Debra Nelson of Oak
Park plays dreidel with
a young boy staying th
week at Beth Shalom
with his mother and
others who are homeless:
Christmas
Beth Shalom ensuresIthere is
"room at the inn" for the homeless.
Barbara Lewis
Special to the Jewish News
,
early to help tnose who needed to get to
work.
In addition to the volunteers, donations
from many area businesses helped make
the week a success, said Grodin. These
included Westborn Market, Bake Station,
Dunkin' Donuts, New York Bagel, Morrison
Kosher Catering, One Stop Market and
Royal Rent-a-Car. ❑
o one thinks its a "Chanukah
bush" — they know its a
Christmas tree. So what's it doing
at a synagogue?
When the synagogue is Congregation
Beth Shalom in Oak Park, the answer is
simple: It's there to make guests feel at
home. For the third consecutive year, Beth
Shalom housed homeless men, women
and children during the week that includ-
ed Christmas. The tree was for them.
Beth Shalom has been hosting homeless
clients of the South Oakland Shelter (SOS)
for more than a dozen years. The Lathrup
Village organization provides case man-
agement and other services but relies on
churches and synagogues to house clients,
one week at a time.
Until 2009, "Shelter Week" took place
in mid-January. But three years ago, the
church that was scheduled to host during
Christmas week canceled.
"For them to host during Christmas
week would have been like having
us house and feed 30 people at Rosh
Hashanah," said Beth Shalom President
Mandy Garver. "There was just too much
going on in their own congregation at
Christmas. We were happy to step in."
Putting up a Christmas tree was not
without controversy, but Rabbi Robert
Gamer reassured his congregants that
Jewish law permits a tree in a shul.
"Some have suggested that Jeremiah,
Chapter 10, is a reference to prohibit a
Christmas tree he said. "But Christianity
did not come until hundreds of years later.
Perhaps Jeremiah was talking about those
who carve trees into idols. He calls on the
Israelites not to follow these idolatrous
practices. Christians do not pray to a
Christmas tree, nor are sacrifices made to
it. It is not idolatry."
To avoid having the tree give the impres-
sion of doing something prohibited, it was
placed in an inconspicuous corner of the
room used only by the guests for their
meals and recreation.
"The sages said that for the sake of
human dignity, we may uproot a principle
of the Torah:' Gamer said. "In this case,
there is not even a law to uproot to allow
our guests a greater sense of human dig-
nity by helping them to celebrate their
holiday:"
While some members were opposed to
the tree, more spoke about the message it
sends about hachnasat orchim, welcoming
guests, especially children. The group of
Sharing And Caring
Chris McEachin, 51, enjoyed learning
about Jewish customs. A tool and die
worker, McEachin was laid off two years
ago and has not found steady work since.
He spends most of his days looking for
work, but when it rains, he feels grounded.
"I can't walk in there dripping wet
because then they'll know I don't have a
car, and they'll think they won't be able
to rely on me to get to work every day:' he
said.
More than 40 Beth Shalom volunteers,
led by Julie Grodin of Huntington Woods,
provided three meals a day and transpor-
tation to and from the SOS office. Some
stayed overnight with the guests, waking
David Bernard of Berkley and daughter
Naomi, 5, helped welcome the guests.
Ari Marcus, 13, of Oak Park serves
latkes to guests and members.
Handmade ornaments decorate the
guests' Christmas tree.
The lights of Chanukah cast their magic
over the gathering.
Lainey Abbott, 7, of Royal Oak helps
pack lunches.
141
14 January 12 • 2012
31 at Beth Shalom included five children
ages 6 to 17.
Jeff Salz of Bloomfield Hills recalled the
joy on the children's faces on Christmas
morning when they saw gifts for them
under the tree. "One little girl told me she
was afraid Santa Claus wouldn't find her
because she wasn't at home, and she was
so relieved that he did."
The guests participated in a congre-
gational lathe party on the first night of
Chanukah and a family Shabbbat dinner
last Friday.