Mazel Toy!

Dr. Della Cohen, Jayme Cohen,

Michelle Lichtman and Rita
Lichtman practice for their

Temple Israel bat mitzvahs.

Rita Lichtman of
Farmington Hills
had her first taste
of bat mitzvah
training about 60
years ago. She will
be joined by her
daughter-in-law,
Michelle Lichtman
of Commerce
Township, who con- •
verted to Judaism
several years ago.
The other pair
is Della Cohen and
daughter-in-law
Jayme Cohen, both
of Waterford.
Michelle
Lichtman, 39, began
her training at
Temple Israel four
years ago but had to
drop out because of
the demands of her
job and the birth
.
of a son, Chase.
A member of the
First Congregational Church
portion of the Torah. On occa-
as a youngster, she converted
sion, older adults will do the
to Judaism before she married
same.
But there will be two unusual Mark Lichtman.
Rita Lichtman, 68, said her
family connections May 20
husband, Robert, an Oak Park
when two mothers and their
•classroom teacher for 48 years,
daughters-in-law join to cel-
and other relatives have been
ebrate their simchas.

Family Affair

Four women cross
generations on the bimah.

Leonard Poger

Copy Editor

I

t's traditional for 13-year-
olds to celebrate their bar
and bat mitzvahs by being
called to the bimah to read a

April 3
Michael Charach and Geetha
Singaracharlu
of Marina Del
Rey, Calif.,
are proud to
announce
the birth
of Rohan

Ganesh
Charach.

Grandparents
include Joel and Jacqueline
Charach of Southfield and Drs.
Nirmala and P. Singaracharlu of
•Bloomfield Hills.

March 31
Sara (Kolodin) and David
Ferguson of Columbus, Ohio lov-
ingly announce the birth of their
daughter, Alli Rae, sister to Lilli

and Jordan. Excited grandparents
are Suzi and Elliott Kolodin of
West Bloomfield, Eileen Kolodin
of Redford and Lyn Ferguson of
Columbus. Also welcoming Alli
to the family are great-grand-
parents Florence Slain of Oak
Park, Ruth and Robert Morgan
of Columbus and Doris and
Phil Curry of Cherry Hill, N.J.
Alli Rae is named in memory of
her paternal grandfather Alvin
Ferguson and her uncle Roger
Clay.

March 18
Michelle (Wilson) and Keith
Glenn of Howell proudly
announce the birth of their
daughter, Kaylee Ashlyn.
Happy grandparents are Della .
and Wally Shook of Fowlerville

from a different family his-
tory. She was raised Catholic
by a Jewish father and Catholic
mother. She converted to
Judaism to marry Gary Cohen
in 1973. After Gary died 13
years later, Della raised their
three small children oii her
own. The three, two sons and
a daughter, were raised Jewish
and were bar and bat mitzvah.
The obstetrician-gynecolo-
gist admitted that not being
raised in a Jewish environment
made learning Hebrew difficult.
But it was a "commitment and
I was thrilled and happy to do
it," she said. "It was something
I always wanted to do" but she
didn't have time earlier in her
career.
Her daughter-in-law, Jayme
Cohen, 24, was also raised
Catholic. She converted to
Judaism before she married
Justin Cohen 19 months ago.
"I am getting excited and
looking forward to it," Jayme
said of the upcoming bat
mitzvah. Like her mother-in-
law, Jayme found Hebrew dif-
ficult at the start but had help
from her husband. The more
she practiced, the "easier it
became she said. Ili

proud supporter of her efforts.
"Bob has learned along with
me," she commented.
Rita attended Temple Israel
Sunday school classes for
two years, until she was 10,
at a time when girls were just
beginning to be bat mitzvah.
Learning Hebrew again was
difficult at first, but she wanted
to "be connected:' to learn
more of Jewish history, culture
and prayers. "I was moved
by the Mourners' Kaddish
[memorial prayer] but couldn't
read the Hebrew" on her par-
ents' yahrtzeits.
Rita was thinking of study-
ing for her bat mitzvah sev-
eral years ago when Michelle
coaxed her mother-in-law into
to joining her. Michelle didn't
have a strong sense of religion
while growing up, but wanted
to make sure her two children,
as well as Mark Lichtman's
two children from a previous
marriage, had a strong Jewish
education.
"I thought it might be
hypocritical for them to be
bar mitzvahed, but not me,"
Michelle said. "I wanted to be
involved."
Dr. Della Cohen, 57, is
approaching her bat mitzvah

Grandparents are Masha and
Shimmon Klein and Alex and Dr.
Elam. Iden Cheshin, all of Petach
Tikvah. Her great- grandparents
are Shirlee and Jack Iden of
West Bloomfield. Shira is named
for several of her forbears. Her
father was the eighth generation
in his family born in Jerusalem.

and Elaine and Don Glenn of
Brighton.
Kaylee's
Hebrew name
is in loving
memory of
her paternal
great-grand-
mother Sara
Glenn
Cohen.

sister is Lainie Rose, 2 1/2.
Grandparents are Bunni and
Allen Lieberman and Judy
and Jerry Rubin, all of West .
Bloomfield. Great-grandmother
is Betty Lieberman, also of
West Bloomfield. Ryan Cooper
is named in loving memory of
his. great-grandfathers Nathan
Lieberman and Harry Brown.

Feb. 25
Mikki (Lieberman) and Josh
Rubin of West Bloomfield,
joyfully
announce the
birth of their
son, Ryan

.Feb. 18
Sarit and Arik Cheshin, formerly
of Ann Arbor
of Petach
Tikvah, Israel,
announce
with love the
birth of their
first child,
a daughter,
Cheslin

Cooper

Rubin

(Nissan
Gershon).
Elated big

Shira Tova.

iN

Jan. 6
Dina Klein and Michael Lunder
are thrilled to
announce the .
birth of their
son, Bruce

Evan Lunder

Lunder

(Baruch
Chlavngh).
. Proud grand-
parents are
Sharon and

April 20 • 2006

61

