Life!
AROUND
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Andy Well and son Jake, 4, of Southfield
Jodi Sidder and Brett Panter, both of Royal Oak,
and Yehuda Tatelbaum of Southfield
Winning Magic
Akiva scores big at annual fundraising auction.
S
ome of the biggest
bargains of the holiday
season were not at the
shopping malls; they were up for
grabs at the "Magical Moments"
Chinese auction benefiting
Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield.
Participants purchased cou-
pons for $10-$100 for the chance
to win dozens of valuable prizes,
including trips to Israel, Las Vegas
and Chicago, a 57-inch, high-
definition television, an ellipti-
cal machine and other items
donated by local businesses. At
the end of the night, winners'
names were chosen in random
drawings. About 400 people
attended the 16th annual event at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield.
"It's a fun evening and every-
one always enjoys the element
of surprise," said Adell Kleid
of Oak Park, one of the organiz-
ers. "It's a real high
when you win."
It's also a true
win-win situation.
While dozens of
people go home
happy with their
new loot, the money
that's raised goes
to the Modern
Orthodox Zionist
day school. Over
the years, the auction and buffet
dinner have generated close to $1
million.
"Akiva has a very developmen-
tal approach; they try to meet
everyone's needs so children can
learn on their own level," said
Fern Hershfus of Southfield.
She chaired this year's event
along with Sandy and Barry
Eisenberg, also of Southfield.
"We need the extra dollars to
keep it going at such a high stan-
Edward and
Aviva Gordon
of Oak Park
40
December 21 2006
dard and we're thankful
for our generous spon-
sors',' Hershfus said.
In a new, high-tech
twist this year, party-
goers could visit an
"auction store" on the
Internet and browse
through the list of
items in advance.
Those who could not
attend were still able
to purchase coupons and place
bids from home. The evening also
included a $10,000 grand prize
raffle, a strolling magician and
some new prizes, like a "ladies
package" with gift certificates to
Nordstrom and Target, a haircut
and a massage at upscale salons.
"We look at our demograph-
ics and see what was popular in
years past and try to keep those
items:' said Hershfus. "But we
also add new things to keep up
with the times."
Spotted in the crowd at the
Dec. 9 event were: Stuart
Teger of Southfield; Allan
Gelfond, Julie and Gary
Nitzkin, and Marlene Glanz,
all of Farmington Hills; Nancy
and Nosonel Kleinfeldt
of Huntington Woods; Paul
Fischer and Karoline Pruder
of Southfield, and Drs. Robert
Spitzer and Ann Silverman of
West Bloomfield. —
Esther and Jose Gomez of Oak Park
with Dovi Gardin of Southfield
Menachem Tatelbaum and his wife, Lital, with Rabbi Halevi Lior
and his wife, Helevi Shlomit, all of Oak Park