Spirituality

ON THE COVER

Sheila and Martin Kurland polish the silver from the Torahs at Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel.

IBeyond The
Traditional

_Special customs help
s teady us for the
High Holidays.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer

p

reparation for the High Holidays may find some
of us ironing a special tablecloth, standing on a
chair to fetch a seldom-used honey dish, mak-
ing Grandma's special brisket recipe or searching for the
synagogue service tickets put away for safekeeping.
For most, annual holiday customs and rituals are
home-based. But some are lured to their synagogue to
participate in once-a-year activity that can range from
accepting the ark-opening honor during Kol Nidre to
donating the bimah flowers in memory of a loved one.
For others, the annual involvement is a bit more unique.

Adding Shine To
The Synagogue

S

fitting in their usual second-row seats at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel
Center in West Bloomfield a few years
ago, Martin and Sheila Kurland spotted something
amiss.
"The silver on the Torah crowns and faceplates
was getting tarnished," Martin Kurland said. "My
wife told me she noticed that since the couple who
used to come in before the High Holidays and
polish the synagogue's silver pieces had moved to
Arizona, no one had taken over. So we did."
Every August since then, the two enter the syna-
gogue armed with gloves, old newspapers, bottles of
silver polish, toothbrushes and an armload of elbow
grease.
"We clean everything silver that relates to the ser-
vice,' said Kurland. "From the silver on the Torahs

to the yads (Torah pointers) used to read them."
This year, while polishing the holy pieces in the
synagogue's kitchen, he said, "We noticed a silver
dish and a cup that didn't look too good, so we
cleaned those, too."
In addition to the couple of hours it takes to buff
and shine the silver, Martin Kurland has made
some repairs. "I used to be a tins man, so when I
notice the crowns slipping off, I adjust them so they
sit better. I brought a few of them home when they
were wobbly and hammered out the bottom with a
mallet. If the bells are loose, I tighten them with a
pair of pliers"
Glad to be part of the synagogue's High Holiday
preparation, Kurland said, "We are happy to help
out a bit. It needed to be done, and somebody had
to do it." Pi

September 13 2007

69