To Life!

Omeed Firoozghan of Milford and Mark and Jordyn

Kaye of West Bloomfield cheer for the Pistons.

Holiday Tip-Off

Hundreds of Jewish fans begin Chanukah with the Pistons.

I Story by Alan Hitsky
Photography by Fred Levine

hauncey Billups is the Rock of
Ages as far as Zachary Bodnick is
concerned.
Sitting three rows from the top of the
Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday, Dec. 25,
Zachary of West Bloomfield watched his
favorite Detroit Piston sink several key
fourth-quarter three-pointers to seal the
Pistons' 85-70 Christmas Day/Erev
Chanukah victory over the San Antonio
Spurs.
The five members of the Bodnick family
and 845 other members of the Jewish
community took advantage of some dis-
counted tickets to attend the first Palace
Chanukah Celebration and watch the
National Basketball Association's two

C

Lisa Soble-Siegmann led the Chanukah singalong

from center court at the Palace.

20

December 29 2005

.hottest teams who were, coincidentally,
last year's NBA finalists.
Zachary was sitting with his parents,
Jason and Julie Bodnick, and his sisters,
Maya, 3, and Dorit, 8."Normally," said
Jason, "Dec. 25 would be a big day for
Blockbuster videos for our family and
some Chinese food after 6 p.m."
"And Mitzvah Day:' chimed in Dorit.
The Bodnicks have participated in the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Dec. 25 Mitzvah Day activity for
the last several years.
Ron Elkus of Huntington Woods was
having a wonderful time at the Palace of
Auburn Hills, even before the game start-
ed. "There were so many people I knew:'
Elkus said. "They were chanting, `Ronnie!
Ronnie!' as I walked up to my seat."