Up With Song!

Music helps Jews of varied
backgrounds find a common
ground to celebrate Chanukah.

Clockwise from top:

Sigalit and Melanie Golombek of West Bloomfield belt out a song. The Gold sisters: Julia, 6, and
Jodie, 10, of West Bloomfield. Hosts Lisette and Yossi Benjamin of Farmington Hills serve up a
Chanukah meal. Guitarist Shlomi Hamer of West Bloomfield. Romi Oppenheim, 6, and friend Josh

Shoster, 12, both of West Bloomfield. Yaffa and Zvi Shevach of West Bloomfield dance to the music.

Dona Levinson of Farmington Hills and sons Sivon, 10, and Edon, 7.

Robert A. Sklar
Editor
el Aviv native Sigalit
Golombek enjoyed
singing while serving in
the Israeli army from 1982 to
1984. She came to Metro Detroit
eight months ago after living for
the last five years in Germany. On
Saturday night, Dec. 24, it didn't
take long for her to move front .
and center during the Chanukah
sing-along at Yossi's Israeli
Cuisine in West Bloomfield.
About an hour into the fun led
by guitarist Shlomi Hamar of
West Bloomfield, Golombek
joined lead singer Ilan Hazan of
Farmington Hills at the micro-
phone as 80 Chanukah-goers
dined on a Mediterranean-style
buffet supper presented by
Lisette and Yossi Benjamin at
their Robin's Nest Plaza restau-
rant. It was a celebration of being
Jewish with a near equal split of
Israeli- and American-born Jews
on hand. Hebrew was the lan-
guage of the music.
"I just love it when American
Jews get to know Israeli songs
and sing together with Israelis;'
Golombek said.
She was there with her daugh-
ters Melanie, 16, and Loren, 14.
Dona Levinson of Farmington
Hills lifted her voice in song with
husband Meny, an Israeli native,
their sons, Sivon, 10, and Edon, 7,
and her parents, Geri and Israeli-
born Dan Levit of Walled Lake.
"What Yossi is doing for the -
Jewish community is wonderful:'
Dona said. "He has created a
nice, warm, family atmosphere
not only for Israelis, but also Jews
from around the community, .
where we can all come together
to celebrate the holidays!'
Other places where Israeli- and
American-born Jews often come
together include Skewers

International Grill in West
Bloomfield, the Jewish
Community Center buildings in
West Bloomfield and Oak Park,
Michigan Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces activities and
Federation-sponsored events.
"We wanted people to feel at
home tonight experiencing how
we celebrate Chanukah in Israel:'
said Yossi Benjamin, whose
monthly singalongs spice the
Israeli cuisine with Israeli music.
About 1,000 Israeli families
live in Metro Detroit, estimates
kibbutznik Tamir Oppenheim,
executive director of the
Michigan Friends of the IDF for
the past 13 months. He was -
joined at Yossi's by his wife,
Elian, and their sons Omer, 12,
and Romi, 6. They live in West
Bloomfield.

"I love it when
American Jews
get to know
Israeli songs."

"It's important for us to come
together, just like any other group
of peOple with the same back-
ground and roots," Oppenheim
said as diners danced in the
aisles after supper while awaiting
the sfganiyout, Chanukah jelly
doughnuts. "Local Jews are as
much my people as. Israelis; they
love Israel, too. In the short time
that I've been here, I've grown to
love the local Jewish community"
A common theme among din-
ers was the joy of coming togeth-
er as a community to celebrate a
Jewish tradition from a cultural
perspective.
As Dona Levinson put it:
"We're all family" El

December 29 • 2005

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