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• University of Michigan

Jamie Rabotnick needed plenty of comfort,

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had to move forward no matter what.
"The older you get, you know that
things keep happening," Jaffa reflects.
"The question is how do you deal
with them so that you not only sur-
vive but that to some extent you thrive
as well."
With the power out not only in
their West Bloomfield neighborhood
but at Adat Shalom Synagogue
where Randi's service and celebra-
tion were to take place, Jaffa recalls
how everyone pulled together.
Friend Barbara Zack took the Jaffas
in. A generator was procured for
Saturday evening's festivities.
"The most touching thing I remem-
ber," says Jaffa, "is that no one left
Randi's service early. We were all there
in coats and gloves except Randi, who
refused to wear her coat on the bimah.
We had people from California and
Connecticut; people who had driven
from Pittsburgh through the ice
storm. And everyone stayed for the
entire service."
Saturday night, the generator took
the chill off the room but the real
warmth came from the guests who
danced until 1 a.m.
"Randi handled a very tough week-
end," Sandi Jaffa remembers. 'And I
think she realized everyone who was
important to her was there. Making
it through a tough situation is even
more rewarding and Randi [now a
junior at New York's Fashion
Institute of Technology] took that
lesson with her."
While Howard Rabotnick wished
for a yellow "Bar Mitzvah Book for
Dummies," no book could have pre-
dicted what befell Howard and Eileen

Young the weekend of their daughter's
weddinab . Remember the blackout of
August 2003?
"When the blackout started
Thursday afternoon, we thought it
would be temporary," says Eileen
Young. But by Friday morning the
Youngs knew that despite Heather's
fervent suggestions to reschedule, they
would be going ahead, black ties and
blackout if they had to.
Their party planner, Ida Nemzin of
Plan the Wedding, earned a merit
badge in coping with the unforeseen.
Like Eileen, Ida thought that by
Friday all would be well. But she
admits to feeling a little "panicky" as
Thursday moved into Friday and still
no electricity.
"Temple Israel's executive director
made arrangements for drinkable
water and portable potties. But who
knew how we'd decorate them,"
Nemzin says with a laugh. "Temple
Israel has a back-up generator for just
such events. [Caterer] Matt Prentice
was notified, the band from Toronto
said they'd come as long as they
could get gas. But I never had a
doubt that it wouldn't go OK. We
were ready to roll."
And roll the Youngs did. A formal
rehearsal dinner became a festive pizza
party at Temple Israel. Eileen and
Heather showered in the rain Friday
afternoon since they had no running
water. By Saturday night, electricity
was up and running.
"It was 99 percent exactly how we
planned," says Eileen. "It was beauti-
ful. And sad, too, as much of my
husband's family couldn't come in.
But everyone pulled together and it