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Welcome Home!

At auction, Akiva welcomes back auction champion.

S

andy Eisenberg, a long-time
board member, has chaired 11
of Yeshivat Akiva's 13 annual
dinner auctions and always manages to
keep the prizes fresh, from the hottest
in electronics to popular vacation
packages.
About six weeks before the 2004
Chinese Auction, he was hospitalized.
What everyone thought was going to
be a few days turned into a few weeks;
but fortunately, his brother Barry
Eisenberg stepped up and pulled the
event together, along with co-chairs Dr.
David Beneson and Dr. Stuart Teger
and many volunteers.
"It was especially heart-warming
when Sandy arrived at the auction, in
one of his first social outings since
being released from the hospital," said
Rabbi Dr. Yigal Tsaidi, Akiva's educa-
tional director.
Eisenberg publicly thanked his wife,
Lori, and Barry, the rest of his family,
and a couple of his doctors — Akiva
parents who were at the auction.

Ben and Elizabeth Doppelt of Southfield
check out the auction program.

Debbie and Doug Stein of Southfield take a look at an auction item.

"While it certainly wasn't intended
this way, it just added to the warmth
of the evening and the sense that we
are all responsible not only for our
children's education, but also for each
other," Rabbi Tsaidi said.
About 500 people attended this
major Akiva fund-raiser on Dec. 5 at
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak
Park. They bid on 82 prizes. One
family even sent in their "bids"
from Israel.
"It's a great opportunity, especially
for new families to Akiva, to mingle
with others in an informal and com-
fortable atmosphere," said Eisenberg.
"Thirteen years ago, when Akiva
began its annual Chinese Auction, I
don't know if there were any other
`Chinese auctions' being held by
Jewish organizations in Detroit. But
today, there are quite a few, which is a
testimony to the popularity and suc-
cess of these events," said Marc
Jerusalem, president of the Southfield
day school. I

Rabbi Tsaidi with the auction book

Joel Grand of Huntington Woods and Michele Ershler
ofWest Bloomfield discuss the value of auction items.

Shoshana Katz of Southfield deposits her ticket Ruth Goodman ofWest Bloomfield holds the jar with the
ticket for the big prize, $10,000 in cash.
and hopes to win.

12/10
2004

26

Dr. David Beneson, Sandy Eisenberg and
Dr. Stuart Teger

