SPECIAL
COMMENTARY
Attorneys and judges, please join your
Colleagues in the Cardozo Law Society for
Once cored and lUnpluateed
Thursday, July 15 • 7:30 - 9 a.m.
Guest Speaker:
The Hon. Hilda R. Gage
Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals
The Cardozo Law Society
is sponsored by the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Community
Outreach and Education
Department. Its mission is
to provide community
members in the legal
profession with Jewish
learning, involvement and
networking opportunities.
Breakfast co-sponsored by:
Tau Epsilon Rho
Law Society
Max M. Fisher Federation Building
6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills
(south of Maple Road)
No charge • No solicitation
Space is limited
Please respond by Friday, July 9
Questions? Call Jodi E. Berger, (248) 203-1486
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36 Detroit Jewish News
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6
American Heart:
Association-
Figheng Heart aeons°
an Stroke
Medical miracles
start with research
The photos of the legendary rabbis
on the wall were all staring down at
me: "Please, try on the shoes."
I put the shoes on, so worried that
when I pulled my foot out of my
shoe that the socks would have their
own brand of holiness. The shoes
slipped on comfortably. Mrs. Wein-
berg told me to walk. Again, I asked
her if this was Kinney Shoes or what?
She said, "Walk." When Mrs. Wein-
berg says walk, you walk.
She asked me how they felt. I told
her fine. "Good, they're yours. I
bought them for the rabbi, but they
arent his style."
Then I protested, telling her that I
was a reporter, I couldn't accept gifts.
She told me I was taking them. Period.
You know how maybe once in
your life a great line comes into your
head that is both meaningful and
appropriate. I had one of those
moments, and it happened while I
was in the Weinbergs' living room. I'll
probably never have one like it again.
So I looked at the rebbetzin and
said, "Well, I guess this is about as
close as I'll ever come to filling the
rabbi's shoes."
She smiled. We finished the inter-
view. And the rabbis on the wall
seemed happy for me.
Time went on and our synagogue,
Tiferes Yisroel Bais Dovid, was hold-
ing its first-ever banquet. Rabbi Men-
achem Goldberger had asked me to
be the emcee. He and I worked on
the opening remarks, and everything r /
was to follow a timeline. There were -\
to be no jokes, because we didn't
want to run the risk of offending any-
one. There were to be only remarks,
and short speeches and presentations.
If the rosh yeshiva walks in, I was to
go to the podium, and introduce him.
So things are going well. Speeches
are being made, people are eating.
Everyone stands up suddenly at Rabbi/
Weinberg's arrival. On my way to the
podium from my table, I go into slow
motion. Should I tell the shoe story?
I'm hearing myself tell the shoe
story. It's my voice acting on its own.
The story is told, and everyone seems
to laugh at the punch line. I pay close
attention to Rabbi Weinberg. He
nods with a warm smile.
Now, I search my memory for his
smile. I have it locked up, so that I
can revisit it when I need to.
And I know, like you do, it will be
those memories we pass on to our
children about the rosh yeshiva. They
could be gray Hush Puppies, but
nobody will ever fill those shoes.