To Life!

HOLIDAY

Staff photos by An le Baan

Members of the cast, Emily, 7, and Noah, 8, with their father Cantor Finkelstein

Rabbi Eric Yanoff and the band's musical director, Kevin Dewey of Dearborn

Retelling The
Passover Story

Left: Performer Rabbi Aaron Bergman of the Frankel Jewish Academy with Cantor
Finkelstein

Right: Getting ready to sing are: David Sable, 11, of West Bloomfield, Alexis Darmon, 11,
of Franklin, Emery Weiss, 10, of West Bloomfield, Sydney Roslin, 9, of Bloomfield Hills,
and Melissa Berlin, 9, of Farmington Hills.

Sara 8 Morris Tugman Torah Center
invites the public to a seven week course

Sundays 10:30 am
April 15 - June 3
or
Wednesdays 8:00 pm
April 18 - June 6
at

BAIS CHABAD
TORAH CENTER

5595 Maple Road
West Bloomfield

LECTURER:

Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg

TEXTBOOK:

Opening the Tanya

by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

ibm

To register please call: (248) 855-6170
(.:41)ter or email BCTC770@ao1.com

1235760

42 tvlarch

29 R 2007

Local clergy show why
their performance is
different from all others.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer

W

ith a cast ranging in age from 7 and up, Matzah Do About
Nothing, a colorful, humorous, musical Passover presentation, came
to the Congregation Shaarey Zedek stage March 15.
Billed as "an original comedy show," the performance was actually the out-
growth of a plan by the synagogue's Cantor Meir Finkelstein to develop a rock
seder. But then, said colleague Rabbi Eric Yanoff, "He asked me to intersperse
comedy sketches between his songs!'
The resulting performance of music and lyrics by the cantor and a libretto by
the rabbi was "based loosely on the order of the seder," Rabbi Yanoff said. "With
some songs using the original Hebrew of the Haggadah — and other songs tell-
ing the story with more license, and more English."
In addition to Shaarey Zedek congregants, cast and production crew included
other members of the community as well as Shaarey Zedek officers, staff and
clergy, including Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, who emceed the performance with Rabbi
Yanoff.
Hillel Day School's Robin Beth Lash led a combined choir of her own students
and the Shaarey Zedek youth choir, and Kevin Dewey of Dearborn was musical
director of the Afikomen Big Band Orchestra.
The performance, which drew a crowd of 500 people, was sponsored by
Henrietta and Alvin Weisberg.
"From the youngest kids to the adults and professionals, we all laughed at
every moment; and we enjoyed putting on such a fantastic production:' Rabbi
Yanoff said. "The opportunity to work with such a broad cross section of our
community was a unique experience. It also got us all in the mindset to enjoy the
upcoming Pesach holiday. I've heard some families who intend to share some of
the jokes and songs at their own seders." 7

