r
vl e tro
Mark Segel in his
Sar-El service
uniform
Walk Proudly
Independence Day walk ends with Israel
Festival at Shir Shalom this Sunday.
D
etroit Jewry's once-
popular Walk for Israel
will return this Sunday
thanks to the grassroots efforts
of a local resident eager to show
support for Israel and inspire
pride in the Jewish community in
celebration of Israel's birthday.
The Israel Independence Day
Walk will take place this Sunday,
May 7, four days after Yom
HaAtzmaut, which this year fell
on May 3 (5 Iyar).
The entire Jewish community
is invited to participate in the
walk on Sunday afternoon at no
charge. "It is a way to honor Israel
and Judaism, and to make us feel
good about ourselves as Jews and
about our homeland:' said Mark
Segel, walk organizer.
The Southfield insurance
agent/financial adviser added,
"I hope to recapture the public
display of pride that the Jewish
community has in Israel."
The West Bloomfield walk will
start at 1 p.m. from Temple Shir
Shalom on the southeast corner
of Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake
roads. It will head west along the
sidewalk as far as Temple Kol Ami
(1'/d miles), then return to Shir
Shalom for an Israel Festival. The
Congregation Shaarey Zedek West
Bloomfield, B'nai Israel Center
will serve as a shorter turnaround
point. The 3 p.m. festival will
feature Israeli music, dancing and
singing. Rest stops will include
Keter Torah Synagogue, B'nai
Israel and the West Bloomfield
Library and Police Department.
The American Israel Public
Affairs Committee will sponsor
a free kosher picnic lunch from
Jerusalem Pizza at 12:30 p.m.
Event sponsors include Shir
Shalom, Temple Israel, Adat
Shalom Synagogue, Shaarey
Zedek, Young Israel of Southfield,
the Israel Chai Committee of
Temple Beth El, StandWithUs-
Michigan, Hillel Day School, B'nai
B'rith Great Lakes Region, Greater
Detroit Chapter of Hadassah,
the Jewish Federation, the
Jewish Community Center, the
Jewish Community Council, the
Jewish Academy and the Zionist
Organization of America (ZOA).
Segel contacted Shir Shalom
about the walk idea in March.
"The staff thought it was a great
idea;' Rabbi Dannel Schwartz
said. "With Israel Independence
Day, let's make May 'Israel
Month.'"
Segel's,.organizing team
includes Andre Douville, execu-
tive director of Shir Shalom;
Linda Stulberg, a founder
of the Michigan chapter of
StandWithUs; and Don Cohen,
who chairs the B'nai B'rith Great
Lakes Region's Enlighten America
project.
"Anything we can do to bring
people together to support Israel
in a positive way is significant;'
said Rabbi Michael Moskowitz
of Shir Shalom. "Having a rally
like this in our community tran-
scends politics. It is saying that
we love Israel and what is going
on in Israel today must be a pri-
ority for us as American Jews?'
Said Stulberg: "We hope
this walk signals to our com-
munity and to the larger
metro area our affirmation of
pride in and celebration of the
remarkably valiant and vibrant
young nation that is our Jewish
heart and homeland. This expres-
sion of unity with Israel is now
more important than ever, given
the chilling existential threats to
her existence from Iran, Hamas
and too many other hateful coun-
tries and ideologies?'
Federation held Israel walks
for many years each spring
with attendance reaching a few
thousand before beginning to
dwindle. The last walk was held
in 2001 although Federation
and other community organiza-
tions have held various Yom
HaAtzmaut celebrations since
then.
Segel is active in the ZOA. A
2003 volunteer opportunity on
an Israeli army base through the
nonprofit organization Sar-El
deepened his commitment to
Israel. Last Sept. 11, he worked
with Rabbi Alon Tolwin of Aish
Detroit as well as Andre Douville,
Linda Stulberg and Andrea Gonik
of West Bloomfield to host Walid
Shoebat, a Palestinian ex-terrorist
who now advocates for Israel and
condemns any form of terror.
In March, Segel brought
Kenneth Levin, author of Oslo
Syndrome: Delusions of a
People Under Siege, to speak
before the Z(Vs Metro Detroit
chapter. "I believe that reading
his book and bringing him here
motivated me even further to
consider a celebration for Israel
on Independence Day:' he said.
Segel hopes the walk becomes
annual. The walk is not a fund-
raiser although it could evolve
into that, he said.
Lone Pine Rd
W+E
WBHS
*= Synagogue Reststops
School Parking
Bnai Israel
Green School
Walnut Lk Rd
u
p Doherty
Temple
Israel
Keter Torah
Kol Am
Shir
Shalom
Orchard Lk R d
Robert A. Sklar
Editor
Maple
Rabbi Moskowitz first went to
Israel at age 11."I felt as if I had
fulfilled something very impor-
tant to my identity, something
nurtured in my home, my temple
and my community',' he said.
• "If we create that kind of spirit,
that kind of connection, to Israel
for our community;' the rabbi
added, "then we have created
something truly wonderful?'
JN Staff Writer Harry Kirsbaum con-
tributed to this report.
To attend the community lunch
on Sunday, call Mark Segel:
(248) 208-2773. You can park
at Temple Shir Shalom, Doherty
Elementary School east of Shir
Shalom, and West Bloomfield
High School north of Shir Shalom
on Orchard Lake Road.
'Celebrate
Israel' in
Ann Arbor
The Jewish Community Center of
Washtenaw County, 2939 Birch
Hollow, Ann Arbor, will host an
Israel celebration from 1-4:30 p.m
Sunday, May 7. it Will feature inter-
active booths, games and activities
as well as Israeli dancing, singing
and entertainment. Performers
will include the Ann Arbor Hebrew
Day School litezKids, the Jewish
Musical Ensemble and Temple
Beth Emeth's Adult and Children's-
choirs.
The sponsoring organizations
worked for weeks on a giant mura
called "Israel Through the Decade
(1948-2006)," which will be dis-
played. The cost to take part is $5
per person or $10 per family (two
or more). To register, visit
jewishannarbor.orgkelebrate
or call (734) 677-0100. I
May 4 9 2006
15