Exceeding Your Expectations • ), „A„n„ In Senior R1!1,1 E0( SEI9 Living! Designed exclusively for Seniors 55 or older. American House offers elegant apartments with many luxuries included. years on the High Holidays," Rabbi Cohen says. "He was also instrumental in starting a lot of Sephardic syna- gogues in the United States and he was the one who arranged for me to be in Detroit at Keter Torah." While many members stayed on dur- ing years when moves were frequent, Alspector says some "needed a place to hold a bar mitzvah or other functions and they left and joined other shuls." But membership always remained large enough to keep the Sephardic Community going. "We kept our membership numbers up through the years because of the immigration to this area," says David. He moved to Detroit from Greece with his family when he was 5, with the help of sponsorship by the Detroit Sephardic Community. "We always had members from many places and sometimes you can hear so many languages at once in the synagogue," Alspector says. "In the 1950s and '60s, when we realized we had members from 20 different countries, we decided to make a map pointing to where everyone is from." For the last 10 years or so, Eli Ras hty services have been held on Shabbat, holidays and Keter Torah's History Sunday mornings. There were 200 congregants at Keter Torah on the The synagogue is the culmination of a dream begun in 1917, with the found- High Holidays this year. Now, with the new synagogue building, services also ing of the Sephardic Community of are held on Monday and Thursday Detroit by Turkish immigrants Judith mornings and on evenings when Rabbi and Jacob Chicorel. Cohen teaches a class. David also con- Without a permanent building until structed a Web site for the synagogue. last summer, members met through The new building already has been the years in various homes, office the site of more than one bar mitzvah. buildings and schools. The first, held in October, was that of "During the times when we had no Sol Benaderet of West Bloomfield. permanent rabbi or building, we were "His family is just one who bought a not able to supply more than a social organization and High Holiday services," house to be near the synagogue," Rabbi Cohen says. says David. "We did not have a place to "In addition to new members, we go for Shabbat services or to take a class." also have many who are longtime, sec- A few years ago, while the congrega- ond- and third- and fourth-generation tion met in Southfield, Rabbi Hanoch members," says Alspector, who, with Gez, who lived near the facility where her husband, Stanley, Keter Torah services were held, became the syna- treasurer, shared their home phone gogue's rabbi. line with the synagogue for a time For a time, Chazzan Sasson Natan before the new building opened. led services, before moving to Chicago French-born member Lucien Darmon and becoming a rabbi. of West Bloomfield had, until last fall, Active members Shalom and Ben- `been synagogue treasurer for 40 years. Ezra also led services. "And we also have new members "Rabbi (Solomon) Maimon from who joined since we opened our new Seattle was our guiding light," says building, and some old members who Susan Alspector of Farmington Hills, left and have returned," Alspector says. Keter Torah's corresponding secretary. The congregation's oldest member is "He was here for the community's simchahs and led services for many SEPHARDIC PRIDE on page 66 position, balanced in the tik," he says. Even Sephardi Sifrei Torah from countries like Greece, which look sim- ilar to the Ashkenazi Sifrei Torah in that they are laid flat and are dressed in typical blue or maroon velvet, may be bound differently. "The mantle and cover may look the same," Belinfante says. "But the open- ing may be in the front instead of the back and it has a long strap — 10 feet long — that is rolled around and around the Torah. In my Spanish- Portuguese Synagogue, founded by Jews who came from Holland, that's how we do it — and for no reason other than 350 years of tradition." Rabbi Cohen says, "A strap often is used in Spanish-Portuguese synagogues and may be made of a long piece of silk and is wrapped around the Torah so many times that, when it is opened, the parchment isn't seen, only the silk." Although the words of the Torah are the same in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic syn- agogues, Rabbi Cohen says that "the specific shape of some of the letters is differ- ent." But he also says anyone able to read an Ashkenazic Sefer Torah will be able to read a Sephardic Torah. . West Bloomfield Southfield • 1 Bedroom-940 Sq. Ft. • Two Meals Served Daily & Continental Breakfast • 2 Bedroom-1280 Sq. 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