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All About Israel
JNF family program blends learning with crafts, food and music.
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
M
Helping singer Craig Taubman, right, with a song are Barry Meyer, his daugh-
ter Harleigh, 4, and Jillian Tukel, 7, all of West Bloomfield.
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58
February 15 • 2007
Sara Blum-Stapleton of
Blake Phillips, 3, of Huntington Woods
Commerce helps her daughter
works on a JNF coloring book.
Alexandra, 4, with an art project.
ore than 400 people turned out
to learn about Israel through
food, crafts, video and music
during the Jewish National Fund's first
Family Fun Fair for Tu b'Shevat on Feb. 11
at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
Highlight of the afternoon was a concert
of traditional and original Jewish music by
Californian Craig Taubman and his band.
Kids, along with their parents and grand-
parents, clapped and danced along with
Taubman in the main sanctuary.
Before the concert, families could
sample Israeli foods, courtesy of Hiller's
Markets, and learn about JNF projects
dealing with water and settling the Negev
through craft projects.
Proceeds from the event will go toward
building an educational, recreational park
at Kibbutz Yahel in the Negev.
Jim Hiller of Hiller's Markets introduced
Ron Bernstein, manager of the kibbutz
started 30 years ago by the Reform move-
ment. "Kibbutz Yahel has a real function
on the border with Jordan:' Hiller said. "If
we don't populate it with Jewish people,
others will. This is something I'm commit-
ted to:'
Bernstein talked of "growing the desert"
by building the park, which will draw
more people and provide more jobs.
Ken and Kim Dickstein of West
Bloomfield were at the event with
their grandson Brian Dickstein, 10, of
Farmington Hills.
"I got to taste a lot of Israeli food and
juices;' Brian said. "And I saw where
Kibbutz Yahel is on the map. I was there
when I was 1. I want to go back, but with-
out any ware
The Dicksteins have a special connec-
tion to Kibbutz Yahel because their daugh-
ter was married there.
More than 50 volunteers, coordinated
by JNF's Mesa Silver, came from the
co-sponsoring Reform congregations:
Temples Beth El, Beth El-Flint, Emanu-El,
Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, Kol Ami, Shir
Shalom, Temple Israel and Congregation
Shir Tikvah.