Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit's

4 110 Shalom Street Museum

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Yeshiva University

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NICOLE
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It's Your Torah
To Explore

A new interactive exhibit opens at the
JCC's Shalom Street Museum.

Ait

FALL
2015

PROPERTY OF YESH VA UNIVERSITY

NON-TRANSFERABLE

33000376362

Elizabeth Applebaum I Special to the Jewish News

I

n the beginning there was an idea,
and then came panels and paint-
ing, fabrics and toys, displays of
all kinds, and many bright and colorful
things to set up and organize and build
and lo, there was an exhibit.
The Shalom Street Museum's new
exhibit, "It's Your Torah To Explore,"
opened Oct 18 and is an exciting adven-
ture into the Five Books of Moses. Guests
can play in a Noah's Ark ball pit, follow
in the footsteps of Adam by naming their
own animals, see themselves (thanks to
a green screen) in their favorite Torah
story, walk in the Garden of Eden and
study Jewish law in a child-sized court-
room, among many other activities.
"This is an experiential exhibit that
provides a great opportunity for kids and
family to learn outside the classroom:'
said Shalom Street Director Andee
Liberman.
First of all, it's fun; but Liberman also
hopes that children leave with a greater
love of the Torah and have a chance to
see Judaism come alive.
The roots of "It's Your Torah To
Explore" go back many months, when
the Shalom Street Board of Directors and
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit Board of Jewish Educators first
met to discuss ideas. Their goal was to
come up with an exhibit that is educa-
tional, but also unlike anything found in
a school.
Next, Liberman and Shalom Street
Programmer Sarah Katz planned the
elements of the exhibit and then worked
with designer Monika Essen of Studio
Epoque to create a 3-D image of how it

would appear. The result was a tiny, doll-
house-like room that seems to be filled
with fun, creativity and possibility.
The person who helps bring every-
thing to life is Eric W. Maher, technical
director of the Berman Center for the
Performing Arts, just down the hall from
Shalom Street at the Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West
Bloomfield. Maher and his staff built the
exhibit's ball pit, courtroom and grocery
store, each of which is a work of art.
While Liberman loves to recycle and
reuse whenever possible, many of "It's
Your Torah To Explore" items were
custom-built. Additionally, every piece of
fabric used must be flame retardant and
waterproofed, and cloth is often dyed to
create the perfect color.

A TREASURE HUNT

To make the journey through the
exhibit even more fun, Liberman and
Katz developed a treasure hunt so that
families can make additional discover-
ies along the way, and they worked with
Rabbi Michelle Faudem, who serves on
the faculty of the Melton School of Adult
Jewish Learning, to create activities and
written materials. (While Shalom Street's
target audience is the Jewish community,
the museum welcomes groups of all
kinds and can customize lesson plans for
everyone from home-schooled students
to church groups.)
This exhibit was created with the sup-
port of the Charles H. Gershenson Fund
and was developed specifically for chil-
dren ages 3-12 and their families. There
is no charge for admission. *

The future is

in your hands.

Meet Nicole Bock from Teaneck, New Jersey. A Mathematics
major and Art History minor at Yeshiva University, Nicole is
a YU Honors student whose summer internship at Citigroup
resulted in a job offer in its Capital Markets Origination
division. A yearbook editor and member of the Finance,
Investment, Math and Physics Clubs, Nicole has taken a
comprehensive approach to her college career.

While YU prepares Nicole to meet the challenges of young
women pursuing STEM career paths, her minor in Art
History fulfills another passion. Nicole's commitment to
broaden the scope of her education centers around her
Judaic studies at YU. This is the essence of Torah Umadda
and what sets YU apart.

Picture yourself at YU. #NowhereButHere

Yeshiva University

www.yu.edu1212.960.52771yuadmit@yu.edu

www.yu.edu/apply

2035690

JN

October 29 2015

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