Common

Mazel Toy!

ral viro nitnen

This unlikely couple has
uncovered kindred souls.

colors life has to offer," explains Sklar.
"She cares about creating and preserving
beauty in the world." Rowin echoes the
sentiment: "Mike cares so deeply about
t first glance, it appears to be
the environment, about the world we
a classic case of opposites
live in. I learn so much about my own
attracting.
surroundings from him — things I
Environmentalist and
might have overlooked."
astronomy enthusiast meets classically
The two agree that there is more they
trained chamber violinist with a love for
have
in common than not. We both
all things Victorian.
New York Times, we both love
read
the
Two diverse ends of the spectrum?
to
travel
and," says Rowin, "when I
Not according to Liz Rowin and
asked
Mike
which museum was his
Michael Sklar.
favorite, he took me completely by sur-
By profession, Rowin is an adjunct
prise when he told me it was the Rodin
faculty professor at Oakland University
Museum in Paris -- which is my favorite
who teaches violin and viola, coaches
),
museum!
chamber music, performs with the
They hold the same values, they are
Michigan Opera Theatre and Michigan
similarly
close to their families, and they
Chamber Orchestra, and is concertmas-
even
have
comparable political views.
ter for the Warren Symphony. She
Judaism,
too, plays an important role
attended a music conservatory in New
in their lives. Sklar explains that "one of
York City, and earned both her bache-
modern Judaism's greatest strengths is
lor's and master's degrees in music.
that it doesn't just respect different
Sklar attended Princeton University,
points of view, it honors and encourages
where he earned his bachelor's degree in
them." He believes that there is more
mechanical engineering. He works with
than one way to look at things; there
the United States Environmental
can be more than one truth.
Protection Agency in Ann Arbor and is
Sklar feels this attitude is necessary
co-chair of the Sierra Club's Huron
to
make
any relationship work, and
Valley Group.
takes the message to heart. After their
Rowin decorated her apartment with
October wedding, the couple will
antiques; Sklar's apartment was furnished
spend their honeymoon in Israel, a
with African artifacts and astronomy pic-
first visit for both.
tures. But the differences end there.
"It's a great way to start our married
Both Rowin and Sklar, who currently
life
together," says Rowin. "The symbol-
reside in Ann Arbor, are emphatic that
ism is very special." Although the couple
what each found so attractive was the
grew up only a few miles from one
other's whole-hearted passion about
another - Rowin in Bloomfield Hills,
something. It didn't matter that the
Sklar in Southfield - they came from dif-
interests seemed diverse. That their avo-
ferent worlds, and never met until they
cations were their vocations, that every
were
set up on a blind date.
morning each of them got out of bed
While
it might not have been love at
and spent the day doing something they
first
sight,
Sklar recounts that there was
deeply cared about was important.
certainly enough chemistry to spark a
"Liz is interested in the full palate of

LISA BARSON
Special to the Jewish News

A

9/3
1999

56 Detroit Jewish News

Michael Sklar and Liz Rowin

genuine interest: "There was something
about Liz that made it impossible for
me to give up on the potential. She was
too substantive a person."
Rowin found Sklar to be sophisti-
cated, artistically and aesthetically
aware of the world. He listened to
classical music even before I walked
into his life," she jokes.
But like any couple, the transition
has not been entirely smooth. Rowin
laughs, "His planet pictures drove
me nuts!" "The things she detested,"
says Sklar, "were things I didn't have

a deep emotional attachment to, and
vice versa."
But they found common ground,
and were able to turn potential tensions
into opportunities to be creative.
Together, they learned about the hardest
art ,of all - compromise.
"The bottom line is that we both
get cranked up about things in life,
and we both admire and respect what
the other does," says Sklar. "While on
the surface they're opposite, both pro-
fessions are valuable and make the
world a better place." II