This Week
Staff Notebook
David and Marion
Handleman Hall and
Auditorium since March
2000. A liquor license is
expected to be issued soon, to
be held by the JCC.
The first construction
meeting for Milk and Honey
took place in mid-April and
much of the preliminary
plumbing is being installed,
but construction is not set to
begin until after the end of
the school year at the Jewish
Academy of Metropolitan
Detroit, which is housed in
the JCC.
The 50-seat restaurant is
expected to use its expanded
area on Sundays to accommo-
date 100 additional individu-
als.
Currently, a kitchen behind
Handleman Hall is used for
catering. A second kitchen
will be built in the area that
previously was the JCC
library and the now-closed
Elijah's Cup coffee shop.
Prentice also will provide
full-service carryout and bak-
ery items.
A Trailblazer
Among Women
A
nn Arbor's Carol
Smokier is the new
president of the
women's arm of the North
American federated world's
umbrella agency.
She's the first United Jewish
Communities Women's
Constituency president to
emerge from a smaller Jewish
community in at least 30 years.
"Ann Arbor is a microcosm of
the larger Jewish community"
said Smokier, a Constituency
board member since 1992. "But
because of our size, there are
fewer barriers to women assum-
ing leadership roles."
Smokier served as the
Constituency's Midwest Region
president from 1997 to 1999.
With the Jewish Federation
Carol Smokier
of Washtenaw County, she cre-
ated the Women's Division. She
became the first woman to
chair the federation's campaign
and to serve as federation presi-
dent.
She serves on the Jewish
Agency for Israel Board of
Governors and was national chair of
Partnership 2000, which links Michigan Jewry
to Israel's Central Galilee, from 1998 to 2000.
Smokier listed three goals as head of the
Constituency: improve outreach to the next
generation of Jewish women, develop new
funding streams and strengthen relations with
Jewish women worldwide.
"But the most important issue," she said, "is
taking care of one another and keeping our
children Jewish. This is something that
women have traditionally taken the lead in
and it is more important than ever."
— Robert A. Sklar
Where Is Land
Of Milk And Honey?
T
wenry-one months after signing a con-
tract to become the caterer of the Milk
and Honey restaurant in the West
Bloomfield Jewish Community Center, Mart
Prentice finally sees a glimmer of light at the
end of the tunnel.
"We anticipate an opening in November or
January," says Prentice, president of the
Bingham Farms-based Unique Restaurant
Corporation. "December is too busy for us
and opening would be difficult when much of
our corporate team is unavailable."
Catered parties have taken place in the
— Shelli Liebman Dorfman
All In The Family
At B'nai Moshe
w
hen Larry Gunsberg assumes the
presidency of Congregation B'nai
Moshe from Leonard Wanetik this
June, the synagogue will be coming full circle
historically.
The Gunsbergs are a founding family of the
great-
areal-
shul, which is named after
grandfather Moshe. Moshe Gunsberg's fours
sons and three daughters, who were prospering
in the pre-Prohibition liquor business, gave
money to save the floundering Hungarian shul
and get a new building under way.
Larry will be the fourth with the Gunsberg name
to hold the office. Sam Gunsberg was B'nai Moshe's
third president, followed by Louis Gunsberg as the
12th and Harry Gunsberg as the 23rd.
It seems fitting for leadership to come back
to a founding family this year as the shul cele-
brates its 90th anniversary. The gala celebra-
tion is set for 6 p.m. May 23, with a dinner
theater presentation, "Some Enchanted
Evening," performed by Nancy Gurwin and a
professional cast. The event is open to the
community.
Reservations must be made by May 16. For
more information, call the B'nai Moshe office,
(248) 788 - 0600.
Sporting An
Ecumenical Suntan
hen Dannel Schwartz's two presen-
ters made brief speeches honoring
Temple Shir Shalom's founding
rabbi at the Dove Dinner last week, a bit of
humor was added.
The Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-Christian
Studies' event was held at the Cranbrook
Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills. Rabbi
Daniel Nevins, of Adat Shalom Synagogue and
president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, laud-
ed Rabbi Schwartz's ecumenical work and their
own friendship, then added:
"Rabbi Schwartz is
gifted with a sonorous
voice, a great spirit and
the best suntan of any
rabbi in town."
The second presenter
was the Rev. Dr. Robert
Bailey, pastor of Trinity-
Misionary Baptist, an
African-American
church in Pontiac. The
Rev. Bailey's chance
meeting with Rabbi
Schwartz at an Oakland
County clergy meeting
has led the church and
Temple Shir Shalom to
become sister congrega-
tions.
Rev. Bailey called
Rabbi Schwartz "a man
of unique faith — in
Rabbi Dannel Schwartz
one word, human. He's
the only man I know
who can call himself assistant pastor of Trinity
Missionary Baptist Church.
"My people love him. They take something
from him when he speaks. He is my friend,
my colleague and my rabbi."
Rabbi Schwartz followed by turning to
Rabbi Nevins and explaining, "As assistant
pastor of Trinity Missionary Baptist, I do have
to develop my suntan. "
— Alan Hitsky
Corrections
• In "Former Vernor Students Celebrate
A Reunion"(May 4, page 46), the Web
site listed for the reunion committee was
incorrect. The correct one is communi-
ties.msn.com/VernorReunion
Also, the school remains in use and is not
closed.
• Debi King is co-chair of Congregation
B'nai Moshe's Shabbat Odyssey program of
Friday night services (Staff Notebook, May
4, page 12). Her name was inadvertently
omitted.
— Keri Guten Cohen
5/11
2001
11