For Openers
les A Small World, Alter AI
STEPHEN COOPER
Special to the Jewish News
his story
happened
just a few
weeks ago
in Orlando. Donna
Evans was sitting on a
bench with her sister,
Debbie Robbins, waiting
for her son, Eric, to come
off the Demon Drop ride
at Walt Disney World,
when a woman rushed
Donna Evans,
up to her and excited-
Mickey and Eric Evans
ly asked in heavily
accented English, "Are you the one who found the toilet?"
It took quite a few minutes to figure out what she
was talking about. This woman had just arrived from
Israel the day before to help with the new Israel display
at Walt Disney World. When she calmed down,
through her Israeli accent, Donna and Debbie learned
that she had just completed an archeology class at the
Hebrew University, where they had discussed all the
American and other foreign students who came to Israel
and helped on archeology digs. One of the photos her
class had been shown was of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek's Donna on a United Synagogue Youth
Pilgrimage, almost 25 years ago, seated in a wheelbar-
row showing off the ancient lamp she had found.
The area Donna found it in was later determined to be
an ancient bathroom and sauna. The American teens "dug"
through the ruins with their little archeology brushes,
revealing 10 vertical beams in a large shaft. At the bottom
were rocks that were heated for the sauna. The structure
was dated to the period of the Second Temple.
So, imagine that — Detroit's own Donna Evans made
Israeli archeological history and only learned how impor-
tant it all was when she was recognized, three children and
a quarter of a century later, at Walt Disney World. Fl
Stephen Cooper is judge of the 46th District Court in
Southfield and an uncle to Donna and Debbie, whose par-
ents are Marge and Jerry Robbins of West Bloomfield.
Donna lives in Wixom; Debbie in West Bloomfield.
°RAMAN
Notable lumbers
Praying For Reform In Israel
• 20,000 — estimated Jews at Reform synagogue high holiday
services in Israel
• 10,000 — estimated number for previous year
• $360,000 — cost of aggressive radio campaign promoting
attending Reform and Conservative holiday services in Israel
Source: Jerusalem Post
Yiddish Limericks
A hog farmer once known as Doug
Said, "Really, it's not such a kloe
To live amongst swine.
I'm making out fine,
And living a chazerishen toga **
Donate your
car to JARC!
* a curse
** high off the hog
— Martha Jo Fleischmann
Who Was Illaimonides?
orn in Spain but forced to flee because
of the Muslim invasions, Rabbi Moshe
ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides (1135-1204)
finally settled with his family in Cairo.
There, in addition to being the leader of the Jewish community
and a prolific writer, he became a brilliant physician and eventually
appointed by the sultan to be the doctor of the royal court.
After writing a commentary to the Mishnah, the Rambam
(as he was popularly known) authored his monumental
halachic magnum opus, the Mishnah Torah, a comprehensive
14-volume halachic compendium based upon the Talmud and
upon which more than 300 works have since been written.
The Rambam later wrote his great philosophical treatise
Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed), in which he
explains many of Judaism's fundamental concepts. "Ani
Ma'amin," a list of 13 principles that delineate our basic beliefs,
and its poetic counterpart "Yigdal," recited during morning
services, are based upon the Rambam's formulation. The
Rambam is buried in Tiberias, Israel.
— Benyarnin Cohen
B
Sources: Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and Torah From
Dixie.
Check out JN Online at www.detroitjewishnews.com and click on
Judaism 101 on the homepage.
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