser, Paula Milgrom
and Marcia Milgrom Dodge helped
welcome Allison by reading selec-
tions from rabbinic literature.
Because the simchat bat ceremony
is relatively new, the Bloombergs
wanted their guests to feel comfort-
able and understand the new ritual.
They had programs printed so th-_,c,— \
people could follow the prayers,
readings and participants.
Rabbi Krakoff was delighted with
the effort. "The Bloombergs," he
said, "spent a lot of time creating a
beautiful and original ceremony to
bring Allison into the covenant." El

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