Front Lines White House Music, HooShir style A ndrew Appel, a junior majoring in busi- ness from Huntington Woods, is part of a Jewish a cappella singing group from Indiana University called HooShir that performed Dec.18 at the White House Chanukah party. It was the biggest performance in the brief his- tory of the 18-voice group, whose name comes from the Hebrew words "Hoo" and "Shir," which together mean "It is a song." The name also is a play on the state's and university's nickname, Hoosiers. "It was an incredible experience to be sur- Andrew Appel rounded by people who shared the common bond of being Jewish and had all, in their own way, given part of themselves to the Jewish people through their time, efforts or standing in the community," said Appel, 20, whose parents are Judge Michelle Friedman Appel and Jeffrey Appel. Appel said President Bush took time to shake hands with every member of HooShir. "He even offered us the chance to run around the White House," Appel said. "While this was clearly in jest, it was still one of the many wonderful memories Getting Buried Mark Zausmer's workload became more hectic last month when an Ingham County Circuit Court judge appointed Zausmer, a Farmington Hills attorney, conservator for 28 Michigan cemeteries that were taken over by the state. The Attorney General's Office and state regulators have charged the cemeteries' owner with mismanagement of prepaid funeral trust funds. The state says two companies owned by Clayton Smart of Oklahoma, Mikocem LLC and Indian Nation LLC, have removed $61 million from the trust funds and invested the money into high-risk hedge funds in the Cayman Islands and an Oklahoma gas and oil exploration company controlled by Smart's family. Zausmer, 52, who lives in West Bloomfield and is a board member of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, is gathering a management team to control the cemeteries. Smart has several weeks to replace the funds or lose owner- ship of the cemeteries, which include two Mark Zausmer with local Jewish ties. Congregation B'nai Moshe owns two sections and Congregation Shir Tikvah has plots in Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak. There is also a Jewish section at Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens in Novi. Zausmer said Smart is also in discussion with potential buyers. "Our job is to stabilize the situation:' Zausmer said. "We believe con- sumers are much better off with state control!' Zausmer is managing partner and president of Zausmer, Kaufman, August, Caldwell & Tayler PC in Farmington Hills and has previously worked with the state in insurance receiverships. He has been involved with the legal work in many major development projects, including the expansion of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus as well as the Fox Theatre project and the original Cobo Hall expansion, both in Detroit. He's a member of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and Franklin Hills Country Club and a past president of the Detroit Tennis and Squash Club in Farmington Hills. - Alan Hitsky, associate editor 10 January 4 2007 of the night." HooShir first performed two songs, "Hatikvah" and "Maoz Tsur," at a private candlelighting cer- emony with the president, the first lady and a small number of invited guests. It then sang three songs, including a doo-wop arrangement of "I Have a Little Dreidel" for 200-300 guests at the party. The group is associated with the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center on IU's Bloomington campus. The White House invitation came as a result of the Hillel Center's success in a statewide music competition. In September, Hillel held auditions for the new group. Nothing was said about per- forming at the White House until after the auditions. Appel called the experience a privilege in his young life. "Knowing that the Jewish people have enough standing that the entire White House kitchen was made kosher for this event only further affirms that the Jewish culture is an important one and that our contributions to society are undoubtedly notable," he said. - Robert A. Sklar, editor Inaugural Roles Two Detroit-area rabbis played roles at the second inauguration of Gov. Jennifer Granholm last week- end. Rabbi Daniel Wolpe of Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park participated in the interfaith prayer service on Sunday at People's Church in East Lansing. He read the "Prayer for Our Country" from the Conservative prayer book. Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield spoke at the inauguration ceremony Monday at the state Capitol. He was appointed by Granholm during the governor's first term to the state Board of Ethics. - Alan Hitsky, associate editor Rabbi Wolpe J1111enline This Week Latest From Israel Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continuous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. Web Extras Looking for breaking news in our local Jewish community? Or maybe hoping to get a head start on stories you'll find in the coming week's JN? Or maybe searching for features stories about the national or international Jewish communities? Don't forget to look at the JN Web site. Just visit JNonline.us and click on Web Extras on the left. JBloq Rabbi Yedwab Focus On Fashion Putting the personal touch on hundreds of invitations to an upcoming ORT signature event, about 18 women gathered at the Bingham Farms home of longtime ORT supporter Doreen Hermelin for an invitation signing party. The women, of different generations, sat side-by-side writing individual notes on invitations to the popular Tender at the Townsend event in Birmingham. The annual fundraiser, set for Friday, Feb. 2, features a trendy fashion show and ladies brunch. Last year, more than 200 women attended the event raising more than $60,000 for ORT. Invitations will be in the mail soon. - obin Schwartz, special writer Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms is flanked by Sharon Eisenshtadt, left, and Susan August, both of West Bloomfield Jeff Klein offers his Perspectives on everything from dating to friendship. Always thoughtful, often pro- vocative. Or perhaps you'd rather read about the adven- tures of Laurie Freeman's China Punim, 4-year-old Amanda? Only at JNonline.us. Just click on JBlog on the menu on the left. Last week's poll results: Do you believe the Middle East will be a more danger- ous place in 2007? Yes 87% No 13% This week's poll question: As a new year begins, do you think U.S. troops will still be in Iraq in 2007? Visit the JNonline.us homepage to cast your vote.