First Round

CELEBRATING JEWISH \-\<</

From our homes
to yours.

The Rabbis, the Cantors, the Staff, the Officers, the
Board ofTrustees and the Affiliates of

Congregation Shaarey Zedek

extend to the entire community their very best
wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Top Row: Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, Rabbi Jonathan Berkun, Rabbi Eric Yanoff
Bottom Row: Rabbi Irwin Groner D.D. (Emeritus), Cantor Meir Finkelstein, Cantor Chaim Najman D.M.

May you be inscribed in
the Book of Life for a
fulfilling and peaceful
new year.

Join us! We offer a sense of belonging and warmth
for all —celebrating our history, enriching our
community and planning our future.

CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
Southfield ■ West Bloomfield

SHAAREY ZEDEK

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For membership information call
248/357-5544.

Oh-Oh-Oprah

But when one little-
n the week that
known author showed
Oprah Winfrey
up on the Oprah radar
announces she
screen a couple of
is cutting a $10 million
years ago and decided
check out of her per-
not to play ball, she, in
sonal account for
effect, pulled the book
Hurricane Katrina
off the shelves,
relief, I find myself
thinking that she is
Harry K irsbaum stopped the reprinting
and halted the Book
actually pretty mean-
Colu mnist
Club, all within two
spirited, especially if
weeks.
she believes you've
When she brought the club
snubbed her or made fun of her.
back a year ago, it morphed to
I lived in Chicago when she
Oprah Classic Book Club, i.e.,
first made her imprint on the
dead authors who won't talk
daytime world. Her personality
and warmth shined on stage, and back.
Last week, she returned to a
. she drew more and more women
away from Phil Donahue, no
living author, some guy who went
matter how many times he wore
through rehab. His book current-
ly occupies the top
a skirt to win them
spot of most best-
back.
seller lists.
Her fans celebrat-
Then there's the
ed with her as she
Hermes incident.
won her fight against
Last June, while
her weight problem
doing some last-
and cheered crazily
minute shopping for
as she came on stage
a birthday dinner
after running her
for her friend Tina
first marathon.
Turner, Oprah was
OK, so she didn't
turned away at the'door of
really run a marathon, it was a
Hermes in Paris.
half marathon — 26 miles, 13
The store had just closed for a
miles? Why care about little
private event, and, while there
details when it's Oprah?
were still customers in the store,
It took years of hard work but
Oprah, her girlfriend Gail and the
she finally made it to the top,
rest of the entourage were told by
producing her own show in her
own studio, producing other tele- an employee that they were too
late.
visions shows and feature
Oprah addressed the incident
movies, publishing a magazine
last week.
with her face on every cover and
"Everybody who's ever been
wielding enough power to be one
snubbed because you're not chic
of the most famous and benevo-
enough or the right class or the
lent people on Earth — as long
right color or whatever — I don't
as you don't cross her.
know what it was — you know
that that is very humiliating, and
that is exactly what happened to
Books
me:' she told her audience.
She started the Oprah Book
She then trotted out Robert
Club a few years ago, and little-
Chavez, CEO of Hermes USA,
known authors of depressing lit-
who apologized and said, "You
tle books she enjoyed became
did meet up with one very, very
instant bestsellers.
rigid staff person!'
She invited authors and some
"Rigid or rude?" asked Oprah,
lucky Oprah fans to her Book
Club readings, where they sipped correcting the poor guy, who
obviously drew the short straw in
tea and talked books for the
his office.
hour, as the studio audience
The audience was shocked to
watched it on the television mon-
hear that a French person could
itors.
actually be rude to someone, and

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September 29 2005 jrN