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Staff Notebook

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t was an evening of entertainment — with an attitude.
The Jewish commandment ofpikuach nefesh (saving a
life) was the real star in Temple Israel's sanctuary Monday as
the 650 guests who came to enjoy the cast of Ragtime The
Musical generated about $28,000 to fight HIV/AIDS. Auction
of a teddy bear made from wardrobe swatches raised $775.
The cast donated their time to benefit the Southfield-
based Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition and the New York
City-based Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, represent-
ing the American theater community. MJAC's mission is to
help the victims of, and teach the public about, HIV/AIDS,
a disease that disables the immune system.
"The war is not over. But we're destined to do battle until
this enemy is defeated," cast member Lawrence Hamilton told
the audience. "Your being here tonight is testimony to that."
Another cast member, 12-year-old Harley Adams, donated his
paycheck to the cause. "It is an honor to give back something
that has been given to me," the actor said, eight days before his
bar mitzvah at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
The evening honored Royal Oak's Ilene Isenberg, a long-
time volunteer who is moving out of state. She lost a son,
Steven, to HIV/AIDS in 1999. MJAC's Arlene Sorkin

called Isenberg a giant in teaching about
HIV/AIDS prevention and having respect
for all people. "In MJAC," Isenberg said,
"there has always been a curb to pull up to
and at which to interact with lots of won-
derful people who have been my support
system, my mentors, my role models."
The human immunodeficiency virus and
the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
are a scourge in Africa, but Americans also die from it.
Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders get HIV/AIDS,
but non-homosexuals do, too.
In Michigan, 13,000 people are HIV positive; 9,263 have
AIDS, according to the Michigan HIV News. Most are
between ages 30 and 34, but the affliction touches every
age group.
Nationally, nearly 50,000 new HIV infections are report-
ed each year.
"I thought that by now, we'd be out of business," said Dr.
Burton Fogelman, president of the 10-year-old Michigan
Jewish AIDS Coalition. "Unfortunately, we're not."

here may be a nationwide shortage of brisket for the
seder table this weekend, but Detroit-area kosher
butchers generally met demand.
A fire at a Kansas processing plant in December helped
create a brisket shortage. So has the ban on European beef
because of hoof-and-mouth disease.
But, says Rabbi Joseph Krupnik, kashrut supervisor for
the Southfield-based Council of Orthodox Rabbis of
Greater Detroit, the local source of most kosher beef pretty
much filled the plate.
Cornbelt Beef Corp. in Detroit, owned by Morris Flatt of
Oak Park, slaughters 180 cows per day. According to local
butchers, some of that supply has helped Ohio and Chicago
overcome the national shortage.
"Jewish people don't understand that when God created a
cow, he only created two briskets," says Bobby Shrum, the
gentile manager of the kosher meat department at the
Farmer Jack supermarket at Orchard Lake and Maple roads
in West Bloomfield. The brisket is the breast portion of the
cow, and sells for $6.39 a pound at Farmer Jack.
Shrum says there is a higher demand during Passover
because people who don't keep kosher the rest of the year
ask for kosher meat for the holiday. Cornbelt started put-
ting aside briskets around Purim in order to meet the
Passover demand, Rabbi Krupnik says.

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Fashion Consultant

Shrum's Farmer Jack store, one of three in the Detroit
area with kosher meat departments, sold 400-500 briskets
in advance of Passover. He expects to have some left over
because he bought from three different sources.
Across the street at Harvard Row Kosher Meats, owner
Johnny Katz sold 300 briskets, but could have sold 100
more.
"People are even more upset about the shortage of [lamb]
shankbones [for the seder plate]," Katz says. "We have to
save those all year to have enough."
On Tuesday, Sherry Gilman, owner of Dexter-Davison
Kosher Meats in Oak Park, received a 1,500-pound ship-
ment of meat from Cornbelt. That included five briskets
that "I've already sold."
Gilman sold 75 briskets before Passover "and I'm just
starting to run out now." People who could not get a
brisket for the seders have switched to standing rib roasts,
turkey or lamb, she says.
The Kroger supermarket at 12 Mile and Drake roads in
Farmington Hills sold 30-40 briskets before Passover,
according to kosher department supervisor Shalom Victor.
His store uses Rubashkin products, which were directly
affected by the December fire. Victor believes he could have
doubled his brisket sales if he had enough supplies.

— Alan Hitsky

e've completed the tally for our annual JN Online
Oscar Contest. Contestants were asked to accurately
predict those raking home the Oscar statuette in the cate-
gories of Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Actor and
Actress, Best Film and Best Director.
Runners-up include: Abby Goldfaden of Walled Lake, Fran
Savin of Farmington Hills and Michelle Passon of White

'Taut Cicchini
Jor ("Women

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BY APPOINTMENT

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(248) 646-0535

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And The Winners Are...

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Suits • Sportcoats
Tuxedos • Slacks • Shirts
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Shoes • Sweaters • Socks
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— Robert A. Sklar

Where's The Seder Beef?

T

Taul Ciccijini
3or LAten

Lake. They each won two movie passes to the
Star Southfield Entertainment Complex.
Our grand-prize winner is Charna Cook of
Bloomfield Hills. She will receive a $100 gift cer-
tificate to Essence restaurant in Northville
and four Star Southfield passes.

Joshua Paul Cane

Nom
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4/6

2001

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