The Man’s Lunch organizer Bill
Mechanic addresses guests.
TOP: Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue.
hope to encourage attendees to help
feed the coffers of the synagogue. You
might say it’s a subtle “corned beef for
a cause.”
Bill’s great-grandfather, Morris
Gitlin, was the first acting rabbi
in Windsor and his Zayde Bill and
his brother Abraham were among
the founding fathers of Shaar
Hashomayim. Bill, vice president of
the shul, follows in his father Dave’s
footsteps as a dedicated and giving
congregant.
At the luncheon, I broke bread
(rye) with Stan Meretsky of West
Bloomfield, who talked about how
Shaar Hashomayim also pulls at his
heartstrings. “My great-grandfather
Jacob arrived in Windsor in the early
1880s, and many of my family mem-
bers were lifelong members,” said Stan,
whose Windsor cousins were also
among the 160-plus luncheon guests.
Sponsorships of tables helped defray
the cost of the luncheon while a flyer
listed the cost to attend as “semi-
gornisht.” Nowhere is the luncheon
advertised as a fundraiser, but guests
are respectfully asked to “put some
gelt in the pickle jars” located on every
table. The dill-nations raised over the
last three years have helped renovate
the shul’s Hebrew school and repair
the ceiling in the main sanctuary.
Make no mistake that to Bill the
luncheon is first and foremost a way
to keep the dwindling Windsor Jewish
community connected. He wants no
part of a heavy-handed plea for dona-
tions, despite the reality that it will
take much more than cash-filled pick-
le jars to keep this jewel of Judaism
alive.
“We need help from Detroit to
Toronto,” said Bill, his passion pal-
pable. During a private tour of the
synagogue, his eyes welled up when he
passed the pew his family has been sit-
ting in for generations.
The final stat sheet on the day’s
event was impressive. Briskets from
Hamilton Kosher in Hamilton,
Ontario, produced 174 pounds of
corned beef and pastrami; brined for
a month prior to the event. Twenty-
seven pounds of beef salami were
basted in a special sauce.
It took 3½ hours by an all-star line-
up of deli slicers to hand slice the
corned beef, pastrami and salami. Bill
told me these experts know the differ-
ence between cutting the bad fat off
and leaving the good fat on. A slicing
proficiency second only to that of a
good mohel.
And despite what you’ve been hear-
ing about the recent fragile trade rela-
tions between the U.S. and Canada, a
major international business transac-
tion resulted during the Man’s Lunch.
Steve Katz, owner of the Detroit area
Bake Stations, informed me that his
Southfield location supplied all the rye
bread, kichel and (drumroll) seven-
layer cake! Yes, there was seven-layer
cake! That alone was worthy of run-
ning for the border. Speaking of which
…
Bill generously offered the Detroit
contingent leftovers to take back
to the States, which we respectfully
declined. The Purple Gang may have
gotten away with bootlegging booze
from Windsor across the Detroit River
back in the 1920s, but there’s no way
in this day of heightened security that
a group of middle-aged Jewish guys
were willing to get busted for brisket.
More incentive to return for The Man
Lunch #4. •
To learn more about Shaar Hashomayim or to
donate, call (519) 256-3123 or email shaar@
mnsi.net.
Legs healed.
Insurance covered.
Varicose veins can result in painful leg symptoms.
Allure Medical can heal your legs with a non-invasive
treatment with no downtime. Leg pain is not the only
symptom associated with varicose veins.
Other symptoms may include:
- Restless Legs
- Bulging Veins
- Swelling
- Discoloration
- Ulcers
- Itching
Free Vein Screening
Call by October 4th and Allure will have your
treatment done before your deductible resets in January
24 8-266-8 822
w w w.a l lu revei ncente r.com
Beverly Hills/ Birmingham
32804 Pierce St.
Beverly Hills, MI 48025
:HVW%ORRPÀHOG
6900 Orchard Lake Road, Ste 215
:HVW%ORRPÀHOG0,
(Located in the Beaumont building)
jn
September 27 • 2018
29