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Taking It To The Streets
"Expect a Simchat Torah like no Simchat
Torah that's ever been seen in our town
before." That's how Rabbi Joseph
Krakoff of Conservative Congregation
Shaarey Zedek described the Thursday,
Oct. 7, first-time, multi-synagogue
dancing-in-the-street holiday festivities.
"Our congregants are going to march
with our Torahs from our Shaarey Zedek
B'nai Israel Center in West Bloomfield to
a nearby corner to meet up with mem-
bers of [Reform] Temple Shir Shalom,
who will walk from their synagogue with
their Torahs," Rabbi Krakoff said.
The plan for the event began during a
discussion between Shaarey Zedek clergy
Rabbis Krakoff and Jonathan Berkun
earlier in the year. But a friendship,
struck on this summer's Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Teen
Mission, got the ball rolling.
"When [Shaarey Zedek's] Rabbi [Eric]
Yanoff and [Temple Shir Shalom's]
Rabbi [Michael] Moskowitz met in
Israel, they took the project to the next
level," Rabbi Krakoff said.
The two congregations have done
some programming before, but this is a
one-of-a-kind event combining mem-
bers on the streets between the two syna-
gogues.
This event is planned by both syna-
gogues' rabbis and programming staff
"We will each start out with our own
program in our own synagogue," Rabbi
Krakoff said. "At 7 p.m., Shaarey Zedek
B'nai Israel Center will hold Minchah
and Maariv services and then we will
have a brief talk on kLal Yisrael and what
it means to get together as an entire
Jewish people."
At 7:30 p.m. at Shir Shalom, Rabbi
Moskowitz said, "We will have teaching
time, when we take our Torahs out and
teach about the concept of the Torah
and the holiday itself."
Then the two congregations — with
their Torahs in hand — will march to
the corner of Walnut Lake and Orchard
Lake roads where they will meet. "We
will march across the four corners of
Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake," Rabbi
Krakoff said.
Rabbi Moskowitz arranged for traffic
control with the West Bloomfield Police
Department to keep the celebrants safe.
"Then we will all march back to B'nai
Israel for more singing and dancing with
the Torahs and some socializing and
refreshments.
"
Swing And A Miss?
Shawn Green's decision to sit out Saturday's Los
Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants pennant-chase
game because of Yom Kippur earned
plaudits in many Jewish quarters.
But local radio sportscaster Jeff Lesson
was a bit critical because Green, the
Dodger's All-Star first baseman, played
Friday night, after the Day of Atonement
began.
Lesson, who is Jewish, has been a three-
Green
day-per-week sports anchor for WWJ
Radio since the early 1990s. He's also a criminal
defense attorney in Southfield and Detroit and does a
11LEF ET 'cha
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Rabbis Eric Kind' Dannel Schwartz, Joseph Krakoff Michael Moskowitz and
Jonathan Berkun at the crossroads of their two synagogues.
Wanting to share the excitement with
members of the synagogue that sits
between them, the group will pay a visit
to the Sephardic Orthodox Keter Torah
Synagogue.
"We love the idea of celebrating with
congregations so close to us, and with
other movements," said Rabbi
Moskowitz, whose colleague Rabbi
Dannel Schwartz is also an organizer of
the event. "We know we daven differ-
ently than those in the other two shuls,
but a Jew is a Jew And we want our
members to be able to learn from and
experience each other."
Rabbi Yanoff remembers "the sense of
celebration that highlighted the New
York City Jewish scene," while he lived
golf show on WWJ, WXYT and CBS nationally. He's
a graduate of Southfield-Lathrup High School,
Michigan State University and the Detroit College of
Law. A West Bloomfield resident, he attends religious
services at Temple Israel.
Friday morning, Sept. 24, Lesson
commented on Green's Yom Kippur
decision. In response to a news anchor's
question about Green, Lesson said, "I
wanted to point out to our listeners, who
might not understand, that the holiday is
sundown to sundown.
Lesson
"Religion is an individual thing, and it
was his choice," Lesson said. "I tho
[the subject] was an interesting conversation piece."
Green decided to skip Saturday's game in San
ught
Shelli Liebman Dorfman, staff writer
Francisco, he said, because he's a role model for the
Jewish community. When he was facing free agency
with the Toronto Blue Jays several years ago, he asked
to be traded to a city with a large Jewish community.
The Giants wished Green had attended Kol Nidre
Sept. 24. He drove in two runs with his 28th homer of
the season in the Dodgers' 3-2 win. And without
Green in the Dodger lineup Saturday, the Giants won
9-5.
On Sunday, Green had four walks, scored twice and
drove in a run in L.A.'s 7-4 win. The victory gave the
Dodgers a 2 1/2-game lead over the Giants with a week
remaining in the National League's western division
race. The two teams play the final games of the regular
season this weekend against each other in Los Angeles.
— Alan Hitsky, associate editor
Yiddish Limelicks
Do You Remember?
I hate sounding like a complainer,
But lately, it couldn't seem plainer:
We laugh and we mourn;
Each rose has its thorn.
October 1994
Der gleikhster veg's still ful mit shtayner!*
—
Goldfein
•treq iqoH
lnoos of -enqsof Aq 4tras salcls prq
—
!aqsvualAi pue ture.rqda urrq aioq otim
‘aynn sAdasof — avuasy c.sasoN Jo Avei-ur-iaqiej —
anpaf f,pviza Surx Jo .102SQDUB - tpn-ti Liamsuy
10
—
2004
Most Jews can name some important Jewish bibli-
cal heroes. But can you name some important
non Jews in Jewish biblical history?
10/ 1
2004
there during his years at Jewish Theolog-
ical Seminary Rabbinical School. "There
were thousands of people celebrating,
being together, with the Torah — which
unites us no matter how we affiliate," he
said. "It happens in Israel. It happens in
New York. There's no reason why we
can't really build that spirit — the joy of
the Torah in our Jewish community"
Rabbi Yanoff hopes the groups carry
the Torahs of each other's congregations.
"That's the symbolism," he said. "We can
happily share each other's Sifrei Torah."
Good plan, according to Rabbi
Moskowitz. "After all, a Torah is a
Torah." ❑
— Martha Jo Fleischmann
* The smoothest way is full of rocks!
Madeleine Harris Berman of Franklin was
appointed by President Bill Clinton to the
President's Committee on the Arts and
Humanities.
Joining her will be Isaac Stern, Rita Moreno
and Quincy Jones.
Berman now serves as vice chair of the
American Council on the Arts.
— Sy Manello, editorial assistant