MEMBER OF THE TRIBE

QUESTIONS

Who's thinking what

It's been a busy fall in the life of MARLA TAPPER. While the
28 year old from West Bloomfield finalized the details of her
Nov. 18 wedding to Brian Young, she also helped coordinate
the 15th-annual winter coat drive sponsored by her family's
business, Tapper's Diamonds & Fine Jewelry. "This year, two
women hand-knitted 70 new children's hats," she said. "It
was just amazing."
Marla, who handles education and development for
Tapper's, says the coat drive brought in more than 1,000
coats, plus hats and gloves to be distributed through
three charitable organizations: Orchards Children's Services,
Grace Centers of Hope and the Baldwin Church and Center.
This year, coats were dropped off Oct.16-Nov. 19 at Tapper's,
the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit, the Jewish Academy
of Metropolitan Detroit, Yeshivat Akiva, the Detroit Jewish
News and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
The spirit of giving has also moved Marla in the past.
Two years ago, she started the Dress for a Dream program,
collecting and distributing donated prom gowns for needy
teenage girls. To date, more than 3,500 gowns have been
donated — giving young girls the chance to feel as beautiful
as Marla felt in her wedding dress. Here, we ask the newly-
wed our version of the Four Questions.

PLATIN

WHAT BOOK, CD, MOVIE OR OTHER MEDIA ARE
YOU LONGING TO SHARE WITH OTHERS?
One of the most memorable books I've
read is Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. The
major theme throughout the book is the develop-
ment of the relationship between Mitch and his
mentor, Morrie. As time passes, the mentoring rela-
tionship between them changes hands. This type of
friendship is very rare. I believe a relationship like
theirs has a major impact on a person. Like it did
with Mitch, this type of relationship can change
the direction of a person's life, influence their deci-
sion making and build self esteem. I love this book
because Mitch reconnects with an earlier relation-
ship and it changes his outlook. One of my favorite
quotes is, "The most important thing in life is to
learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

IF YOU COULD HAVE BRUNCH WITH ONE
BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL JEWISH FIGURE, WHO
WOULD IT BE?
I'd like to have brunch with some of the Israelites
who were led by Moses during the Exodus from
Egypt. About seven years ago, I had the opportu-
nity to visit Egypt. Since then, I've been fascinated
by the story of the Exodus, and I've tried to imag-
ine how people who lived at that time accomplished
what they did. Standing at the bottom of the pyra-

and why?

raids, I tried to visualize what it would be like to
work in the conditions of the desert, with no elec-
tricity, cranes, architects, cement mixers, etc. They
had none of today's technology or machinery but
were the generation who established our nation and
received the Torah. Their liberation from Egypt is
the symbol of freedom that we celebrate as we live
freely today.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JEWISH FOOD?
Every Rosh Hashanah, I look forward to
my mom's homemade challah. It's my great-
grandmother's recipe, and my mom only makes
it once a year. It's the best! After that, I would
say potato latkes. They're fried potatoes — who
wouldn't love that?

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED
TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I think that people would be most surprised
that I love dogs, especially big dogs. I have an
English bulldog named Minnie Lou who we lov-
ingly refer as our zaftiker hunt. I also have brand
new dog named Chloe; she is an English mastiff
and already weighs 90 pounds at only 6 months of
age. I wish everyone could enjoy the unconditional
love of a pet, and the continuous laughter and joy
that it brings every day. ❑

JN lifestyle magazine

PA.

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DECEMBER 2006 • JNPLATINUM