rictl

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Orthodox Jews at a 7-11 in Oak Park make
a drink machine among the nation's busiest.

LONNY GOLDSMITH
Staff Writer

n a good warm day, the
7-Eleven on Lincoln east of
Greenfield in Oak Park will
crank out 1,000 Slurpees. On
a really good day — like the Wednesday
nine days ago when the heat and
humidity readings were just about tied
in the maximum sweat zone — the store
pumped out 1,200 of the frosted drinks
to maintain its standing as one of the
nation's busiest Slurpee outlets.
The sales are even more remarkable
because the lion's share of the drinks
are kosher.

Lonny Goldsmith can be reached at
(248) 354-6060 ext 263, or by e-mail
at: lgoldsmith@thejewishnews.com

6/18
1999

6 Detroit Jewish News

Rabbi Broyde's inspection uniform
Twice a week, Rabbi Beryl Broyde
— black suit and hat — might seem
of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis
remarkable in any other 7-Eleven, but
of Metropolitan Detroit slips into the
they are barely noticeable in Oak Park
7-Eleven to make sure that no one
where the Orthodox community has
has accidentally let non-kosher syrups
been growing rapidly for more than a
mingle with the approved flavors or
decade. The store is conveniently close
in the kosher dispenser. It's all per-
to Yeshiva Beth
fectly routine, he said.
Above
left:
Marci
and
Yehuda,
across
"For people who keep
Tali
Lebenbom
from
Southfield
Greenfield
in
kosher, like any other
use the kosher Slurpee machine.
Southfield, and
product, they have to
Marci helps her 5-year-old
Beth Jacob, the
know it's kosher before
daughter
get her Sprite Slur
girls' division of
they eat or drink it. It's no
the yeshiva, a little
different than any other
Above right: The kosher
farther away on
soda," he said.
Slurpee certification notice.
10 Mile Road in
"The concern is if they
Oak Park — so
switch around flavors, they
the 7-Eleven has an assured year-
don't always do a full clean up," he con-
round traffic of Orthodox youngsters.
tinued. "If there is a non-kosher flavor
Most of us have been drinking .
in a machine and they switch it back to
Slurpees for almost as long as we have
Coke without cleaning, it isn't kosher."

been spinning dreidels. But for the
uninitiated, a Slurpee is basically a
cola syrup poured over finely ground
ice. The flavors range from basic
Coca-Cola and generic cherry, to the
more exotic blue raspberry, sour green
apple and piña colada. Customers can
mix and match to suit their taste.
The smallest cup at the Oak Park
store goes for 89 cents while the extra-
large fancy cup with the plastic divider
to keep flavors separate runs $1.30.
The store actually operates two
Slurpee machines. The one that dispens-
es Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Orange Slice
and Vernor's is entirely kosher. Recently,
the owner had one of the four dispensers
on the adjacent machine, the one that
handles Coca-Cola syrup, properly kash-
ered to keep up with the cravings.
Jay Kimball, a local representative

