Bar Mitzvah Raves

Easing Hunger Pangs

A year ago, four 12-year-olds
made a pact to form a band
and play at their bar mitzvah
parties. Last week, they com-
pleted their "bar mitzvah
tour" and plan to keep play-
ing in the future.
The four are Nolan
Astrein of Birmingham,
Matthew Greenberg of
Franklin, Robbie Herman of
West Bloomfield and Ben
Kastan of West Bloomfield.
Now known as "Spokes"
Spokes' Ben Kastan, Matthew Greenberg, Nolan
(although "Allergic
Astrein
and Robbie Herman.
Reaction" and "Kostar" were
names also considered), the
teens practiced in the
Herman plays bass and does the
Astrein basement weekly (and individ-
vocals.
ually at home).
The group plans to play at Hillel
The group now has 11 songs in its
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit's
repertoire, classic rock favorites by
Fall Festival as well as for friends "and
"Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Led
for fun," Greenberg said. Greenberg,
Zeppelin and, then, the people who
Herman and Kastan are friends from
they influenced," said Greenberg, who
Hillel, and Astrein, who attends Derby
plays guitar for the group along with
Middle School in Birmingham, met
Kastan. Astrein is the drummer, which Herman at Camp Maas.
is why the practices are at his house.
— Alan Hitsky, associate editor

Two secular metro Detroit food banks
have richer coffers thanks to a gift from
MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger. The Los Angeles-based nonprof-
it, secular hunger relief agency has award-
ed:
• $5,000 to the Food Bank of
Oakland County to support the distribu-
tion of six million pounds of food to
hundreds of agencies in metro Detroit.
• $10,000 to Forgotten Harvest in
Southfield to support the food rescue
program, which collects and distributes
three million pounds of leftover food
from hotels, restaurants, farmers and
caterers.
In Saginaw, the Center for Civil Justice
received $19,000 to support the anti-
hunger advocacy and food stamp policy

work of the legal services group.
Nationwide, hunger affects 35 million
Americans, including 13 million chil-
dren. In Michigan, 9 percent of house-
holds are food insecure, which means
their access to nutritionally adequate or
safe foods is limited or uncertain, accord-
ing to MAZON.
MAZON has awarded $534,500 in
grants to Michigan food banks since
1988.
"Millions of struggling Americans are
not reaping the benefits of economic
recovery," said Dr. H. Eric Schockman,
MAZON president. "Jobs are harder to
come by, and those that can be found
often pay an unlivable wage."
-= Robert A Sklar, editor

Sabbath Mode

the door of the refrigerator or freezer
can be opened without turning on or
off the unit's lights, digital readouts,
solenoids, fans, valves, compressors,
icons, tones or alarms. The optional
Sabbath Mode Kit has a manufacturer's
suggested retail price of $300.
— Alan Hitsky associate editor

The General Electric Co. has developed
a Sabbath mode system for its built-in
refrigerators and freezers that has been
certified by Star-K Kosher Certification.
When using the Sabbath Mode Kit,

HMC Design Wins

Neumann/Smith Associates in
Southfield has won one of 13 awards in
the state for its design of the Holocaust
Memorial Center on Orchard Lake
Road in Farmington Hills.
The American Institute of Architects
Michigan Design Awards Program was

Phone Link

judged by a jury of Chicago architects.
The jury's comment about the HMC:
"Serious but not sentimental; doesn't
rely on the obvious. Journey through
the building is hopeful. Beautiful
manipulation of solid and void."
— Alan Hitsky, associate editor

MEM 'cha

11 Don't Know©2004

Which Jewish food is outsold only by orange
juice in grocers' frozen food aisles?

Staff photo by Harry Kirsbaum

Yiddish Limericks

Do You Remembe&

A new mikveh* owner named Weine
Said, "Business is picking up fine.
Our pitch, it would seem,
Has worked like a dream."
7ch hub dere in bud''** reads the sign.

May 1964

— Goldfein

— Martha Jo Fleischmann

spgeg :Jamstry

Elka Lubenskaya of Oak
Park receives a five cell
phone for emergency use
from the Oakland County
Sheriff's Department on
411" May 11. She is one of the
rst of about 175 seniors
from the Jewish Apartments
6- Services residences in Oak
Park to receive the phones.
Oakland County Sheriff
Michael Bouchard explained
that the phones can only call
911, but can be used any-
. where in the United States.

* - ritual bath
** - (Literal) I have you in the bath!
(Idiomatic) Go to heck!

A large audience attended the dedication cere-
monies of the new Hebrew Memorial Chapel
(Chesed Shel Emes) on Greenfield south of 11
Mile in Oak Park.
The speaker, Rabbi David B. Hollander of the
Bronx, praised the Hebrew Benevolent Society for
the restoration of the dignity of Jewish life
through the respect shown for the dead.
A resolution proposed in the Michigan Senate .
congratulated the society on its noble endeavors.
— Sy Manello, editorial assistant