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St. Thomas, then climbed a steep hill
to reach the synagogue, a small build-
ing with open-air windows, original
18th-century mahogany furniture, and
a marble floor completely covered in
sand. The service was conducted in
Reform style, with upbeat tunes and
hand-clapping added to traditional
prayers. Besides three congregation
members from the island, only the
invited guests attended the ceremony.
"I never expected it to be such an
emotional experience," says Rachel's
great-uncle, Marvin Cohen of West
Bloomfield. "Besides the feeling of see-
ing a member of another generation of
my family reach her bat mitzvah, I felt
like there was a day taken out of time
just to honor our family. It was a great

feeling — totally incomparable to the
feeling of a typical bar or bat mitzvah."
Rachel's grandmother, Barbara
Cohen of West Bloomfield, felt the
connection to a historical synagogue
was especially important because
Rachel is a descendant of Holocaust
survivors. "It was a wonderful, per-
sonal experience, and I'm sure Rachel's
great-grandparents Jean and Phil
Schechter would be very proud. They
were Holocaust survivors and, if not
for their bravery in saving me as a
child in Poland, we wouldn't be here
today."
The ideas of longevity and continu-
ity, she adds, were apparent everywhere
during this weekend — as they should
be during such a joyous celebration. ❑

HAVE FLIP FLOPS

WILL DAVEN

MORE THAN A MITZVAH

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28

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For her mitzvah project, Rachel Gordon vis-
ited the Jane E. Tuitt School on St. Thomas,
an impoverished grade school and junior
high with about 85 students. Rachel donated
basic school supplies and spoke to the stu-
dents about her bat mitzvah and Judaism.
The students were fascinated with
Rachel, asking questions such as "What
are your privileges and responsibilities
as a Jewish woman?" Says Rachel, "I
couldn't believe how interested they were in
Judaism." "They were the same age as me,
but in my school no one asks questions or
cares much when a guest speaker comes."
Rachel's mom, Debbie, helped Rachel
choose this project because it gave Rachel
an inside view of the community in which
her bat mitzvah was held. "Often we donate
things but don't know where they're going,"
explains Debbie. "But Rachel made a con-
nection with these kids, so the donation is
more special both for Rachel and for the
kids."
Rachel will also have a small friends
party at home in Highland Park. Instead of
giving gifts, she has asked guests to make
donations to the American Diabetes Society
in honor of her brother, Eli, and her father,
Steve, who is also diabetic.

Why cover a marble floor with sand?
The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas,
whose Hebrew name actually translates
to the Congregation of Blessing, Peace
and Loving Deeds, was founded in 1796
by Sephardic Jews who fled to the island
to escape anti-Semitism. Accustomed to
not being allowed to practice their religion
freely, they built the synagogue and covered
the floor with sand. This creates special
acoustics that allow sound to travel within
the walls of the synagogue but contains it so
people outside cannot hear the voices inside.
Today, more than 100 families belong
to the congregation. For more information
about the synagogue and its history, log on
to ujcl.org/st_thomas.html.