At center, Sigal Levine of West Bloomfield
immerses herself in the music and dance
with the rest of the crowd on the floor.

Musical Energy

.

JCC concert provides an upbeat Israel connection.

hen Israeli pop star Einat Sarouf takes
the stage, sitting down or sitting still is
really not an option. More than 300
people caught her infectious energy — dancing,
clapping, shaking tambourines and singing along
at the Jewish Community Center.in West
Bloomfield.
Sarouf put on a special per-
formance at a gathering spon-
sored by the Israel and
Nerseas Department of the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan of Detroit.
"I've never been to any per-
. formance where you see so
much energy," said Steve
Robin Schwartz Goodman of Bloomfield Hills.
Columnist
"And she's the catalyst for it:'
he said.
The event brought together several groups who
have attended recent Israel missions.
"We really wanted to do something that would
bring the community together for a positive rea-
son and connect them with Israel," said Karen
Kaplan of Troy, Federation's Israel and Overseas
Project coordinator.

W

JK

November

2000

Sarouf pumped up the crowd with her nostalgic
renditions of Israeli favorites like "Oseh Shalom"
and "Yerushalayim Shel Zahay." Her weekly con-
certs at the Gonky club in south Tel Aviv are sold
out weeks in advance. Gary Ran of Bloomfield
Hills was lucky enough to see one of those shows
during the Fisher Mission 2 in September.
"The craze in Israel is singalongs," Ran said.
"She calls people up on stage and you sing with
her. You see the spirit of the people there he said.
"It makes you think about all the positive expe-
riences Israel has to offer," added Brad "Bubba"
Urdan of West Bloomfield.
He plans to attend the national Tel Aviv 1 Young
Adult Mission in March, making his seventh trip
to Israel in five years.
The Oct. 30 night of song also brought back
memories for Israelis who now live in Metro
Detroit.
Benny Spielmann of Huntington Woods grew
up in Kiryat-Gat. "It brings you back," he said.
"Thirty years ago, my parents used to sing the
exact same songs, that's how authentic it is."
A portion of the proceeds from the event will
help make Israel trips possible for Detroit area
young people-. 0

Clockwise from top left: Rhonda and Gary Ran of Bloomfield Hills got to their
table in plenty of time for the show; Before the show, Steve Goodman,
Rhonda Mandel and Margo Goodman, all of Bloomfield Hills, take a
moment to pose for a photo; Entertainer Einat Sarouf often went out of
her way to involve members of the audience; Sigal and Zvi Golombek of
West Bloomfield make the evening energetic and memorable.

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