Lif eT

SPORTS

TORAH PORTION

Early Committment

From Darkness To Light

On the basis of two seasons,
a Novi junior has a soccer
scholarship to U-M.

Shabbat Miketz: Genesis 41:1-44:17;
Numbers 28:9-15, 7:42-7:47;
Zachariah 2:14-4:7.

Steve Stein
Special to the Jewish News

tephanie Crawford has made
up her mind. She's going to
play soccer at the University of
Michigan.
But that won't happen for two years,
so all Crawford has done is make a ver-
bal commitment to attend U-M.
Crawford; 17, is a junior at Novi High
who has played only two years of prep
soccer. They've been two great seasons.
The 5-foot-4, 125-pound forward
scored 23 goals and had 11 assists
when she was a freshman. Last spring,
Crawford poured in a team-leading 33
goals and added 14 assists as she
helped the Wildcats win the Division 1
state championship.
Crawford's biggest goal of the season
gave Novi its first regional champi-
onship. Playing in 90-degree heat,
Crawford scored with six minutes left to
break a scoreless tie in the Wildcats' 1-0
victory over Canton.
One game later, Crawford tallied two
goals in Novi's 5-0 whipping of Troy in
the state semifinals. The Wildcats beat
Brighton 3-0 for the state title, finishing
the year 24-0-1 with 19 shutouts.
Crawford also has performed well on
a national stage. She was a member of
Michigan Hawks club teams that placed
second and fourth in recent national
tournaments.
"We made an unofficial visit recently
to U-M. While we were there, they told
us they would offer Stephanie a full-
ride scholarship:' said Libby Crawford,
Stephanie's mother. "Stephanie wanted
to play college soccer in-state, either at
Michigan or Michigan State, so U-M is
a good fit for her."
Libby Crawford said making an early
verbal commitment to U-M relieves
some recruiting pressure her daughter
wasn't looking forward to facing.
Stephanie is looking forward to being
a trailblazer of sorts at U-M. Several
former Novi girls soccer stars have gone
on to play at Michigan State.
Michael Crawford, 22, Stephanie's
brother, will graduate from U-M in
April. He plans to go to graduate school
to earn a doctorate in psychology.

S

Stephanie's
other brother,
Matthew
Crawford, 18,
will graduate
from Novi this
spring. He's
headed to
Michigan
State.
Jeff
Crawford is
Stephanie's
father. She's
the grand-
daughter of
Isabel Vander of Farmington Hills and
the late Dr. Seymour Vander.

Family Affair
Matt Shencopp scored a goal for the
Berkley High hockey team in the Bears'
5-3 win over Bloomfield Hills Unified
on Dec. 17. With the victory, Berkley
improved to 6-1-1 and Shencopp
earned family bragging rights.
Marshall Shencopp, Matt's father, is
Bloomfield Hills' coach. Matt's brother
Devin Shencopp, a former Berkley star,
is Mafshall's assistant coach. Bloomfield
Hills is 2-5, with victories over Auburn
Hills Avondale, 2-0, and Oxford, 5-2. Its
next game is Jan. 5 against Redford at
the Detroit Skating Club.

Regional Convention
Sports are always a big part of the
annual Michigan Region B'nai B'rith
Youth Organization regional. conven-
tion, and that's the case again this
year. Twenty-two AZA and BBG chap-
ters from Metropolitan Detroit, Ann
Arbor and Windsor are competing in
basketball, bowling, pingpong, in-line
hockey, track, swimming and volley-
ball this week during the five-day con-
vention.
Most convention activities are tak-
ing place at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield. The AZA
basketball and BBG volleyball finals
will be held from 9-11 a.m. Friday,
Dec. 30, in the main gym at the JCC.

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Please send sports news to:

sports@thejewishnews.corn.

22

December 29 m 2005

hanukah arrives
the Jews, allowing them to
as a reflection of
be Jewish within their
our natural world.
Hellenistic empire.
It occurs at the darkest
The darkness of forced
moment of the year;
assimilation ended when
around, and often on the
light was brought back
winter solstice when the
into the Temple. We
sun is at its farthest dis-
remember that new
tance from earth.
beginning with
Beginning on the 25th
Chanukah, a word that
day of the month of
means "dedication." No
Kislev, it is the waning of
Rabbi Joseph Klein other people or religion
the Jewish month as well
Special to the
has a festival or celebra-
-- the moon has all but
Jewish News
tion dedicated exclusively
disappeared. By the third
to the freedom of faith.
night of Chanukah, the sliver that was
Chanukah then, is a celebration of
the moon is only darkness, but by the
survival, both then and now!
sixth night of Chanukah it has begun
We light more than candles in our
to appear again!
homes each Chanukah, for we remind
Thus as we enter Chanukah, no
ourselves that the miracle we remem-
time of the year is darker; and as we
ber is the miracle we live. Before our
leave Chanukah, not only is the moon
time the Maccabees fought for their
gaining strength in the night sky, but
identity; and long after we are gone,
daylight has begun to lengthen too,
Jews will struggle to maintain their
moving us perceptively closer to the
collective integrity and the unique
rebirth of spring.
value of our heritage.
Chanukah is more than a celebra-
The candles of our Jewish identity
tion of renewed natural light. Our hol- may flicker and seem fragile, but they
iday is a reminder that we are particu- burn nonetheless; and with our light
larly Jewish in a particularly non-
we kindle light in others.
Jewish world!
We are held in the rhythms of our
Our celebration of Chanukah holds
natural cyclical seasons and our reli-
in tension the opposite forces of
gious year. Both rhythms reinforce
assimilation and Judaization. We recall regular renewal and affirmation.
that the Maccabees fought not only
At Chanukah, we turn from the
the occupying Assyrian-Greek army,
gloom and darkness of the growing
but also Jewish Hellenists who wanted night, and to the attractive brightness
to divest themselves of Jewish custom, of lighted Chanukah menorot in
culture and appearance in order to
Jewish homes. We turn into ourselves
more easily enter the modern secular
and into the protecting warmth of
world.
family and friends.
That conflict-in-tension is still with
From the Chanukah menorah, we
us. There is an attraction in the glam-
see in growing, glowing radiance, the
our and excitement of complete
renewing symbol of Jewish presence
American cultural inclusion. The
and Jewish purpose. May the candles
darkness that covered Judea in the
ever brighten our lives, reminding us
second century B.C.E. was the reality
of how personally special it is to be
that an alien culture, having first
Jewish.
attracted Jews away from Judaism, wa s
now forcing Jews to abandon their
Joseph A. Klein is rabbi of Temple Emanu-
religious life and faith.
El in Oak Park.
Judah and his rebel army fought for
two years against the Assyrian-Greek
Conversations
forces — not for national liberty, but
In what ways do we "proclaim the
for freedom of faith — the right to be
miracle" of our continuing Jewish
Jewish. When the Assyrian-Greeks
survival in America, in the world?
retreated, they returned the Temple to

C

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