This Week
Staff Notebook
A Song For Avery
orking at Efros Drug Company in her hometown
of West Bloomfield, Michelle Koza, 28, saw a
face that caught her eye and stirred her creativity.
Just one look at the photo of Avery Engelman on the
cover of the June 1 issue of the Jewish News sparked Koza, a
photographer, model, singer and lyric songwriter, to write a
song dedicated to the 2-year-old.
Avery was featured in a story on how her cystic fibrosis inspired
her parents to make the community more aware of the disease.
"As a writer, I am inspired by things around me," Koza
says. I saw the [paper] and there was a little face on the front
page that captured my heart.
"I loved the photo," she says of the picture taken by
Jewish News staff photographer Krista Husa. "The features
of her face gave me the song. I wrote about her beautiful
face."
Looking to make a career writing songs, she is working on
a book of lyrics called Flowers of People.
Koza, who is Chaldean, says she often sees the paper at
the store where she works. "I didn't know I was going to
write the song until I went to sleep," she says. "Her face
stayed in my mind until I wrote about her."
Going back to work after writing the song, Koza went to
take another look at the song-inspiring photo; she discov-
ered she may not have been the only one to be touched by
Avery's face. The papers had sold out.
— Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Your Face Touched
My Heart
by Michelle Koza
Copyright 02fIrii
Chorus:
Your face touched my heart
Wishes and prayers go out to you
Your face touched my heart
Wishes and prayers go out to you ...
In your smile ... Sunrise
In your eyes ... Shine
Tonight stars- shine so bright
You are the sparkle of every moonlight ...
Sunshine rays of smiling children
Playing and laughing sounds
In open fields of playgrounds ...
Looking at you
You are so special
The way you are
The sweet way you talk
The sweet way you walk
Sweet babe, sweet babe, sweet babe
Chorus
You are the highlight of beauty in every
clay
You are my lift
You make each day count
In a day of smiles your face comes to mind
Love and happiness, you bring to lift ...
Chorus
6/22
2001
12
Beth El Still Home To Dubov
n offer to Temple Beth El Cantor Stephen Dubov
for an out-of-state position brought discussion, a
couple of meetings and the real-
ization by the cantor and his congrega-
tion that he is already home.
"He came to the board to see if we
would release him from his contract
under the circumstances if he decided to
take the opportunity," says Alan May
president of Beth El. "We said we'd be
glad to, but later he decided he'd rather
stay here. He said he wants to be part of
the Beth El family. He said, 'I want to
„,
be your cantor.
Cantor Dubov
Greatly pleased with the decision, May
sees Cantor Dubov as his own inspira-
tion to participate in "prayer through song.”
"I even got to the point of doing solos myself," May said.
May called the cantor "absolutely wonderful with children,
inspiring them from the age of Tor Shabbat and forward. He
runs about 10 music programs and holds a Jazz Shabbat for
the community that fills the sanctuary like on the holidays.
His performances and his dedication to the congregation are
superb. He's one of the hardest workers at Beth El," May said.
Pleased with the assurance that the cantor is staying,
Rabbi Daniel Syme said, "He will be here during the dura-
tion of his contract."
May said no changes were made in the cantor's contract,
which has 2 7: years remaining. In fact, no changes have
been made at all.
"Things are looking wonderful," Cantor Dubov said.
"Temple Beth El is in great shape. We can only look to the
future and to all of Beth El's successes."
— She& Liebman Dorfman
A
Hot Topics On The Hill
resh from testifying before Congress, a leader of
III North
America's top federated network visited the
Detroit area last week to update Jewish leaders on
the effects new federal programs will have on local human
and social services.
Here for a series of meetings with Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit lay leaders and professionals, Diana
Aviv, a United Jewish Communities vice president and
director of the UJC Washington Action Office, told the
Jewish News that the faith-based initiative plan is a "con-
tentious issue.
"There's a lot of discomfort
with the question of what
some would see as violating
the establishment clause, the
separation of church and
state," said Aviv, who had
just appeared before the
House Ways and Means
Committee. "There's lots of
questions about whether we
need this."
The system already in place
Diana Aviv
is doing a good job, she said.
Faith-based institutions, such as the Jewish federated net-
work, Catholic Charities USA and Lutheran Social Services,
have been able to get government funding for many
decades, and it hasn't been a problem, she said.
Another hot topic she's dealing with on Capitol Hill is
how Congress will do business now that it no longer has a
budget surplus.
"The committee chairmen are looking at how they are
going to meet their obligations to the existing programs,
whether it's highway and safety, or foreign aid
or aid to the elderly," she said. "They have a
huge
b ahead of them because I'm not
b challenge
sure there's enough money to go around to do
what needs to be done and simply keep up
with inflation."
— Harry Kirsbaum
Corrections
• Regarding "ZOA Rallies Against Terrorism" (June
15, page 43), two local members were incorrectly
identified. They are Harry and Sally Nosanchuk.
• Regarding "Gail Langer Succeeds Husband At Beth
Shalom" (June 8, page 62), Gail and Art Langer of
Congregation Beth Shalom were incorrectly listed as
the first husband and wife to hold a synagogue presi-
dency at any congregation in the Detroit area. Both
Harold and Mary Ellen Gurewitz have served as presi-
dent of Congregation T'Chiyah.
• Regarding "JARC Receives A Top Honor" (June 8,
page 69), the Jewish Association for Residential Care
was incorrectly listed as in Southfield. The organiza-
tion is now located in Farmington Hills.
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