Spirituality

Shabbanukah!

Kol Ami members enjoy Chanukah Shabbat together.

C

reating unique ways to engage
children in all aspects of
Jewish life is a top priority at
Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield. The
Shabbat that occurs during Chanukah
each year provides a tremendous oppor-
tunity.
More than 160 people attended the
synagogue's annual "Shabbanukah" ser-
vice, which began with a fun, musically
oriented Friday night Shabbat service.
Following the service, everyone headed

into Conrad Social Hall to light the
Chanukah candles.
"Many families brought their own
Chanukiah from home said TKA
Membership Chair Cynthia Katz. "The
social hall was so beautiful with all of
those candles burning at the same time'
Barry Levine and Dave Liberman
cooked more than 600 latkes, which were
enthusiastically consumed, and then
Rabbi Norman Roman, Assistant Rabbi
Ariana Silverman and Cantorial Soloist

Tiffany Green led a lively Chanukah
song session. Some of the children also
worked on Chanukah art at a coloring
station.
"Combining the importance of
Shabbat with the celebration of
Chanukah had a great impact on the
kids:' said membership committee mem-
ber Paul Gross. "It was such a wonderful
evening of learning and fun. Every Jewish
learning experience that engages our
kids is a huge success:'

Kol Ami membership committee member Chuck Freedman of Steve, Ryan and Jackie Lonn of Ann Arbor

Commerce Township serves latkes to Dolly Weisserman of

White Lake and her son, Drew, 8.

Help Support Families
Each year, the community comes together to
help Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan
Detroit clients celebrate the holidays through
the JFS Adopt-a-Family Program.
JFS offices were filled with presents,
including basic needs items, all of which will
be distributed to 600 people this year.
Without the help of many local families,
individuals, groups, and synagogues, this
program would not be possible. There is still
a great need for gift cards that will be distrib-
uted to families to purchase basic needs and
presents for their children. To learn more,
contact Lindsay Leder at (248) 592.2309, or
lleder@jfsdetroit.org .
With offices in West Bloomfield and Oak
Park, each year, JFS serves 12,000 people of
all ages, religions and socioeconomic back-
grounds through a variety of programs.

In The Beginning
Rabbi Joe Klein of Temple Emanu-El in Oak
Park will be teaching a six-week Genesis
class, sponsored by the Berkley Clergy
Association. There is no charge.
The course, "Reading Genesis Again
for the First Time will be held at Berkley
Community Church, 2855 Wiltshire (north
of Catalpa, west of Coolidge) on Thursdays,
Jan. 13-Feb. 17, — 7– 8:30 p.m.
Rabbi Kleiris six-week class will be a
dose reading and discussion of the texts
of Creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel,
(chapters 1-4), and the Jacob Narrative
(found in chapters 25-35).
Bring your own Bibles (the more varied
the translations in the room, the more
interesting the discussion). For information:
rabbi@rabbiklein.com.

Hunger Shabbat
Congregation Beth Ahm's Tikkun Olam
(Repair of the World) Committee in West
Bloomfield is sponsoring Hunger Shabbat at
services on Saturday, Dec. 11.
Committee members will symbolically
present a $14,000 grant from MAZON:
A Jewish Response to Hunger, to repre-
sentatives of the Gleaners Food Bank of
Southeastern Michigan.
Gleaners has been feeding hungry people
for more than 33 years. In 2009, it distributed
30 million pounds of emergency food to 500
local soup kitchens, shelters, and food pan-
tries in Southeast Michigan, including Yad
Ezra, the Berkley-based kosher food pantry.
Beth Ahm's Tikkun Olam Committee is
chaired by Southfield resident Nancy Kalef.
For information call her (248) 353-2145 or
e-mail nancykalef@comcast.net.
Details about MAZON and Gleaners can
be found on their respective websites, www.
mazon.org and wwwgcfb.org.

Sydney (celebrating her first Chanukah), Kim, Tyler and Matthew Gilbert of Northville

December 9 • 2010

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