Mazel Tov! Finally Meeting Former Oak Park neighbors make connection in Israel. Leonard Poger Copy Editor M iriam Lewis and Dov Gardin, both now 27, lived around the corner from each other in northern Oak Park. She was at 14140 Sherwood; he was at 25441 Karen, about 20 houses away. Although they attended different schools and congregations, there were several similarities in their backgrounds. Dov worked with a sister and brother of Miriam at Tradition! Tradition!, the Judaica store in the basement of the Southfield home of Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson of Congregation Beth Shalom. Both Dov and Miriam planned to make aliyah. While growing up in Oak Park, the two Feb. 3 Heather (Cooperman) and Loren Sherman of West Bloomfield announce with love the birth of their son, Ian Jacob (Yaacov Yitzhak). Welcoming home Ian is big brother Joshua, 272. Very excited grand- parents are Joyce and Don Sherman of Southfield and Harriet and Mark Cooperman of Farmington Hills. Also sharing in their joy is great-grandma Toby Fisher. Ian is named in loving mem- ory of his paternal great-grandfather Iry Sherman. Dec. 21 Maria (Rubinstein) and Eric Sedler of Chicago announce with great happiness the birth of their daughter, Chloe Elizabeth. Welcoming her home is big brother Braden Kole, 14 months. Sharing in their joy are grandparents Sedler Rozanne and Robert Sedler of Southfield and Sharon and Joel Rubinstein of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Chloe is named in loving memory of her maternal great-grandmother Ethel Rubinstein and her paternal great-grandmother Esther Sedler. Dec. 18 Sheri (Marcus) and Bob Beckett of Birmingham welcome with love the birth of their son, "Max" Marcus Hunter. Sharing in their joy are proud grandpar- 60 March 2 2006 moved in different circles. Miriam attended Berkley High School and Oak Park-based Beth Shalom. Dov attended Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield and an Orthodox synagogue. They graduated from different col- leges: Miriam from Roosevelt University in Chicago and Dov from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. After college, Miriam worked for Young Judaea in Los Angeles and later as a madricha (counselor) for Young Judaea's Year Course in Israel before making aliyah. Dov made aliyah and served as a paratrooper in the Israeli army. While in Israel on a Jewish Federation trip two years ago, Rabbi Nelson planned a Shabbat dinner for Israelis from the Detroit area. The rabbi suggested that Miriam look up Dov and asked Dov to ents Linda and Hank Marcus of West Bloomfield and Virginia Beckett of Bloomfield Hills. He is also the grand- son of the late Don Beckett. Max is welcomed home by big sister and brother Brittney and Brad. Marcus is named in loving memory of his maternal great-grandmother Mina Marcus and his maternal great-great- uncle Hy Drucker. Dec. 6 Amy (Silverton) and Daniel Grand of Chicago are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Jordyn Rose (Yoseefaw Shoshana). Sharing in their joy are proud grand- parents Sharon and Michael Silverton of Grand Farmington Hills, Cheryl and Joel Grand of Bloomfield Hills and Bobbie Friedman Haughton of Phoenix, Ariz. Also welcom- ing Jordyn with love is great-grandmother Ettie Handelman of Farmington Hills. Jordyn is named in loving memory of her paternal great-grandfather Joseph Friedman and her maternal great-grand- mother Rose Silverton. Nov. 24 Stephanie (Sparkman) and Nick Chupack of Commerce Township joyfully announce the birth of their daughter, Ava Grace. Welcoming Ava home is big sister Hannah, 4 1 /2. Maternal grandparents are LouAnn look up Miriam. Neither took his advice. But several months later, after being invit- ed to a barbecue, they noticed each other's names on the online invitation list. They connected at Miriam Lewis and Dov Gardin the barbecue, started to date and, in late 2005, that we are in the same [Jewish] commu- announced their engagement. They will nity, but not in the same community. But wed June 6 in Herzliya. we are all Jews regardless of our back- Miriam, now working in grounds." Washington,D.C., for Hadassah's Young Dov, who returned to the U.S. to pursue Judaea organization, reflected on never a master's degree in international securi- meeting Dov while growing up. "I real- ty at Georgetown University in ized that you can live close [to someone] Washington, said when they first met, "it but live in different worlds. It's a little sad made a cute story." ❑ and Dan MacDougall of Middleburg, Fla., and the late Gary Sparkman. Paternal grandparents are Susan and Charles Chupack of Commerce Township. Ava's Hebrew name will honor her paternal great- great-uncles Edward Penner and Max Katz. Sept. 16 Doug Moss, formerly of Farmington Hills, and Melissa Diamant from the San Francisco area announce the birth of their son, Ellis Diamant Moss (Zalman Leib). His big sister is Roxanne. Ellis was named after his paternal grandmother, the late Edith Moss; his paternal grandfather, the late Samuel Moss was also honored with Ellis' Hebrew name. Jillian Suzanne Bean, daughter of Jody and Andrew Bean, will celebrate her bat mitzvah at Havdalah services Saturday, March 4, at Temple Israel. Sharing in the sim- Bean chah will be her brother Adam and grandparents Sandra and Sherman Kane and Phyllis and Edwin Bean. Jillian attends Walled Lake Middle School. Her most meaningful mitzvah project involved "adopting" a family in need and providing them with necessities and Chanukah toys. Jonathan Madgy Cohn (Hannan) will be called to the Torash as a bar mitzvah Saturday, March 4, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield. Participating in the service will be his proud parents Barbara and Sheldon Cohn and younger brother Jeremy. Also joining Jonathan will Cohn be his grandparents Phyllis Madgy and Avern and Lois Cohn. He is also the loving grandson of the late Joyce Cohn and the late Max Madgy. A student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills, Jonathan volunteered as a counselor at Congregation Beth Ahm as one of his mitzvah projects. Foster Marni Beth Foster will be called to the Torah as a bat mitz- vah on Saturday, March 4, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek West Bloomfield, B'nai Israel Center. She is