Spirituality

ON THE COVER

Making Chanukah Shine

Scrap metal becomes religious artistry in this menorah-maker's hands.

SheIli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer

T

o those who say, "one man's
junk is another man's treasure
David Pereira has a few stories
to tell about the pile of scrap metal he has
turned into a series of unique, handcraft-
ed Jewish ritual items.
For seven years, Pereira has been
designing and manufacturing Chanukah
menorahs as gifts to friends and family.
"They have become better and more
beautiful each year," said his father-in-
law, Fred Fitlow of Novi, who calls the
menorahs "museum-quality" and refers to
Pereira as "Menorah Man."
Pereira keeps track of how long he has
been designing the menorahs by recount-
ing the theme of each year's creation.
"Last year, I made menorahs with a star
of David welded to them:' he said. "And
one year, each one was a puzzle that looks
like a really old shul. I put a screen on the
metal and then sandblasted it to look like
brick. Small Stars of David were cut into it,
and when you light the shamash [candle
used to light the others] and turn off the
lights, the stars glow like little windows."
This year's menorah is made of three
pieces, two of which are reversible, chang-
ing the look when they are turned around.
And then there's the one made of vintage
Jewish National Fund tzedakah boxes
given to him by Rabbi David Nelson of
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park.
"He brought them to me and asked if
I could make a menorah out of them','
Pereira said. "The boxes are removable
and can be used and then placed back into
the menorah:'

The First One
"Around seven years ago, I was invited
to a Chanukah party and I didn't know
what to bring:' said Pereira, vice president
of Minowitz Manufacturing Company
in Roseville. "I was in my office thinking
about it and staring at a menorah that my
great-uncle Abraham made when I was 9,
and that I used for many years. There was
a lot of scrap metal lying around and the
idea came to me that I could recycle it into
an interesting, custom menorah to bring
to the party"

Making Chanukah Shine on page A32

Each year, David Pereira changes the design of his menorahs.

December 25 * 2008

A31