Living Well

Food

at Temple Israel
Monday, November 12, 2001 • 6:30 p.m.

Featuring Rabbi Benji Levene in

Food Unites All

Jewish cooking helps women from
three congregations find common interests.

T

BARBARA LEWIS
Special to the Jewish News

kink about
Jewish culture,
and you
invariably
think about food.
That's why food and
cooking were hot topics
when 70 Oak Park,
Southfield and
Huntington Woods resi-
dents gathered Oct. 29 for
Beth Shalom members Becky Grossman of Southfield
the fourth annual
Women's Night Out spon- and Ivy Abrams and Jeanne Milstein of Oak Park
dine with women from Temple Emanu-El and Young
sored by the Tri-
Israel of Oak Park.
Synagogue Committee of
Federation's Neighborhood
Project.
Federation's Neighborhood Project
Over a light supper at the Jewish
sponsors Women's Night Out as part of
Community Center in Oak Park,
its community-building efforts.
women from the three major syna-
Neighborhood Project was established
gogues in Oak Park — Young Israel of
15 years ago to provide interest-free
Oak Park (Orthodox), Congregation
home purchase and home improvement
Beth Shalom (Conservative) and
loans in Oak Park and Southfield. The
Temple Emanu-El (Reform) — were
Tri-Synagogue Committee, with repre-
intentionally mixed at each table so they sentatives from each congregation, also
could get to know each other and find
brings together the diverse congrega-
common interests.
tions in Oak Park through family and
Following the theme "Memories of
teen programs.
My Childhood Kitchen," speakers from
The women's program "is an oppor-
each synagogue told of lessons learned
tunity for us as women in the same
from their mothers and grandmothers.
neighborhood to focus on what we have
Rena Spolter of Oak Park, wife of
in common, rather than our differ-
Young Israel Rabbi Reuven Spolter and
ences," said Amy Neistein, director of
a teacher at Yeshivat Akiva in
Federation's Neighborhood Project. "At
Southfield, said food plays a very large
this juncture in our country's and
role in our connection to Judaism, giv-
Israel's history, we come together as
ing a sense of identity and roots.
women, as Americans and as Jews to
Ruth Marcus of Southfield, former
share some memories, recipes and a
Beth Shalom Sisterhood president, told
night out together."
how she learned Jewish cooking from
Attendees ranged in age from over 80
her grandmother. "Taiglach, kreplach,
to Sarah Phillips, 4 months, of Oak
knaidlach ... my granddaughter says if it
Park, who was there with her mother,
doesn't end like that, it's not Jewish,"
Renee, a member of Young Israel. Many
she laughed.
had been at previous Women's Night
Barbara Klein of Huntington Woods,
Out programs, but about half the
wife of Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Joseph
women were there for the first time.
Klein, noted that a kitchen is a wonder-
"I thought it was great," said Young
ful place for informal teaching and
Israel member Beth Raz of Oak Park,
learning.
who recently moved back to the Detroit
Local food writer and cooking
area from Chicago. "I liked listening to
instructor Annabel Cohen demonstrat-
the three women talk about their child-
ed how to prepare vegetarian chopped
hood memories and see the commonali-
liver and Sephardic chicken soup. JCC
ty among them."
staffer Andy Roisman offered a preview
Rhonda Pliskow, a Beth Shalom
of the upcoming JCC Jewish Book Fair
member from Huntington Woods who
with a display of Jewish cookbooks for
has attended previous Women's Night
sale.
Out programs, said the event always

FACES
ISRAEL

A dramatic comedy

For information, contact your synagogue school director
or call the Agency for Jewish Education at (248) 645-7860

"‘

of meropoi.,-, De or,

ewis enel cc'ation

Don't Miss
This Month
In The JN
NOVEMBER

November 9
November 16
November 23
November 30

— Style at the JN
— Active Living
— Gift Guide 1
— Gift Guide 2

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SHALOM DETROIT
WELCOMES NEWCOMERS TO
OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY

Call the Women's Department at
(248) 203-1459 for more information.

T ks

s , 1 =-eJerat on

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11/9
2001

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