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Chinese auctions gain popularity for their great prizes
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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

JN

SALE

12/29
2000

36

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS PLUS

372 Oullette Avenue • Windsor, Canada

Jacobovitz, director of the Machon
Women's Division, "but it's for a good
Special to the Jewish News
cause."
Yigdal, the support organization of
or cash-strapped Jewish
Oak Park's Yeshivah Gedolah High
organizations, Chinese auc-
School, has its eighth annual Chinese
tions are a proven way to
auction planned for Sunday, March 4, at
shake out the shekels and
Congregation Dovid Ben Nuchim in
bring in the bucks. And they're more
Oak Park. Shoshana
fun than a bowl full of for-
Gold, auction co-chair,
tune cookies.
E
says this year's theme
Machon L'Torah, the Oak
,,
will
be "Checkmate.
Park-based Jewish Learning
Besides the usual
Network of Michigan, is
.2, prizes of jewelry, furni-
planning its first Chinese auc-
E ture and travel packages,
tion — with a twist: it will be
Yigdal's auction offers
simultaneously conducted
many Judaica items,
on-line. The event will take
such as candlesticks,
place Sunday, Jan. 7, at the
seder plates, lulav and
Southfield Centre for the Arts
etrog sets, and a Megillat
on Southfield Road south of
Esther (scroll of Esther).
10 Mile, but the Web site is
In the Yigdal children's
already up and running at
room, 7- to 12-y ea r-olds
chineseauctiononline.com
can try their luck at
Like all Chinese auctions,
winning toys, bicycles
bids can be placed in
The 1999 Yigdal Chinese Auction's "The Sweet Shoppe" prize table.
and electronics, all with
advance; in this case, people
bids
priced $2-$5.
around the world can boot
Grossman.
Among
Akiva's
exciting
up, view prizes offered and place bids by
prizes: a $10,000 day school tuition
secured credit card order.
Low-Priced Fare
voucher, a seven-day kosher Caribbean
But what is a Chinese auction? The
Southfield's Yeshivas Darchei Torah girls
cruise and a $15,000 cash prize.
idea evidently originated in the metro
high school division runs the most
Barry Eisenberg, auction co-chair,
New York area, where Chinese auctions
affordable
Chinese auction in town.
says the event takes "lots of planning."
are such popular fundraisers for :
They've
had
three so far. More than 100
Starting in June, committees hunted
Orthodox Jewish organizations that as
prizes
are
offered,
most donated by stu-
down gifts and sponsorships, handled
many are three a day are held. Basically,
dents,
parents
and
teachers. There are
the
decorations
and
recruited
school
they are glorified raffles, with a huge
gift
certificates
to
local
kosher restau-
parents
to
staff
prize
tables.
About
500
selection of terrific prizes offered in dif-
rants,
lots
of
toys
and
special
prizes like
people attended Akiva's event, netting
ferent price categories.
homebaked
challah,
free
babysitting,
$50,000 for the school.
The excitement comes in deciding
homework passes, extra recess and a
which prizes to bid on. Big-ticket items,
chance
to be "teacher for the day."
such as cars, furniture, jewelry, freezers
Held
before Pesach, all Darchei Torah
Machon's
Turn
filled with food, cash and travel get-
proceeds
— about $3,000 annually —
The
Machon
L'Torah
auction
theme
is
aways, are very tempting. And to
are
donated
to Maos Chittim, an Oak
"Passport
to
the
World,"
with
a
prize
increase your chances, you can make
Park-based
organization
that helps pro-
catalog
resembling
a
large
passport.
Bid
multiple bids on an item — each time
vide
Passover
food
to
needy
families.
categories,
ranging
from
$5
to
$75,
are
paying the prescribed bid fee. One luc
"It's
a
chesed
(lovingkindness)
project
Chemed
to
different
countries.
The
winner is drawn for each prize, but pro-
for
the
high
school,"
says
12th-grader
grand
prize
is
a
two-year
car
lease.
Other
ceeds are collected from every bid.
Chava Devorah Kahn, auction co-chair.
featured prizes include a wooden out-
To increase proceeds, organizations
"We make the bids cheap (25 cents to
door
swing
set,
a
handpainted
toy
box
sell discounted ticket packages (for
$3),
so all the kids can give from their
filled
with
toys,
and
two
chances
at
a
example: $250 buys $300 worth of tick-
weeklong
vacation
in
a
Florida
condo-
own
money to tzedakah (charity).
ets). Most of the prizes and gift certifi-
Everyone
has a lot of fun."
minium.
Also
available
are
dinners
at
cates are donations. In return, generous
Making
giving fun, of course, is
area
kosher
restaurants,
gift
certificates
local business owners get free advertis-
the
whole
point
of Chinese auctions.
from
local
vendors,
jewelry,
toys,
sets
of
ing, a tax deduction and a mitzvah.
They're
so
enjoyable
that, whether
Jewish
books
(like
the
ArtScroll
Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield recently
you
win
or
not,
like
Chinese
food,
Talmud),
and
high-tech
prizes
like
com-
held its eighth annual Chinese auction.
as
soon
as
one
is
over,
you're
hungry
puters,
Palm
Pilots
and
digital
cameras.
Like most such auctions, this event fol-
for
the
next.
"It's
pure
gambling,"
said
Bayla
❑
lowed a theme: "A Night at the Oscars."

SUSAN TAWIL

F

Elaborate decorations tied to the theme
added to the fun.
Decorating chairs Devorah Rich of
Southfield and Cheryl Grossman of
Farmington Hills, both Akiva parents,
said they spent about three months plan-
ning the scene. "We wanted to make it a
glamorous, fun, adult evening," said

