get involved
teen profile
by Spencer Wayne
Jewish youth groups have a blast!
3errri an, s
Kob.yJ
n g ..- Darfur•
he crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan is a well-
documented, ongoing genocide that has received
an embarrassing lack of international media at-
He believes the news media are the most important way
to increase awareness. In his bar mitzvah speech, Koby
listed three ways people can help: raise awareness, raise
money and speak out.
tention. Koby Berman, 12, is ready to take a stand.
Koby celebrated his bar mitz-
vah Aug. 21 at the Birmingham
Temple in Farmington Hills. At
this Secular Humanistic temple,
rather than reading from the To-
rah or reciting a haftorah, stu-
dents discuss a hero who has been
important to the Jewish people.
During his service, Koby talk-
ed about someone very close to Koby Berman at the Birmingham Temple with his display
of information about helping those in danger in Darfur.
his heart — his maternal grand-
father, Moniek Milberger. He discussed the concept of a
hero, shared his grandfather's experience during the Holo-
caust and related it to heroic actions ordinary people can
take to help the situation in Darfur today. Koby also asked
that donations be made to the Save Darfur Coalition in
honor of his bar mitzvah rather than receiving gifts.
"Most people think that helping the situation in Darfur
is not their problem because they are living on the other
side of the world," Koby says. "However, thousands of in-
nocent people are dying and need help."
Koby plans to invite the Save Darfur Co-
alition to speak to the students at his Beverly
Hills school, Detroit Country Day, where he is
in seventh grade. He also intends to share his
passion for Darfur with Michigan legislators so
they, in turn, can reach Michiganians.
In his spare time, Koby enjoys waterskiing,
playing hockey with his 10 year old brother,
-
-
Andy, and helping with Special Olympics. One
of his favorite things is to go to amusement
parks. "My all-time favorite is Cedar Point [in
Ohio]," he says. He plans a career in roller coaster design.
Koby says three critical ingredients to becoming a hero.
"The first is understanding the facts of the situation," he
says. "The second is having the vision to create a desirable
change and the third is having the courage to
take action to bring about this change."
Koby's passion for saving the people of
Darfur makes him a true hero to us all.
Volunteer Venture
Samantha Freedman, 17, a student at the Fran-
kel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield, helps
kids with a carnival game at a charity benefit
held by the West Bloomfield Police Foundation
and West Bloomfield Fire Fighters Association in
early September at Marshbank Park. Freedman
is a member of Venturing Crew 18 of the Boy
Scouts of America.
Spencer Wayne, 16, attends Birmingham
Seahoim High School.
slice of life/Sukkot in Israel
by David Lehmann
s the afternoon light
peeks through the
airplane window I
squint and see a coast. The
restless, trans-Atlantic night
fades away as we decrease in
.1k.
Ma'arat HaMachpelah in Hebron
Barriers, guarded by policemen and soldiers,
separate us from the inhabitants. The people
— some wearing head coverings, some sporting
black mustaches — remain silent, occasionally
staring at the soldiers with anger in their eyes.
I approach Ma'arat HaMachpelah, the grave
altitude; buildings, highways, cars and trees grow bigger. We
land — a roar, then applause.
of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. A microphone crackles
from a minaret nearby. Suddenly, a nonstop rant begins,
So begins my third Sukkot vacation in Israel.
Do not let the word "vacation" deceive you. Sukkot in
Israel is a multifaceted structure of joy, spirituality and to-
getherness.
the thick Arabic resounding off the sad streets and build-
ings. I recognize some words — mujahideen (Muslim insur-
It is Mea Shearim, an Orthodox neighborhood in Jeru-
salem, swarming with men in black garb who peddle bright
etrogim (citrons used on the holiday) and fragrant hadassim
(myrtle branches). It is a sea of tallitot at the Kotel (Western
Wall) that booms with the recitation of the Priestly Bless-
ing. It is countless sukkot twinkling in the Jerusalem night,
each one lit with celebration.
This year, however, I discover a somber tone amidst the
cheerful hues.
Sukkot In Hebron
I exit the armored vehicle, stepping on Israeli ground and,
simultaneously, onto another planet. Shells of buildings,
defaced with spray paint and surrounded by dusty, rusting
rubble form the backdrop of this alien landscape. Military
vehicles are stationed on the dusty streets and soldiers pace
back and forth on the quiet avenues.
Sunday Afternoon Football
The man with the plan is Mark Clevey of Farm-
ington Hills, center. He gathered his daughter
Lilah, holding the football, and her friends, from
left, Kelsey Helwig, Melanie Betel, Emma Cohen,
Marissa Ceresnie, Michelle Rubin, Michael Lurie
and Noah Davies, all 15, for a Sunday afternoon
of football Sept. 30 at Heritage Park in Farming-
ton Hills.
gents), Allah — that reverberate in the tense air. My family
and I try to concentrate on our thoughts and prayers as a
second minaret begins to blare a Muslim prayer chant.
When I finish reciting a few psalms, I look to my left
and see a large, empty sukkah. Three policemen guard the
openings. A mass of Palestinians peer inside the cordoned-
off structure; they stare at the policemen, at me and at
my family. A few approach the metal barrier but quickly
retreat. We are both in Hebron, but we are miles apart.
Back In Jerusalem
And this big, yellow, desolate sukkah in Hebron merges
with the big, green, brimming sukkah on Ben Yehudah
Street in Jerusalem to form a more complete picture of
Sukkot in Israel — one that I will never for-
get.
BBYO Paint Wars
In the aftermath of a BBYO paint war on Sept.
30 are "survivors" Lindsey Wagner, a senior at
West Bloomfield High School, Amanda Golsky,
a junior at North Farmington High School, and
David Lehmann, 17, Is a senior at Yeshivat Akiva,
Josh Lowenthal, a sophomore at the Frankel
Southfield. He was in Israel with his parents,
Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield.
Anne and Michael, and his sister Ruth, 15.
teen2teen October • 2007 3B