Staff Notebook
Breaking Bread
Day of Peace brunch brings togeth er Southfield's many ethnic groups.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Copy Editor
More than 80 people attended, including
Southfield council members and other city officials.
"We have to get together and talk about the many
renda Lawrence, Southfield's new mayor,
things that unite us," Lawrence said. "And the key is
hosted a Sunday brunch Jan. 6 for a mul-
our children.
ticultural mix of several dozen residents
The occasion was short on rhetoric and long on
invited by the city.
food and fun. After the guests had eaten their fill —
On the menu were chicken fingers and fries,
including a separate table of kosher dishes from
scrambled eggs and toast — and many kosher items.
Unique Kosher Catering — the kids got to work.
In addition, everyone received a generous helping
"We asked them to make a picture of what peace
' of good will and cooperation. .
means," Lawrence said. "They were aged infant to
Held at Southfield's Historic Burgh House at
15, so we got quite a selection."
Civic Center Drive and Berg Road, the brunch corn-
The mayor rolled up her sleeves and helped out. One
Jewish boy wanted to
include as many of the
world's
flags as possible,
0
but knew how to draw
0
only the flags of Israel
and the United States.
So the mayor led him
0
to families of other ori-
0
0
gins. With her help, a
Korean child learned to
write "peace" in several
different languages.
The drawings will be
displayed at the
Southfield Civic Center
some time in the
future, Lawrence said.
Noam and Stacy
Carmen came to the
event with daughters
Esti, 14, Kayla, 12 and
Talya, 9, all students
at the Southfield's
Above: Rachmiel Shraga Lichtenstein,
Yeshivat Akiva.
10, of Southfield, shows his peace
Noam Carmen
picture to Mayor Brenda Lawrence.
called the event "some-
where to start" on the
Right: Creating their visions of peace at
road to peace. "We're
the Jan. 6 brunch are Talya Carmen, 9,
all
human beings," he
Devorah Gutman,10, and Kayla
said. "It doesn't matter
Carmen, 12. Talya and Kayla live
what race or religion
in Southfield; their friend Devorah
— we all want the
is visiting from Florida.
same things for our
**Z
k
children.
Several of the more
outgoing children dis
memorated the United Nations-sanctioned
played their artwork to the entire room. Among
International Day of Peace.
them was Rachmiel Shraga Lichtenstein, 10, a stu-
The intention, explained Lawrence, was to cele-
dent at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield, who
brate Southfield's multicultural heritage by bringing
attended the brunch with hiS six brothers and par-
together 10 families representing the city's ethnic,
ents Rabbi Moshe and Rochelle Lichtenstein.
racial and religious diversity. These included families
Rachmiel's drawing shows a food-laden table, with
of Korean, African-American, Sri Lankan, Indian,
the words "Eat Together" written on it. In the upper
European and Chaldean origin, as well- as Israeli-
right-hand corner of the page is the Hebrew word
and American-born Jews.
"shalom" followed by its translation — "peace." ❑
B
)3
...
)7
Guy Stern and other interrogatorilnterview captured
German soldiers.
Entertaining The Troops
The Turner Classic Movies channel will feature the
documentary, "Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song,"
at 7 p.rfi. tonight, Jan. 11, and again at midnight
Thursday, Jan. 17.
The show, which first ran last month, mentions
Detroiter Guy Stern's experiences during World War II.
A distinguished professor of German and Slavic
studies and former Wayne State University provost,
Dr. Stern is interviewed in several segments and rem-
inisces about his wartime connection to Dietrich.
A resident of West Bloomfield, Dr. Stern interro-
gated German prisoners of
war as part of his intelli-
gence assignment. He met
Dietrich both during the
war and later, and recounted
some of his experiences as
part of the documentary. _
"We had just retreated dur-
ing the Battle of the Bulge,"
Dr. Stern recalls. Dietrich
was entertaining U.S. troops
about 15 miles away, "so a
friend and I jumped into a
Dr. Guy Stern
jeep and went to see her in a
huge catering hall."
The star of The Blue'Angel was surrounded back _
stage by American soldiers, but Dr. Stern spoke to
Dietrich in his native German to capture the actress's
attention. After small talk, they told her of the
German POW camp where they worked in Huy and
offered to take herfor a visit.
"In the Citadel," Dr. Stern said, "we walked her
down a fenced corridor with German enlisted men
on the left and officers on the right. When they saw
it was Dietrich, the POWs rushed to the barbed wire
fence on both sides."
Then the head of the military police battalion
rushed out and ordered, "Get her out of here or I'll
have a riot on my hands."
The film was produced and directed by Dietrich's
grandson, David Riva, who learned of Dr. Stern's
connection from a mutual acquaintance at Berlin's
Museum of Film History. Riva arranged for Dr.
Stern and several others to be interviewed for the
production in Washington, D.C., in November.
— Alan Hitsky
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