Mazel Toy!
Military Mitzvah
Aiding troops and learning of the impact of war on their families.
Leonard Poger
Copy Editor
E•
ory Siman's hobby of col-
lecting toy soldiers led to
a special bar mitzvah project
— honoring American soldiers
stationed in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Rory's interest in military
matters started at age 5 and
stems, in part, from his family
background. His paternal
grandfather, the late Robert
Siman, served in the Army dur-
ing World War II. His maternal
grandfather, Stanley Klein, was
a Navy captain in that war.
Rory's father was an armored
officer and captain in the
Army Reserve in the 1970s.
A seventh-grader at Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills,
Rory, of Bloomfield Township,
mounted a campaign to collect
toiletries, snack items and
other nonperishable goods to
fill five large cartons, which
are to be shipped this month.
Rory's mitzvah mission was
facilitated through e-mail, pen-
pal correspondence and
"through a friend of a friend
who knew a soldier in Iraq,"
said Rory's father, Steven
Siman, an attorney.
"Honoring our troops was
meaningful and special to
him," Steven said.
Robin Klein Siman, Rory's
mother, a dentist, said a den-
tal assistant's husband helped
obtain the names of two ser-
vicemen. The GIs' photos were
then displayed at the bar mitz-
vah reception table along with
an appeal to guests to address
letters "Dear Soldier" so they
could be circulated among fel-
low troops.
Robin said her son asked
the guests at his bar mitzvah
celebration to "help make my
dream come true" by aiding
the troops.
Four weeks later, the par-
ents and sister of one of the
servicemen honored at the
celebration contacted Robin
and met both her and Rory.
"That meeting was the most
meaningful part of the mitz-
vah project," Robin said.
"Rory got to see the reality
of war. It affects people's
daily lives. People really fear
for the safety and welfare of
their son or daughter.
"This was a real family
project," Robin said. "I really
appreciate being a part of
it. "
Rory contacted area busi-
nesses to seek donations that
could be boxed and shipped.
Among items collected are bug
spray, snacks, toiletries, books
and single packets of
American-made coffee.
Contributors included ACE
Hardware, GNC Nutrition
Center, Kroger Supermarkets,
UPS Store, Rite Aid, Frames
Birth Announcements
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Notices
May 26
In an attempt to keep the notices that
mark youth on their path to maturity
meaningful yet brief, we have decided
to change the items to include.
We have eliminated the reference to
the school "honor" ranking because it
differs from school to school. Since
mitzvah projects have increased, we
ask that only one be selected to be rep-
resentative of tzedakah.
Thank you for your adherence to
these changes.
Amy (Barron) and Robert Horwitz of
Huntington Woods are happy to
announce the birth of their daughter,
Amanda Elyse (Shoshana Eliat). Sharing
in their joy are grandparents Eleanor and
Howard Barron of West Bloomfield and
Carol and Ronald Horwitz of Farmington
Hills. Amanda is named in loving memo-
ry of her great-grandmothers Ethel
Barron, Irene Ester Landsman, Annette
Horwitz and Lillian Sarah Bransky.
April 22
Nanette (Percha) and Michael Blum of
Piedmont, Calif., joyfully announce the
birth of their son, Liam Day. Welcoming
Liam home was his excited big sister,
Tessa Rose, 3. Thrilled grandparents are
Barb and Bob Percha of South Lyon and
Rosie and Jon Blum of Farmington Hills.
Delighted great-grandmother is
Catherine Stoner of Garden City. Liam is
named in loving memory of his maternal
great-grandfather Leo Day Stoner.
Sarah Dore Brooks will celebrate her
bat mitzvah on Friday, Oct. 28 at the
Birmingham Temple.
She is the daughter of
Bernadette Dore and
Scott Brooks of Detroit
and the granddaughter
of Joann Brooks, the
late Jerome Brooks and
the late Evelyn Smith.
Her brothers are Brett
Brooks
ac
Rory Siman shows some of the donations for U.S. troops.
Unlimited and several dental
offices. Many of the donations
were centerpieces at the Sept.
3 celebration at the Townsend
Hotel in Birmingham following
Rory's bar mitzvah at Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield.
At home, Rory likes to cre-
ate dioramas of major battle
and Sean Athey and Joshua Brooks.
Sarah is a student at the Detroit
Waldorf School. Among her many mitz-
vah projects, she worked with the
kindergarten and first-grade classes at
the Birmingham Temple's Sunday
school.
Jared Samuel Hirsch of West
Bloomfield will become bar mitzvah at
Adat Shalom Synagogue Saturday,
Oct. 29. Participating in the ceremony
will be his parents,
Beth and Larry, and
brothers Noah and
Aaron. Proud grand-
parents are Faigel and
Len Shapiro of Calgary,
Alberta. Jared is also
the grandson of the
late Shirley and Ernest
Hirsch
Hirsch.
Jared is a student at Hillel Day School
of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington
Hills. For his mitzvah projects, he col-
lected 200 CDs for soldiers in Israel.
scenes with his toy soldiers.
When not spending time on
military matters, Rory volun-
teers in the Temple Israel
library and accompanies his
mother to Model A Car Club
activities. Ell
Kameron Finn Davidson McVittie
(Amittai Pincus), son of Kirk McVittie
and Sandra Davidson-McVittie, will be
called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah
Friday, Oct. 28, at
Temple Kol Ami. He is
the brother of
Christopher McVittie,
Erika and David Ohl,
Simon and Kimberly
Rivers Newman and the
grandson of Bertha
McVittie
Davidson and Susan
Amacher. He is also the
grandson of the late David Davidson and
the late James McVittie.
Kameron is a student at Power Middle
School in Farmington Hills. Among his
many mitzvah projects was donating
money to the Humane Society for ani-
mals needing care due to Hurricane
Katrina.
More B'nai Mitzvah
• Congregation Shir Tikvah — Cody
Silver, son of Neil and Jennifer Silver
(Saturday).
B'nai Mitzvah on page 80
October 27.2005
79