Metro
Starting Young
Kol Ami students teach non-Jewish friends
about Passover.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter
I
found the learning experience much
more comfortable and inviting than it
otherwise could have been, according to
Gross. "Everybody had a good time and,
hopefully, these young people will grow
up with a greater understanding of their
respective religions," he said.
Inspired by the seder, Gross suggests a
way to share what he calls "common
roots" with Christian neighbors. He
advocates initiating a "Share Your Seder"
campaign, "where everybody pledges to
t all starts with children," observed
Paul Gross of Farmington Hills after
his sons Jared, 12, and Adam, 9, and
their classmates participated with non-
aco Repino participates in the
Jewish friends at Temple Kol Ami's sev-
.Kol Ami religious school seder
enth annual Youth Interfaith Seder.
with friend Adam Gross, both 9
"If we can educate our children about
of Farmington Hi&
different cultures and religions, maybe,
just maybe, they'll grow into more accept-
ing adults."
And that was
the hope of the
program that asked
the West
Bloomfield syna-
gogue's fourth-
through sixth-
grade religious
school students to
invite a non-Jewish
friend to partici-
pate in a seder a
couple of days
before Passover,
which began on
April 23.
Among the 90
youngsters who
attended the inter-
active seder, led by
Kol Ami Rabbi
Micah Christian, 11, with friend and Kol Ami student Olivia Weber,
Seder participants hold up pieces of matzah in an interactive
Norman Roman,
10, both of Farmington Hills, have fun at the Youth Interfaith Seder.
portion of the program.
was Micah
Christian, 11, of
invite a non-Jewish person or
Farmington Hills.
family to their seder," he said.
"This holiday is really special for peo-
ple who are Jewish," observed Micah, who "This should be a really big deal
campaign that encourages people
attended the seder with Kol Ami student
to take the next step toward
Olivia Weber, 10, of Farmington Hills.
breaking down barriers."
"Now that I know more about the
But the Gross family couldn't
Jewish religion, I can respect it more,"
wait until next year to implement
said Jacob Repino, 9, of Farmington Hills
the plan. After Adam invited his
who was invited to the seder by Adam
friend Micah to the Kol Ami
Gross.
seder, "we ended up inviting
Temple Kol Ami religious school direc-
Micah's entire family to our seder
tor Andee Liberman credits the parent
Sunday night," Gross said.
volunteers who plan and coordinate the
"It was great having them
entire seder for its success.
there. You should have seen
"Not only are the parents incredibly
Micah's father try gefilte fish for
organized, but their children also better
the first time."
sense the importance of breaking down
religious barriers by seeing how hard they
work on the event," she said.
And since the non-Jewish participants
were attending with close friends, they
Rabbi Roman and his guitar lead a singalong.
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2005
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