Together With
Purpose

Seder for women at Congregation Beth Shalom
celebrates heroines of Jewish history.

ESTHER ALLWEISS TSCHIRHART
Copy Editor

BILL HANSEN
Photographer

F

or one special evening
during Passover, the din-
ner guests were all female.
Dressed in their best,
they came to the Women's Seder
hosted by Congregation Beth
Shalom proud to be together as
Judy Goldsmith of Huntington Woods
mothers, daughters, grandmas,
and her daughter; Nlolly, 5, read the
granddaughters, aunts, nieces and
female friends. Through songs and Haggadah together.
recitations from the
Haggadah, they showed their
pride, too, in the accomplish-
ments of Miriam, sister of
Moses and Aaron, and other
heroines of the Torah.
Alicia Nelson, wife of Beth
Shalom Rabbi David Nelson,
officiated at this fourth annual
Women's Seder, assisted by
Ellen Dorshow Gordon and
Wendy Robins from the con-
gregation. Cantor Penny
Steyer of Temple Shir Shalom
played guitar and led the
Penny Steyer, cantor of Temple Shir Shalom,
songs, some of them by record- provides music; Wendy Robins, one of the
ing artist Debbie Friedman.
seder organizers, is beside her.
The 200 women, young and
old, linked arms as they sang
at the seder's closing. fl

Jewish Heritage Week
Is Gaining In Strength

were Jewish Apartments and Services
residents, nodded their heads and said
that they could do just that. Audience
member Elly Barnett said she felt that
hat do Albert Einstein,
with different names of cities and peo-
Henrietta Szold and
ple, the story could have been about
Golda Meir have in com-
Jewish
Americans anywhere.
mon? They are all part of
On
Tuesday,
April 20, Stavish pre-
the reason that President Bill Clinton
sented an interactive
has proclaimed,April
telling of Jewish folk-
18-25 as Jewish
tales for children, also
Heritage Week.
at Barnes & Noble.
The proclamation
Each child was given
for the first Jewish
a tree sapling by the
Heritage Week was
Jewish
National
issued by President
Fund. Krivchenia said
Gerald Ford in 1976,
this was so "the chil-
but it wasn't until
dren can do their part
three years ago that the
in being heroes by
Detroit area joined the
helping the environ-
celebration. Now with
ment."
proclamations from
Another focus of
Oakland County and
Jewish
Heritage Week
the cities of
is teaching school-age \-\
Farmington,
children about the role
Farmington Hills,
of American Jews in
Huntington Woods,
Corinne Stavish entertains
the development of
Detroit, West
with a story about Jewish
the State of Israel.
Bloomfield and
heritage.
Fifteen Detroit-
Southfield, sev-
area
Jewish day
eral local cele-
schools
and reli-
brations are tak-
gious schools
ing place.
were given
Ellen
poster displays,
Krivchenia,
as well as mate-
administrative
rials to discuss
manager of the
"what Jewish
Agency for
Heritage
Week
Jewish
))
means
to
me.
Education,
Local rabbis
chairs the week's
have been asked
programs with
Hannah Korelitz and Tallya Nevins were
to include a
AJE's Wendy
fascinated.
description of
Sadler, director
Jewish Heritage
of school ser-
Week
in
their
sermons.
vices. Krivchenia described Jewish
The Jewish Federation of
Heritage Week as "a celebration of con-
Metropolitan Detroit will display the
tributions made by American Jews to
city and county proclamations, through
the culture and society of America."
April 30, in Federation's Max M. Fisher
Nearly 125 adults packed a stand-
Building in Bloomfield Township.
ing-room-only performance of Corrine
Krivchenia said Jewish Heritage
Stavish's one-woman show, "Still
Week locally "started small and very -\
Dancing: 100 Years of Jewish Detroit,"
quiet," and even though it now
Monday, April 19, at Barnes & Noble
includes 15 sponsors, "it is still just
Booksellers in West Bloomfield.
starting to build as a community cel-
Stavish, a freelance storyteller for 20
ebration." Her hope is that "this is
years, presented a story she created
something that we can really
describing the Detroit Jewish commu-
embrace together . . . celebrating
nity through the eyes of an American
more and more each year until our
Jewish immigrant.
community's Jewish Heritage Week
With Stavish's words, "share my
will become a national model." 1-1
memories," the crowd, many of whom

SHELLI DORFMAN
Editorial Assistant

W

.

Rachel Castator, 6, of Farmington
Hills sings along with grandma Ruth
Bressler of Southfield.

4/23

1999

46 Detroit Jewish News

During the seder, Orly Benaderet, 8, of
West Bloomfield, watches her mom
Susan Benaderet ritually wash the
hands of Rebecca Goldberg, 9, of
Farmington Hills.

