Left: Ashley Simmons, 10, Ryan Simmons, 8, and Lilah Glazer, 2, all of West Bloomfield, dance during the evening concert.
Right: Sophia Rosol, 6, of Huntington Woods rides an antique bike with the help of Lisa Lou of Brooklyn, NY.

around Dexter and Davison. It was a spectacular
day with a lot of Jewish pride'
And organizers made sure it was not a day
for machers, or movers and shakers. Following
the vision of Phillip Fisher, IsraelSixty chair,
Kaufman said there were no special lines for
donors, no VIP seating, no long speeches — just
a day for everyone to feel part of the celebration.
From kosher food to Israel-based children's
activities to the evening concert featuring
diverse musical groups, all was designed to add
that special Jewish element to the normal State
Fair experience.
Carly Chocron, 16, of West Bloomfield was
a runner on Detroit's Maccabi track and field
team. She wasn't expecting the fair to offer
Israeli food.
"I was really surprised they had shwarma,"
she said.
Chagat Anior, 16, is a Maccabi participant
from Jerusalem. She tried the falafel from
Shemesh Mediterranean Cafe. "The falafel is bet-
ter in Israel, but it was still good' she said.
Sisters Carol Steffas of Commerce Township,
Nancy Shapiro of West Bloomfield and Susan
Dacosta of Haifa revisited their childhood as
they slugged down crisp, cool root beer floats.

.., :tc-4*

Community Unity
At times, the event seemed like an overgrown
rdici lej
family reunion, with people hugging family
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members as well as friends they might not have
seen for years.
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"I think that its amazing': said Estie Tolwin of
Huntington Woods. "Its so nice to see so many
Jews getting together for a meaningful experi-
enc'
Organizers made sure to keep spirits high
inside the fairgrounds. Tight security included
a bomb squad checking bags at the entrance
as well as tight watch on a group of about 50
protesters holding signs along Woodward
Avenue condemning Zionism, Israel policies and
American support for Israel.
The diverse protesters were mostly elderly,
white
and leftist, with no more than a handfiil
Left: Maccabi athlete Avigdor Zvi Fogelman of England. Middle: Notes go up on the Western Wall replica at the fairgrounds.
of
blacks,
Arabs and Jews participating. Though
Right: Harriet Berg of Detroit celebrates Israel's 60th in style.
a young woman yelled about genocide at cars
waiting to enter the parking lot, the demonstra-
tion was peaceful.
Imad Hamad, director of the Dearborn-based
Michigan office of the American Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee (ADC), told the
Detroit News the rally had little support or coor-
dination from his community.
Back inside the fairgrounds, little could
diminish the feeling of solidarity for Israel felt by
the crowd.
At the evening concert, a highlight was a
sing-along of familiar Israeli songs led by the
Michigan Board of Cantors choir. They ended
appropriately with the crowd singing Hatikvah.
Immediately afterward, the sky behind the
. • $ band shell lit up with brilliant fireworks. With
a huge Star of David and Israeli flags in the
foreground on the band shell stage and the

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Left: The Drummer Boyz from Detroit were part of the evening entertainment. Right: Megan Klimkowski, 9, of Highland with
a new friend she won on the midway.

A Fair To Remember! on page A16

August 28 a 2008

A15