Event chair Kathleen Straus, center, presents an orchid to Eugene and
Elaine Driker, all of Detroit. His sister, Ruth Driker Kroll, founded the Detroit

Women's Forum and was unable to attend.

Marjie and Steve Ziff, seated with Rabbi Levi Selwyn, prepare to write the

Celebrating 40 Years

Detroit Women's Forum marks
milestone with an anniversary party.

E

ighty members and support-
ers of the Detroit Women's
Forum celebrated 40 years
of thoughtful discussion, diversity
and community activism at an anni-
versary luncheon on Dec. 12 at the
Whitney in Detroit.
The Detroit Women's Forum was
established by Ruth Driker Kroll,
formerly associate director of the
American Jewish Committee, in
1974 to provide an opportunity
for women from diverse religious,
racial and occupation backgrounds
to discuss important issues, espe-
cially those affecting women, and to
encourage community involvement

and networking.
Woody Sandweiss, then director
of the American Jewish Committee,
and his wife, Bea, participated in the
celebration and retrospective.
The American Jewish Committee,
dedicated to developing bridges
between racial, religious and ethnic
groups, provided staff support dur-
ing the Forum's first 10 years.
Lunchtime programs were orga-
nized in Downtown Detroit, featur-
ing women presenters who have
tackled a broad range of political,
social, economic and cultural issues.
The organization is volunteer-run
without any paid staff.

❑

Kathleen Straus of Detroit with Woody and Bea Sandweiss of Oak Park. He
was director of the American Jewish Committee in 1974, when the Forum

was started.

24 January 15 • 2015

final letter of the Torah with the Ziff family looking on.

Project 61:4

Shir Shalom ceremony completes
the writing of its first Torah.

M

Shalom on a regular basis to facilitate
ore than 600 people attend-
ed the closing ceremonies
the scribing sessions, was on hand for
for Project 613, where
the closing ceremony.
Temple Shir Shalom of West Bloomfield
"The energy, enthusiasm and love of
completed its first writing of a Torah.
Torah are just a few words to describe
The project took a year to complete.
working with the planning commit-
"We thought it was wonderful to
tee and congregation of Temple Shir
begin and end this Torah project during Shalom during Project 613," the rabbi
Chanukah, giving ourselves the gift of
said. "Their koach [strength] is inspira-
Torah and partaking in the experience
tional!"
of the last commandment, the
Josh Sherbin, Project 613
613th commandment where
committee chair and board
we as Jews are instructed
vice president, shared with
to write Torah," said Andre
the congregation the many
Douville, Shir Shalom execu-
successes of the project: more
tive director.
than 320 families represent-
Marjie and Steve Ziff of
ing more than 1,000 people
Franklin kicked off the project
took part in scribing sessions,
by naming the Torah and writ-
including in members' homes
ing the first letter. They also
Josh Sherbin
and in Florida, and Shir
wrote the last letter during
Shalom also gave the oppor-
the closing ceremonies, with extended
tunity for two Holocaust survivors to
family members joining them. Rabbi
scribe a letter with their families.
Levi Selwyn, the sofer who visited Shir
Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of Shir
Shalom said, "It was
such a moving expe-
rience for so many
of our members and
for others in our
community — edu-
cationally, spiritu-
ally, emotionally. It
was an incredible
community-building
experience and a
beautiful once-in-a-
lifetime event for all
of us. We truly were
inscribing our legacy
for generations to
Class representatives from the Shir Shalom religious
come:'
school hold up the Hebrew words each class created

❑

for the Project 613 closing ceremony.