/COURTYARD
MANOR

Assisted Living

Family members
work with their
children to create
meaningful
family heirlooms.

Clockwise
from top:
After joining the
parts of the yad,
Claire Kander,
11, of Holly
makes sure they
align with each
ot er.

Courtyard Manor is small
and home-like, consisting of
20 residents, creating a family
atmosphere in each of our safe
and secure state licensed
buildings.

'90

Per Day
Private
•
As Available

Sean McDermott,
11, glues together
his Torah pointer
(yad), under the
watchfitl eye of his
mother, Sharon.

DIANA LIEBERMAN
Staff Writer

S

ean McDermott and Zachary
Laverdiere of Troy are about as
inseparable as any two 11-year-
olds can be.
They go to Sunday school together,
construct radio-controlled cars, shoot off
model rockets and create modified
havoc. When their sixth-grade class at
Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy made
yadayim, or pointers, they worked on
their projects side-by-side.
The word yad (yadayim is the plural
form) means hand in Hebrew. Shaped
like a pointing hand at the end of an
ornate handle, yadayim are used ceremo-
nially to help find the correct place
while reading the Torah or other sacred
texts.
"We want you to keep these wonder-
ful yadayim in a place of honor in your
home," said Shir Tikvah Rabbi Arnie
Sleutelberg. "Use them when you come
up to the bima for your bar or bat mitz-
vah.''
The sixth-graders made their yadayim
Dec. 10, from kits distributed by the
Maryland-based company Dreidel
Makers. Purchased locally were glue,
stain, varnish, decorative materials and
paper towels to wipe up spills.
This was a first-time project for Shir
Tikvah. Next time, someone will bring

in a homelike setting

Matthew Silver,
11, of Troy stains
his yad. The stu-
dents will use
their unique cre-
ations at their bar
or bat mitzvot.

Included:
Assistance with bathing, dressing,
personal hygiene, medication
management and laundry.
Additional needs require
additional fees.

AT THESE LOCATIONS

heavy-duty soap or turpentine to clean
sticky discolored hands and other body
parts.
"It's fun to make," said Sean. "We
like to do messy things."
It was his idea to apply two coats of
stain, one maple and the other walnut.
This left a lustrous finish, as the dark-
er walnut outlined the indentations on
the handle and gave depth to the
remaining surfaces.
Sean's mother, Sharon McDermott,
helped the two boys work, along with
many other parents and family mem-
bers.
Learning and growing as a Jewish
family is the focus of education at Shir
Tikvah, said Karen Knoppow, educa-
tional director of the Troy synagogue.
"Our whole program is family edu-

cation," Knoppow said. "Parents are in
and out of here all the time."
Phyllis Kramer said she drove her
daughter Emily, 11, all the way to
Troy from Huntington Woods
"because the involvement of the teach-
ers and the rabbi with the family and
the children is important to me."
"The children want to come
Sunday mornings," she said. "My son
chose to come to the Hebrew high
school program." fl

Auburn Hills - 248-340-9269
Livonia - 248-442-7780

Wixom - 248-669-5263
Farmington Hills - 248-539-0104

We also have a location in
Sterling Heights - 810-254-5719

For information on ordering
kits for making yadayim and other
Jewish religious symbols, contact
Dreidel Makers, P.O. Box 1904,
Frederick, Md. 21702.

tgIN

Specializing in Alzheimer's & Dementia
Frail Elderly and Mentally Alert

12/22
2000

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