music
get involved
by Kale Davidoff
Jewish youth groups have a blast!
Sophie Milman: jazz with a difference
Russian-born, Canadian-residing, Israeli-raised and multilin-
the middle. One of the last tracks on the album is the Israeli
gual Jewish jazz singer Sophie Milman continues to entertain
song "Eli, Eli." With bone-chilling string and piano music in
fans with her smooth-as-silk voice in her sophomore studio
the background, Milman sings it slow and deliberately, with
album, Make Someone Happy.
much passion.
Released earlier this year, Make Someone Happy is an ar-
Like her first album, Make Someone Happy is filled with
tistic step up from her first, self-titled album back in 2004. Her
some fantastic arrangements, solos and multilingual tracks.
first album presented happy, fun songs such as "Aqua de Be-
Milman sings a very different arrangement of a popularly re-
ber," Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," Russian folk
corded song, "Fever," a French song, "Reste," and the song
song "Ochi Chornye," and French classic "La Vie en Rose."
Jim Henson and a little green puppet made popular, "Bein'
And while Make Someone Happy continues in the pleasur-
Green."
able, jazzy style with songs like "So Long, You Fool" and "Like
She and her band have proven once more in this album
Someone in Love," it appears to be a much more personal
that they are well on their way to making Sophie Milman an
international jazz star alongside names like
NFTY Leadership Kallah
The album has many highlights worth listening to over and
Diana Krell and Michael Buble. Hopefully,
Attending the NFTY Leadership Kallah Oct. 5-7 at Tem-
over again. Milman also recorded a couple of Jewish clas-
though, Milman could make her way to Detroit
ple Emanu-El in Oak Park were Matt Green, 17, senior
sics for this album. On the fifth track, you will find a pretty
as often as her jazz counterparts.
at Okemos High School; Adam Gluck, 15, sophomore at
standard and upbeat version of Fiddler on the Roof's "Match-
Kale Davidoff, 17, is a senior at West
Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor; Beka Breitzer, 17, se-
maker, Matchmaker," with a stylish harmonica solo mixed in
Bloomfield High School.
nior at Okemos High School; Grace Klein, 18, senior at
album (and Milman says as much inside the CD jacket).
Birmingham Seaholm High School; Emily Zussman, 15,
sophomore at Detroit Country Day in Beverly Hills; Perse-
phone Kruszewski, 18, senior at LakeVille Memorial High
School in Columbiaville; and Anna Megdell, 17, senior at
slice of life/a personal journey
Holt High School near East Lansing.
by Sarah Smoler
a trip down memory lane
ave you ever asked your parents or grand-
parents for a ride to school and gotten the
following response: "When I was your age,
I had to walk three miles uphill, in the snow and rain,
just to get to school each day"
I learned this summer that my grandparents, Gail
and Eugene Smoler, actually had to do this. They
didn't have any other options.
To show our generation how my grandparents
lived and to honor their 50th wedding anniversary, my
family took them on a surprise "Trip Down Memory
Lane." My father and his two older sisters planned this
special day for their parents.
My four cousins, two aunts and uncle, along with
my younger brother and parents, spent eight hours on
a bus going to all the important places in my grand-
parents' lives. Most of the day was spent in downtown
Detroit. We visited each of their first houses, Detroit
Central High School (where they first met), and Aha-
vas Achim, the synagogue where they were married.
As the day progressed, I realized how much of my
grandparents' past I never knew We talked about their
experiences growing up and how different their gener-
ation is from mine. My grandparents enjoyed sharing
Sara Smoler's family goes on a "Trip Down Memory Lane."
their memories with us.
Growing up, they both lived in Detroit and their
first apartment also was in Detroit. Then they moved
to Oak Park. After having three children — my dad,
Bruce Smoler, and his sisters, Shelly Weiner and Sandy
Lehr — they lived in Fort Dix, N.J., while my grand-
father was in the U.S. Army. Afterward they moved to
Farmington Hills, where they have lived for 35 years.
I found it interesting to see how my family "mi-
grated." As time passed, the places they once lived
and went to school changed as well. One of the most
profound discoveries was that Congregation Ahavas
Achim had been converted into a church. Their first
home on Dumbarton Street had been torn down to
make way for construction of a freeway.
After this trip, it was easy to believe that they, in
fact, did have to walk at least three miles to school
each day. This made me realize how fortunate I am
that I do not have to walk to school each
morning! I guess I will not complain if
I have to take the bus every once in a
while.
LOL!
Danielle Haberman, Sarah Hepner, Shoshana Hirschhorn
and Hannah Posen, all seniors in Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue's Nosh 'n Drash program in Farmington Hills, en-
joyed an evening with comedian Joel Chasnoff Oct. 29
during an evening for students in all Conservative high
school programs.
Pretty Scary
At an October BBYO haunted house event are a fanged
Brandon Lebowitz "attacking" Ryan Sakwa, both seniors
at West Bloomfield High School and AZA members.
Sara Smoler, 15, is a sophomore at Andover
\N_
Eugene and Gall Smoler
High School in Bloomfield Hills.
teen2teen November • 2007 B3