I Spirituality

Dancing In The Streets

Four West Bloomfield synagogues join together to celebrate Simchat Torah.

Clockwise from upper left: Benton Karesh, 9, of West Bloomfield has fun on Simchat Torah. Rabbi Eric Yanoff of Shaarey Zedek leads the crowd in song. Rabbi Daniel A.
Schwartz of Shir Shalom leads the Havdalah service before the Simchat Torah celebration begins.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer

T

his past Shabbat morning, Rabbi
Eric Yanoff promised his con-
gregation that if they came back
that night for a multi-synagogue Simchat
Torah celebration, he would show them
more energy than he showed last year
— and that was a lot.
True to his word, the Oakland County-
based Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ)
rabbi relentlessly danced and led songs
through a megaphone as members of
four West Bloomfield synagogues joined

together at the corner of Orchard Lake and
Walnut Lake roads.
Beginning at CSZ B'nai Israel Center,
the crowd made its way to Temple Shir
Shalom, where their members and a group
from Temple Israel had already met up for
a Havdalah service.
After dancing and singing and march-
ing with the Torahs on the Shir Shalom
lawn, the group head back to B'nai Israel,
with a stopover celebration at Keter Torah
Synagogue.
Beyond the four sponsoring synagogues
of the sixth annual Simchat Torah Block
Party, Yanoff noted, "Based on the faces in

the crowd, it has become a fully commu-
nal event."
During a week of nearly nonstop rain,
the weather cooperated, as did traffic, even
amidst weeks of road construction.
"The West Bloomfield police were fan-
tastic,"Yanoff said. "They allowed us to
cross diagonally and we cheered them as
we did so."
Having members of four synagogues
— Conservative, Orthodox and Reform
— celebrate Simchat Torah together "was
such a beautiful message for our corn-
munity and for the Jewish people Yanoff
said. "Especially in tough times, to have

such an ability to come together, with such
energy and ruach (spirit), it truly inspires
me as a rabbi and a member of this com-
munity. We are able to come together in
Simchat Torah, literally, `the joy of Torah'
that unites us."
And it turns out the effects of being
energized were among the best part of the
rabbi's evening.
"My favorite moments are losing my
voice as we march to the corner, the bear
hug from Rabbi Mike Moskowitz (of Shir
Shalom) the second we see one another,
and the excitement and appreciation of
the whole crowd,"Yanoff said.

October 15 • 2009

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