tefillin that had been saved for many
years, even having gone through
Auschwitz."
In addition to the brief service and
morning meal, Rabbi Shemtov typically
addresses the group briefly.
"He may tell a story about tefillin or
go a little deeper into the meaning of the
Shema [the daily prayer of Jewish identi-
fication, affirming belief in God] or
other parts of the service," Itty Shemtov
said.
"The program has been an inspira-
tion for some," she added, "who have
actually taken upon themselves to put
on tefillin every day — even when
they're not at the Shut" ❑

Educating Americans
In Israel

Rabbi Joel Roth speaks about egalitarian Conservative yeshivah in Jerusalem.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

StairWriter

W

The next 8:30 a.m. meetings of
"Tefillin in Hard Hats" are on
Sundays, July 21, Aug. 4 and
Aug. 18. There is no charge, but
reservations are requested for
breakfast. For information on
attending, call the Shul-Chabad
Lubavitch, (248) 788-4000; or
e-mail Bentzi Sudak at
bentzi@theshul.net

.

las ,NV‘a.

Wearing
'rennin

JN

7/19
2002

66

The commandment to wear tefillin
is mentioned four times in the
Torah, including the words, "You
shall bind them as a sign upon
your hand, and they should be a
reminder between your eyes."
(Deuteronomy 6:8).
Tefillin consists of two small
leather boxes attached to leather
straps, with each box containing
four passages from the Torah
inscribed on parchment.
One box is placed on the bare
left arm and the suspended leather
strap is wound around the left
hand and around the middle finger
of that hand. A left:handed person
wears tefillin on the right hand.
The other box is placed on the
head, above the forehead. A bless-
ing is recited.
For tefillin to be kosher, they
must be dyed black with a special
dye. They are worn on weekdays
only, typically during the morning
service. The mitzvah of wearing
tefillin begins with becoming a bar
mitzvah and, in some movements
of Judaism, a bat mitzvah. ❑

Doreen Hermelin, Rabbi Roth and Marjorie Saulson at the evening of learning.

Rabbi Roth speaks to the crowd at Doreen Hermelin's home.

For information on the Conservative yeshivah or the Fuchsberg
Center, call Great Lakes and Rivers Region of United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism in Cleveland, (216) 751-0606, or e-mail
Marjorie Saulson at: msaulson@mindspring.com

hen former Detroiter Rabbi
Joel Roth returned home July
1, it was to share his expertise
' in the area of halachah
(Jewish law) and provide details on the
Conservative yeshivah he heads in
Jerusalem.
"Rabbi Roth taught an enthralling les-
son, based on the Mishnah, as to why
Judaism allows and respects disagree-
ments in the interpretation of law and
practice," says Marjorie Saulson, presi-
dent of the Great Lakes and Rivers
Region of United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism (USCJ). She
chaired the evening event with Mark
Lichterman, Robert Roth and Asher
Tilchin.
"He [Rabbi Roth] then shared his
excitement in the progress of the students
at the yeshivah, who will one day return to
communities in America as committed
adult Jewish learners," Saulson says.
With the 7-year-old egalitarian yeshivah
now accepting applications for this
September, the rabbi spoke about the
school during a gathering in the Bingham
Farms home of Doreen Hermelin. The
yeshivah, whose programs include study of
Bible, Talmud, Midrash, Philosophy,
Siddur and Kabbalah, also offers its 50 stu-
dents the opportunity to become involved
in volunteer projects helping the elderly,
adults with disabilities and children having
special needs.
The Conservative yeshivah is housed on
the campus of the USCJ. Shirley and Jacob
Fuchsberg Center, created as a base for
Conservative Jewish travelers who are in
Israel to visit, study or participate in move-
ment-sponsored programming, including
United Synagogue Youth programs. The
Fuchsberg Center, under the academic aus-
pices of the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, with support from the Jewish
Agency for Israel, also houses the Masorti
synagogue, Beit Knesset Moreshet Yisrael.
Rabbi Roth, whose family remain mem-
bers of Congregation B'nai Moshe in West
Bloomfield, is an author and former dean
of the rabbinical school at JTS. He is on
leave as Louis Finkelstein professor of
Talmud and Jewish law at JTS. ❑