7Metro TIME TO GATHER / ON THE COVER Thanksgiving Traditions Detroiters unite in prayer, friendship, fun and football. SheIli Liebman Dorfman I Senior Writer hanksgiving. It's a plic time when those who make our homes here are joined by transient college students and transplant- ed Detroiters who come back to celebrate the holiday. They drive. They fly. They come by train. Some bring friends. And when they get together, they catch up, they pray, they party and they play ball. For some, there's America's Thanksgiving Parade downtown and the Detroit Lions game at Ford Field in Detroit. And many young adults line up in Farmington Hills at Roosevelt's Bar and Grill for an informal Wednesday night- before-Thanksgiving gather- ing. But Jewish Detroit also has its own organized, longstand- ing, well-planned group outings and events — before and after the Thanksgiving meal — many of which have become our traditions. 14 November 25 • 2010 JN Partiers have fun at last year's Latke Vodka event. Thanksgiving Latkes Once coinciding with a different holiday, last year, the annual Lathe Vodka event became a new Thanksgiving weekend tradition. "In years past, it was right around Chanukah',' said Jessica Goodwin, senior campaign associate at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit in Bloomfield Township. "But last year, Federation's Young Adult Division (YAD) board, with the Social Committee, decided to try having a huge party the Saturday after Thanksgiving in hopes that former Detroiters now living out of state would attend the event and see that there is a strong, young, Jewish pres- ence in Detroit" The result was an event that doubled in size from the year before, with about 400 participants, one-quarter of whom were in town from other states. "It was a given that this year, we would use the same model:' Goodwin said. This year's event, scheduled for 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, at Via Nove in Ferndale, will be the sixth consecutive time Latke Vodka has been held in recent years. "It was resurrected from years ago and it has trans- formed into YAD's biggest social event of the year',' Goodwin said. "The timing is successful from more than one perspec- tive said Rachel Lachover, 24, of West Bloomfield, co- chair of this year's event with Jared Goldman, 28, of Royal Oak. "It is an opportunity for out-of-towners to see who from their peers is in the community. And it is a great chance for them to see that there are young adults at dif- ferent stages in their lives who are established here?' The Lathe Vodka committee includes former Detroiters who live in other areas. "For the past two years, we have asked Detroiters who now live in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York to spread the word in their towns and among their Jewish federa- tions for anyone who will be here for Thanksgiving;' said Goldman, a YAD board member."We want to be able to show them there is still a vibrant, young Jewish commu- nity here:' More than 400 participants are expected at this year's event held in partnership with Federation's CommunityNEXT and the Birthright Israel Foundation. Great Lakes Beverage Company of Detroit is the beer sponsor for the evening; music will be provided by Joe Cornell Entertainment in Southfield. Kosher latkes and doughnuts will be served, and there will be a flip book photo book giveaway.