Itsa Mitzvah Day

Volunteers spend an afternoon giving back to the communi

RONELLE GRIER

Special to the Jewish News

r

rom sukkah builders to cookie bakers, more
than 300 volunteers of all ages turned out for
Federation's annual Itsa Mitzvah Day on Sept.
19 to help seniors, those with disabilities and others.
After lunch and a brief orientation, participants dis-
persed to their assigned sites throughout the communi-
ty for an afternoon of crafts, bingo, baking, gardening,
sukkah building and assisting at a food bank.
Co-chairs of this year's event were Sarah Krasnick
and Sherri Ketai, both of Franklin, who were
thrilled to see this year's participation exceed last
year's figure of 250.
"This is a fun, feel-good event for the whole family,"
said Ketai, whose husband, Jimmy, and their three sons
Josh, 13, Adam, 11, and Evan, 9, also participated. "I
want our kids to learn about tikkun olam [repair of the
world], that helping others is part of our job as Jews."
Krasnick's husband, Neal, and their three sons,
Bradley, 16, Brian, 13, and Nathan, 10, have partici-
pated for the last four years.
"Most of the boys like building sukkahs," said
Krasnick, "but there's enough variety that everyone can
find something they enjoy."
Associate chairs Joanne Aronovitz of Huntington
Woods and Stefany Freeman of Bloomfield Hills will
take over next year as co-chairs of the event, with Ketai
and Krasnick serving as advisers.
"This is a great chance to be with my entire family
and do mitzvahs together," said Freeman. "People of
all ages and abilities can participate, and it gives the
kids a good orientation about volunteering in the
Jewish community."
Kristen Gross of Bloomfield Hills was back for her
second year with sons Lenny, 9; Max, 8; and Jack, 5.
"We built a sukkah last year at [Kadima's] Grand

Clockwise from top left: Lauren Goldstein, 12, of West
Bloomfield and Fran Newman of Huntington Woods
make cookies.
Sisters, Halle, 2, and Jessica Randolph, 9, of West
Bloomfield make decorations for a sukkah.
Danny Bittker, 15, of Bingham Farms and Rick
Smith of Franklin begin to assemble a sukkah.

Home and had a very meaningful experience. It's
important that our children learn to give back to their
community at a young age," Gross said.
"It's important to do this; it's what we're supposed to
do as Jews," said Laura Hirschhorn of Huntington
Woods, who was on her way to the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park to bake cookies for
the residents of the Teitel Jewish Apartments.
A group of volunteers at Kadima's Ravits Home in
Farmington Hills remained undaunted by the after-
noon sun and the absence of directions for the
sukkah they had come to build. After a few false starts
and misplaced poles, the structure finally began to
take shape.

Rick and Kate Smith of Bingham Farms enjoyed
spending the day with friends Alan and Sandy Bittker
of Franklin and their families. "I like helping other
people," said 10-year-old Bradley Bittker.
"This is terrific," said David Barg, a resident of the
Ravits home. "It's great to have all these people helping
us to keep the Jewish traditions in our lives."
Itsa Mitzva Day is a program of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Volunteer
Network. It is sponsored by the Federation Women's
Campaign and Education Department in corporate
partnership with Unique Restaurant Corp. of
Bingham Farms.
Mitzvah sites included several JARC and Kadima
homes, the new garden exhibit at the JCC in West
Bloomfield, the Meer, Prentis and Fleischman senior
residences in West Bloomfield, the JCC in Oak Park
and Gleaners Food Bank in Detroit. Participants were
eligible to earn "mitzvah credits" for individual religious
and secular school programs. 11]

Corrections

• The picture of Lady Liberty welcoming Jewish
immigrants ("350 Years!" Sept. 24, page 32) was taken
from the book People of Faith, Land of Promise: 350
Years of Jewish Life in America by the Library of the
Jewish Theological Seminary, New York City. Also,
the photo on page 34 of members of the local 350
celebration coalition was taken by Bob Benyas.

• In "In Search of Truth" (Sept. 17, page 22), an
indirect quote on the causes the National Council of
Jewish Women supports was mistakenly attributed to
Sheila Guyer, local NCJW president. The quote
should have been attributed to Fran Ettinger, state
public affairs chair for the local NCJW.

10/1

2004

19

