they were requested to bring some kosher
canned goods for Oak Park-based Yad Ezra,
the kosher food pantry, in order to "gain
admission" to the party.
The response really surprised us," said
Edie Rubin. "I didn't expect people to even
remember to bring canned goods [so] we
brought one little carton to collect
the donations. We ended up with over 80
pounds of food for Yad Ezra."
The table cards took the form of theater
tickets, and each table was assigned the
name of a different Broadway hit show. In
addition, each table featured a placard
stating that, in honor of Eddie's guests, a
donation had been made to Variety, the
Children's Charity.
Eddie chose to help Variety because the
organization funds a number of programs
for children with disabilities, and because it
was started by a group of actors.
Eddie's concern for children with special
needs extended to his mitzvah project.
As a volunteer with the Friendship Circle,
Eddie spends time every Sunday with
Danny Friedman, a teenaged boy with
Down Syndrome, who also belongs to B'nai
Moshe.
Like Eddie, Danny has a love for musical
theater, and the two boys spend many hours
listening to soundtracks and even putting on
their own shows. Joseph and the Technicolor
Dreamcoat is a favorite.
"I treat him like any other kid, because
that is what will help him to grow," Eddie
said. "We go swimming, go to movies, play
outside.
Danny's mother, Linda Friedman, brings
him to all of Eddie's shows.
With his bar mitzvah behind him, Eddie
plans to continue his involvement in both
the Jewish and theatrical communities. His
dream is to act in a real Broadway
production someday. His fantasy is playing

the dual roles of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde.
His role as friend and mentor
to Danny Friedman also is
continuing. As part of a school
assignment last semester, Eddie
wrote:
"I may not have saved a life or been a hero.
I did something better. I put a smile on a kid's
face. To me, that is the power of one."
Spoken like a true star.

Ronelle Greer is a freelance writer

Above left: Acting teacher Nancy
Gurwin wrote Eddie Rubin's candle-
lighting ceremony, which included
Broadway show tunes.

Above: Eddie Rubin enjoys traditional
Jewish dancing at this Broadway-
style bar mitzvah party.

from West Bloomfield.

z vah Facts

Upon reaching the age of 13, a Jewish boy celebrates his bar mitzvah, which
literally means "son of the Commandment." This ceremony marks his passage
from boyhood into manhood, the time when he begins fulfilling his obliga-
tions as an adult. These include participating in a minyan, reading from the
Torah and haftorah (Book of Prophets), wearing tefillin and observing the ritu-
al fast days.
The first recorded bar mitzvah took place in the 6th century, but the full
bar mitzvah ceremony as we know it today began somtime during the Middle
Ages.
Today's bar mitzvah boys usually incorporate a "mitzvah (good deed) proj-
ect" and the giving of tzedaka (charity) into their celebrations. Mitzvah proj-
ects can include tutoring people with developmental disabilities, visiting the
Jewish elderly, spending time with children who have special needs or working
at Yad Ezra, the Kosher food bank.
Many boys involve their guests in their tzedaka projects by asking people to
bring canned goods for Yad Ezra, toys or sports equipment for underprivileged
children or books for their synagogue children's library.

n • sourcebook 2000 •

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