Tu B'Shevat Shul Crawl

Young adults visit a new synagogue while celebrating the New Year of the Trees.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Stair Writer

B

lending a unique program
of introduction to syna-
gogue life with the celebra-
tion of the holiday of Tu
b'Shevat, a group of young adults
came together at the Birmingham
Temple for camaraderie, services and
to taste the first fruit of the season.
"The group tries to meet once a
month at different area synagogues to
explore and see the diversity of the
different movements and see what's
out there," says Alaine Waldshan, sen-
ior associate of community outreach
and education for the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
"Often, young adults are synagogue
shopping. They are looking to get
involved and this is a nice opportunity
to get together with other young
adults to learn about our synagogues,"
she says.
Included on this year's roster of
congregations visited are the
Orthodox Young Israel of Oak Park,
Reconstructionist Congregation
T'chiyah, Reform Temple Israel,
Reform-Renewal Congregation Shir
Tikvah and, next month, the
Conservative Congregation Beth
Ahm.
The Jan. 17 gathering at the
Secular Humanistic Birmingham
Temple included a meeting with
Rabbis Tamara Kolton and Adam

Chalom prior to the Friday night serv-
ice and the holiday celebration.
The Tu b'Shevat event was co-spon-
sored by the Federation Young Adult
Division's Education and Culture
Committee and Michigan Coalition on
the Environment and Jewish Life, a
beneficiary of Federation's Max M.
Fisher Jewish Community Foundation,
under direction of Sara Bernstein, MI-
COEJL special project coordinator.

❑

For information on participat-
ing in the monthly Shul Crawl
program to visit area syna-
gogues, contact Alaine
Waldshan at (248) 203-1486.
There is no charge.

From top:

MI-COEJL's Michael Sklar of
Huntington Woods speaks at the
program.

The Tu b'Shevat seder at
Birmingham Temple

YAD member Jason Chess of West
Bloomfield pours a cup of wine at
the Tu b'Shevat celebration.

Photos by Bill Hansen

