Bob Tarnow and Ron Lippitt of the Temple Shir Shalom Men's Club team
The Men Of Summer
Synagogue softball rules on Sundays!
Steve Stein
Contributing Writer
I
t has been a season of change for
the Inter-Congregational Men's Club
Summer Softball League, but one ele-
ment has stayed the same.
Temple Shir Shalom continues to
dominate on the diamonds every Sunday
at Keith Elementary School in West
Bloomfield.
Just past the midway point of the regu-
lar season, Shir Shalom led the league
standings with an 8-0 record.
Congregation Beth Ahm was in second
place at 6-1 followed by Temple Kol Ami
(5-2), Adat Shalom Synagogue No. 2 (5-3),
Temple Israel No. 2 (5-3), Bais Chabad
Torah Center (4-3), Temple Israel No. 1
(4-4), Temple Beth El (2-5), Temple Beth
Emeth (2-5), Adat Shalom No. 1 (2-6) and
Congregation Shaarey Zedek (2-6).
Shir Shalom has won the championship
eight times since the league was formed
in 1996. That's one more than everyone
else combined. It has won four of the last
five titles, including two in a row. Kol Ami
broke up the streak in 2008.
Adat Shalom won in 2005. Young Israel
won in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003, and
Shaarey Zedek won in 1996.
Beth Emeth from Ann Arbor and the
second Adat Shalom team joined the
league this season, temporarily bumping
the roster from 10 to 12 teams. Keter Torah
dropped out and forfeited its games.
Every team makes the single-elimina-
tion playoffs, which will be held July 31
and Aug. 7.
"That's something we've done every
year': said Michael Betman, a league co-
founder along with Brad Silber.
"By having each team make the playoffs,
it takes some of the pressure to win off
regular-season games:' Betman said. "We
want games to be competitive, but fun."
Betman calls Shir Shalom the team to
beat once again in the playoffs.
"They have good pitching and strong
hitting and defense, as usual:' he said.
"But that doesn't mean they're unbeatable.
There are several good teams in the league
capable of winning the championship
Betman plays for Adat Shalom No. 1. A
second team from the synagogue joined
roundu
160 University of Michigan Hillel students on top of Masada on their
Taglit Birthright Israel trips this spring.
U-M Hillel Sends
Students To Israel
For University of Michigan Hillel, the Taglit Birthright Israel
trip is an incredible opportunity for students to explore Israel,
knowing that they will return to a vibrant Jewish commu-
nity on campus to keep the experience going. University of
Michigan Hillel took more students to Israel on Birthright than
any other American campus in the 2010-11 academic year, tak-
ing 200 students in total and directing many others to other
trips if they could not make Michigan's dates.
14. 2 Ccr,
Although it is a long summer break, the students are still
communicating and getting together in their home communi-
ties and are already planning their reunions for the first few
weeks back on campus.
One of the 200 participants, Michelle Rubin of Farmington
Hills wrote about the trip, "Birthright was one of the best expe-
riences of my life. Not only was I able to connect to the state of
Israel and my cultural roots, but I feel so much more knowl-
edgeable about controversial topics in Israel because I was able
to learn about them from a hands-on experience."
the league this season because there were
too many players for just one team.
Adat Shalom No. 1 is scheduled to face
Adat Shalom No. 2 at noon July 17 in their
first meeting.
The following week (July 24) will be the
final one of the regular season. League
play began May 22 and has continued
weekly except for the Memorial Day and
July 4 weekends.
Short Stops
• Besides going to Israel later this
month, Detroit athletes will head to both
Philadelphia and Springfield, Mass.,
next month for JCC Maccabi Games. The
Philadelphia and Springfield games will
be held Aug. 14-19.
•Applicants for the Jewish News Athlete
of the Year and Bill Hertz Memorial
Scholarship awards will be notified by
July 30 if they won. Deadline to apply to
the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation
for the awards was July 8.
• Former Detroit Red Wings defense-
man Mathieu Schneider is serving as
special assistant to Donald Fehr, executive
director of the NHL Players Association.
Schneider retired before the 2010-11 sea-
son at age 41 after playing in the NHL for
21 years.
Send news to sports@thejewishnews.corn.
Kadima Board Installed
Kadima held its annual meeting and dinner
on May 19, at Temple Shir Shalom when
Dan Serlin was installed as president.
Joining him on the executive board are
Ted Wagner and Lita Lemmol, vice presi-
dents; Jim Miller, treasurer; Julie Zussman,
secretary; Robin Tobin-Murav, executive
member; and Richard Ludwig and Jim
Schmidt, members-at-large.
Newly elected board members serving
their first three-year term are Sarah Fink,
Michelle Hutton, Ann Katz, Evan J. Leibhan,
Howard Schwartz and Chad Techner.
Elizabeth Guz, Sissi Lapides, Joy
Nachman and Eugene Schoener were
elected as second three-year term board
members along with JoElyn Nyman and H.
James Zack serving third three-year terms.
Arlene Redfield and Lois Zussman were
elected as lifetime honorary board mem-
bers. Jerome Bookstein joined Kadima's
Advisory Board.
Kadima was pleased to honor John Stojek
as Staff Person of the Year. He has been
working at Kadima for four years, presently
as a case coordinator, and has demonstrated
outstanding dedication, kindness and pas-
sion with Kadima's clients.
The Volunteer of the Year award went to
NCJW volunteers, Barbara and Mike Berger,
who have charitably given of their time,
enthusiasm and energy at Kadima's Sunday
Brunch/Project Friendship program for the
past six years.