Vintage Vows
A wedding-photo contest brings
families together — past and present.
BY DONNA PACE
Best Dress winner: Benjamin and Bertha Bur
t
THE WINNERS
Best Dress Bertha and Benjamin Burg, wed Aug. 1, 1908,
submitted by Irma Allweiss of West Bloomfield
Best Flowers Anna and Albert "Abe" Cooper, wed Dec. 26, 1929,
submitted by Lorry Cooper of Bloomfield Hills
Best Kiss Samuel and Lola Taubman, wed 1954,
submitted by Rachel Taubman of Novi
Best Wedding Party Bessie and Saul Rott, wed 1929,
submitted by Zaneta Moser of Wixom
Best Veil Albert and Florence Sklar, wed 1927,
submitted by Karen Gordon of Farmington Hills
Best Cake Arlene and Ray Zimberg, date unknown,
submitted by Larry Zimberg of Southfield
Best Setting Pauline and Ruby Samson, wed May 7, 1939,
submitted by Barbara and Norman Samson of West Bloomfield
Best Overall Lucy and Peter Castiglie, wed 1958,
submitted by Lucy Castiglie of Boca Raton, Fla.
THE JUDGES
Ron Lieberman, photographer •
Jon Gerych, florist • Richard Astrein,
jeweler • Judy Eliyas, photographer
• Blaine Siesser, photographer •
Marlyss Hollyer, party decorator •
Jeff Rosenberg, owner, Farmington
Hills Kosher Catering • Simone Vitale,
bandleader • Steve Kaufman,
videographer
THE PRIZES
Ritz-Carlton of Dearborn: overnight pack-
age • Gary Miller Photography: portrait
sifting • Lieberman Photography: portrait
sifting • Gerych's Distinctive Flowers &
Gifts: fragrant basket • Farmington Hills
Kosher Catering: two dinners • Steve
Kaufman Video: foam-core mounted photo
• Townsend Hotel: overnight package •
Astrein's Creative Jewelers: pearl necklace
Every week, 17-year-old Becca Leider of Bloomfield Hills has
shared Shabbat dinner at the West Bloomfield home of her
friend Jaime Solomon, also 17. But this was not always the case.
Over the course of the girls' 14-year friendship, their mothers
had become only casually acquainted.
Becca's mother, Web designer Helene Held, knew nothing
of her father's family and had always wanted to locate them. So
three years ago, she began research with that goal in mind. She
discovered that the maiden name of her paternal grandmother,
Sadie, was Solomon. So she contacted Jaime's mother, Andrea
Solomon, an event and wedding planner. Turns out, Andrea's
husband, Tom, is the grandson of Sadie's brother, Mark Solomon.
"In one phone call, I found my grandmother's entire family,"
says Helene. She set up a meeting with Tom's mother, Ann, who
told her she sat at the head table of Helene's parents' wedding.
And so, of course, not only are Becca and Jaime pals but cousins.
"It was such a thrill going through that experience," says
Helene. Adds Andrea, "In a time when the world is in such a
state of turmoil over war and terrorism, this type of experience
brings families together to share information and stories that
transcend the generations."
It was the desire to have other families share similarly bonding
and nurturing experiences that inspired the two mothers — now
also business partners — to join forces with Platinum magazine
to sponsor a Vintage Wedding Photo Contest. Asking readers
and Web surfers to submit their favorite vintage family photo-
graph in a variety of categories, Andrea and Helene then created
a panel of judges to determine the winners of each category.
Entered photos dated as far back as 1860, for the Solomon/Allen
wedding in Russia (submitted by Ann and Art Solomon of West
Bloomfield) and Devorah and Eliyahu Tandowsky's vows in 1880
Poland (submitted by Donald Kitain of Commerce Township),
to Edith Cantor and Harry Katz's union at B'nai David in 1950
(submitted by Robin Orechkin of Bloomfield Hills) and more.
Among the winners is Norman Samson of West Bloomfield,
who submitted his parents' wedding photo in the Best Setting
category. The image was snapped in May of 1939 at the Samson
Resort in South Haven — which was owned by Norman's grand-
parents and was included in an exhibit Samson helped bring to
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield last year. "Busloads of specta-
tors arrived from many local Jewish homes for the aging. It was
the greatest feeling in the world to see people happily reliving
their youth," says Norman. "The resort age was a wonderful era
in South Haven. And my parents' wedding photo was part of
that era."
Another of the winning photos was submitted by Irma
Allweiss of West Bloomfield, into the Best Dress category. Today,
Irma wears an antique pendant watch, long-stopped working, on
a chain around her neck — given to her when her beloved moth-
er passed away when Irma was 13. The watch, which is pink,
yellow and green gold, is detailed with engraved birds on one side
and her mother's initials on the other. In Irma's parents' portrait,
which was taken in New York in October of 1908, her mother,
Bertha Klatzkin, wears the watch — a gift from her betrothed,
Benjamin Burg — pinned to her dress. "I knew this was a very
special picture," says Allweiss. "I'm thrilled that it won." ❑