Family Focus

MAZEL TOV!

Seder Connection

Local, Israeli students share holiday.

Students and parents at Beth Shalom and Gilad School together sing
"Hatikvah."

F

ourth-graders from
Congregation Beth Shalom's
Center for Jewish Learning
in Oak Park and from Gilad School in
Nazaret, Israel, participated in a model
Passover seder together, though sepa-
rated by thousands of miles.
Video teleconferencing, with the
support of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, brought the
youngsters together.
Beth Shalom Education Director
Bosmat Dovas and fourth-grade
teacher Nomi Rottenstein worked with
Uri Reuveni, principal of the Gilad
School, to coordinate the seder.
Students took turns conducting
parts of the service, shared Passover
stories and sang together accompa-
nied by Beth Shalom's Shlomi Hamer.
Parents from each class watched as
students linked across the miles as

if at one long seder table. Everyone
stood to sing together the Israeli
national anthem, "Hatikvah"
"My passion and goals are to
instill love for and a connection to
Judaism and Israel in our students
and their families," Dovas said. "I hope
each family will fulfill the famous
Haggadah expression: 'Next year in
Jerusalem) ."
Beth Shalom and the Gilad School
have been working together for three
years, with fourth- and fifth-grade
students exchanging ID cards, Shanah
Tova cards, Tu b'Shevat fruit from Israel
and Mishloach Manot from Michigan.
This connection is part of
Federation's Partnership 2000, cre-
ated by the Jewish Agency for Israel
with their partners in the United
States Jewish community and Keren
Hayesod.

Camp Helps ASD Teens
The Mitzvah Corps Program at Camp
Kutz offers teens with ASD (autism) a
unique Jewish camping experience.
Mitzvah Corps takes place within
the National Federation of Temple
Youth's Kutz Campus for Reform
Jewish Teens in Warwick, N.Y. A high-
light is the peer mentorship compo-
nent, as campers participate in daily
activities accompanied by other teens
who are interested in learning about
Autism Spectrum Disorder. Trained
counselors and professional staff sup-
port the campers at all times.

Mitzvah Corps participants take
part in daily Kutz activities, such as
art, drama, dance, sports, alpine tower,
swimming and music with peer men-
tor and staff support. The program and
daily schedule is tailored to each camp-
er's needs and level of functioning.
Mitzvah Corps sessions will take
place June 28-July 5 and July 9-16.
Families are responsible for trans-
portation to and from Kutz or Newark
Airport.
For additional information, visit kutz.
urjcamps.org/mc/program or e-mail
sdresser@urj.org; or (212) 650-4077.

March 27
Laura (Moore) and
Howard Bernstein of
Des Moines, Iowa, are
thrilled to announce
the birth of their
daughter, Sanya Jaye.
Sharing in their joy
are grandparents
Bernice Barris of
Waterford and Marvin Bernstein of
Livonia. Sanya Jaye was named in
blessed memory of paternal grand-
mother Sharon Bernstein and mater-
nal grandfather Jack Moore.

March 11
Natalie (Frieden) and
David Herskovic of
Berkley are delighted
to announce the
birth of their daugh-
ter, Abigail Stella.
Excited grandparents
Herskovic
are Leigh and Morey
Herskovic of West
Bloomfield and Beverly and Alan
Frieden of Virginia Beach, Va. Excited
great-grandparents are Anne and
Frank Summers of Farmington Hills
and Bess Banks of Norfolk, Va. Abigail
Stella was named in loving memory
of her maternal great-grandfather
Adolph Banks and her paternal great-
grandfather Samuel Herskovic.

Feb. 23
Kerri (Raub), former-
ly of West Bloomfield,
and Jonathan Masel
of Cooper City,
Fla., are thrilled to
announce the birth
of their daughter,
Masel
Sophie Joy. Her big
brother Ethan Noah,
5, had hugs and kisses for Sophie Joy
at the hospital. Paternal grandparents
Irene and Sheldon Masel of Aventura,
Fla., maternal grandfather Rodney
Raub of West Bloomfield and great-
grandmother Sylvette Raub of Oak
Park were extremely happy to welcome
Sophie. Sophie Joy is named after her
late grandmother Sandy Joyce Raub.
Sophie is also the great-granddaugh-
ter of the late Martin Raub, the late
Blanche and the late Marty Rosenfeld,
the late Joyce and the late Al Jackson,
the late Abraham and the late Tillie
Masel.

Feb. 23
Tracey (Proghovnick) and Eric Edlestein
of West Bloomfield are thrilled to
announce the birth of their son, Drew

Allen (Ezer Yehuda). Delighted
grandparents are Marsha and Larry
Proghovnick of Southfield and Cheryl
and Toma Edelstein of Commerce Twp.
Drew is named in loving memory of
his maternal great-uncle Allen Cohen,
his paternal great-grandmother
Susana Edelstein and his maternal
great-grandmother Annie Cohen.

Feb. 20
Carol (Croll) and
Scott Alderman of
Wixom announce
with joy the birth
of their son, Blake
Owen Howard.
Sharing in their
Alderman
joy are grandpar-
ents Carol and Ron
Alderman of Farmington Hills and
Jan and Bob Croll of Walled Lake.
Blake is named in loving memory of
his maternal great-grandfather Owen
Bishop and paternal great-grandfather
Howard Alderman.

Feb. 12
Olga (Flomin) and
Todd Swanson of
Berkley are thrilled
to announce the
birth of their daugh-
ter, Anneliese
Olivia (Ana). She
is adored and wel-
comed by her big
brother Maxwell, 2. Excited grandpar-
ents are Marina and Natan Flomin of
Farmington Hills and Bobbi and Carl
Swanson of San Ramon, Calif. Great-
grandparents Berta Markman and
Boris Smolyar of Oak Park are also
elated. She is named in loving memory
of her amazing maternal great-grand-
mother.

Jan. 22

Beth (Davidow) and
Jacob Nothstine of
Redford announce
with love the birth
„oak_
of their daughter,
Julia Rachel (Ayla
Rachel). Excited big
Nothstine
brother is Adam, 21/2.
Delighted grandpar-
ents are Esther and Howard Davidow
of West Bloomfield and David
Nothstine of Westland. Julia is named
in loving memory of her pater-
nal grandmother Joan Nothstine,
maternal great-grandmothers Becky
Chodak and Ruth Davidow and
maternal great-uncle Iry Chodak.

Maze! Toy! on page B18

April 23

a

2009

B17