PUMPKIN LOGS ARE HERE! 1) COMPANY DA THE OC It is at once a distinctly Southern . text as well as a distinctly Jewish one. But the sad truth is it's unlikely to be as well known in the contemporary Jewish circles of purveyors and con- sumers of Southern literature. That is because the story is so root- ed in a time and a place that is utter- ly foreign to the modern Jewish corn- munity that it may be unable to engage with it. As Hoffman noted when we spoke, "[The book is] really [a] character study of Morris Kleinman, who has really vanished from the South." That is precisely why the Jewish community should embrace and devour Hoffman's book. It is about an aspect of the Jewish-American experience we are so in danger of los- ing because we barely knew it to begin with. The Jewish immigrant story may have begun on the banks of what became New York, but it didn't end there. We do a disservice if we forget the paths down which various mem- bers of our tribe have traveled, including the path to Mobile, Ala. "As we move away in time from books that move us, we tend to forget the details and nuance in plot," reminds Hoffman. So, too, as we move away in time from the places like Dauphin Street, we tend to for- get the details and nuance in the Jewish-American experience. What we hopefully keep is a memorable ), character. It's a great gift that Hoffman has given us — his grandfather. In the "aesthetic vehicle" of Morris Kleinman, contained within the 241 pages of Chicken Dreaming Corn, a memorable character gives us just a little bit of a time lost to us in histo- ry. "[He] comes to the South and brings with him a deep sense of his religion. He is deeply committed to what he believes in; he redefines him- self in light of Alabama and America but never strayed too far from who he was to start with," Hoffman says of his central character. The book, littered with the details and special qualities of Morris Kleinman's world, is not just the story of a shopkeeper. It is our story, one part of it in any event. It accom- plishes what Hoffman asks of the rest - of us: "I hope readers who drive through these towns and see all the change will remember the people who were here before." II A Favorite `Drive' Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of the Jewish South takes the stage at Meadow Brook Theatre. SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News jr ohn Manfredi, director of the Meadow Brook Theatre pro- duction of Driving Miss Daisy, had a nickname for Henrietta Hermelin-Weinberg, the actress taking the title role. Manfredi calls her "mom" because he has played her son in four other produc- tions staged in the area. Driving Miss Daisy, running Jan. 5-30, gives Manfredi a chance to step back and mold the relation- ship shared by another of Hermelin- Weinberg's mother characters and the son character, Boolie, played by Paul Hopper. The director's larger task staging Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-win- ning comedic drama has to do with a more controversial relationship — and ultimately issue. The plot unfolds the interactions of an eld- erly Jewish woman and her black driver, Hoke, portrayed by James Bowen. As the two travel around Atlanta in a timeframe reaching from the 1940s to the 1960s, atti- tudes toward race are explored. "John and I have really become close," says Hermelin-Weinberg, whose scripted parenting has included roles in Torch Song Milogy and Unexpected Tenderness. "I felt comfortable as he directed me dur- ing the audition." Hermelin-Weinberg, appearing in the year-end production Coming to Life at the Detroit Repertory Theatre, has a long history on Michigan stages. She has played in uproarious comedies and sobering dramas in venues that include the Gem in Detroit and the Jewish Ensemble Theatre in West Bloomfield. "This play has me thinking a lot about prejudice," says Hermelin- Weinberg, who recalls being turned away from a movie theater as a very young child because the babysitter taking her was black. "I love being an actress because I love addressing issues, and I like Daisy because she's honest and mannered at the same time. I also like the way she changes over the years covered in the play." • Gift Baskets • Soups • • Muffins • Sweet Trays • • Cookies • $ 1 00 Off Any Loaf of Bread Not good with any other offer Expires 1/30/05 one coupon per customer Now Offering Low-Garb, Rolled & Panini Sandwiches • Soups • Sandwiches • Salads 24-hour notice please on specialty items (some exceptions) 6879 Orchard. Lake Rd. in the i3oardwalk Plaza 924210'. Hermelin-Weinberg, aside from the production, wants to set the record straight about a change in her personal life. The Southfield condo resident recently bought a West Hollywood condo but is not moving west, as some have ques- tioned. She just decided to have her own place while visiting her grown children living in California. "I know I want to keep work- ing," says the 70ish actress. "It would be wonderful if I could get a part in Hollywood." As part of its season honoring "Celebrate 350," the nationwide, year-long celebration of 350 years of Jewish life in America, Meadow Brook Theatre presents Driving Miss Daisy Jan. 5-30 on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. Performance times are 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, Jan. 5-21 and 26-29; 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22; and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 9-23. Matinees are 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 9-30; Wednesdays, Jan. 19 and 26; and Saturdays, Jan. 15 and 29. $20-$36. (248) 377-3300. 248-626-9110 TRUST YOUR AFFAIR TO THE FINEST CATERER CLASSIC CUISINE Approved by Council of Orthodox Rabbis Jewel Kosher is proud to announce we are working with EXCLUSIVE CATERING YOUNG ISRAEL OF SOUTHFIELD! PHILIP TEWEL Food & Beverage Director (248) 661.4050 Farmington Hills 922560 12/31 2004 43