To Life!
AROUND TOWN
Golden Get-Together
Beth Shalom Sisterhood marks 50th donor luncheon.
m o
t3
Marcia Tanzman of Farmington Hills and
-
Gladys Goldsmith of West Bloonifield
arson of Oak Park and Evelyn
of West Bloomfield
Emily Pickett and Fay Wax,
both of West Bloomfield,
from Talbot's
30
June 22 - 2006
ack in 1954, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States, gasoline sold for 29 cents
a gallon and the movie From Here to Eternity won the Academy Award for best picture. That
same year, the sisterhood of Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park was born.
"We started with nothing; we met in homes and basements," said Ida Rosenblum of Orchard Lake,
Beth Shalom's first sisterhood president. "I was 29 years old; I never knew anything about sisterhood but it
was the easiest thing I'd ever done because everyone was so enthusiastic."
Rosenblum was among several sisterhood pioneers who gathered at the synagogue on May 17 for the
group's 50th annual donor luncheon. More than 120 people attended the event.
"When we realized how many years and committees it took to reach this milestone, it was a wonderful
feeling:' said Lynn Rich of Farmington Hills, the group's donor chair. "We've lost some of our best friends
over the years, but many of the founding members of sisterhood are
here."
The women were treated to an elegant lunch and a lively fashion show
by Talbot's. Several sisterhood members served as models, showing off
the store's spring and summer clothes. A new generation of sisterhood
volunteers also took part in the celebration. The
group has actively recruited younger women to keep
the tradition alive.
"We offer a lot of different things: We have book
reviews, topical meetings, we service some of the
poor, some of the sick; we try to do whatever we
can to help the community," said Bernice Gill of
Southfield, another luncheon organizer.
"We gave the down-payment for the land to build
Ian Honig of Farmi
the synagogue," said Rosenblum, reminiscing about
ona Greenbaum of
her days as president in the 1950s. She said the
women back then raised $5,000 to purchase the
synagogue property.
"This milestone means everything because it's the fruition of all of our
dreams of having a Conservative synagogue in south Oakland County,"
Rosenblum said. "I'm proud, and I'm at home."
Spotted in the crowd were: Current sisterhood co-presidents Linda
Lublin of Bloomfield Hills and Vickie Salinger of Southfield; Etta
Solway of Bloomfield Hills; Marcia Tanzman, Rhoda Krauss,
Johnie Galens, Phyllis Clinton and Fay Jacobs, all of Farmington
Hills; Ida Schwartz and Shirley Kramer of Oak Park; Helene
Robbins of Novi; Sophie Pearlstein of Southfield; Eleanor
Levinson of Huntington Woods; and Gladys Goldsmith and Shirley
Lynn Rich
Goldstein of West Bloomfield. 0
Bernice Gil