INSIDE:

A Mission
Bonds In Israel

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Tennis Tides
At Age 80

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Food Traditions
For A Fast Day

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SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff Writer

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July 16 going-away-party
for Rabbi Steven and Yael
Weil and their family dou-
bled as a reunion for par-
ticipants in a November 1998 trip
shared by the Weils.
Most of the 62 Detroit-area
young adults who traveled to Israel
and Prague on the Future Leaders of
Mal Yisrael Mission brought their
families to Congregation Shaarey
Zedek for an afternoon of pizza,
salad, sports and reminiscing.
They came to bid farewell to the
Young Israel of Oak Park rabbi and
his family, who left for Beverly Hills,
Calif, on July 30. Rabbi Weil will
take a position as head rabbi of Beth
Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills.
The trip that brought the group
together was led by the Orthodox
Rabbi Weil; Conservative Rabbi
Stephen Weiss of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek; and Reform Rabbi
Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel. It
included 10 couples from each of
those religious movements, as well as
staff members of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
which sponsored the mission.
"We have all retained relation-
ships regardless of what sector we are
from," said Sherri Ketai of Shaarey
Zedek, who participated in the mis-
sion with her husband Jimmy. "We
have had Orthodox and Reform
families in our Conservative home
and they have had us. We all became
friends and that's the most impor-
tant thing. We crossed bridges and
learned a lot about each other. Some
of the walls that were up came
down."
The group presented the Weils
with a tzedaka box and a picture
tided "Blessing for a Rabbi."
"The Weils brought such a
unique flavor to the whole trip,"
Ketai said. "They are both very
approachable and so special. That's
why the party was so important. We
wanted to make sure in saying good-
bye that we reiterated that." ❑

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