APRIL 14 • 2022 | 47
relatives dispersed to distant places, the
Alvins became hosts to different kinds of
guests.
“I found myself wanting to have a big
seder because I enjoyed the company and
the feel of it,” said Alvin, a retired school
social worker and member of Temple Shir
Shalom. “Without having a natural group
to do that, I put together my own family
of friends.
“I have a lot of friends who are not
Jewish, and I started inviting them. Many
had never been to a seder, so we used
a Haggadah that was very accessible. I
wanted my guests to appreciate the his-
tory and the culture and see another way
families celebrate their past.
“When biological families aren’t avail-
able, you cobble together a surrogate
family.”
Adair, a former school social work-
er now in private practice, has gone to
quite a few seders at the Alvin home. She
assumed she would be “walked through
everything” she needed to know.
“Every time I go, I love the traditions,”
Adair said. “I think they’re an important
part of family life and people’s lives. [The
experience] was beautiful. It felt very
comfortable and homey.”
Adair, raised in a Presbyterian home,
described her knowledge of Judaism as
cursory before attending the seders.
“Inviting others to Christmas celebra-
tions probably came from a suggestion
by Diane,” said Adair, who, with Alvin,
belongs to a gourmet dinner group and
includes about eight people for the holi-
day.
“I think Christianity is so main-
stream, other religions know more about
Christianity than Christians know about
other religions,” Adair said. “I don’t
remember having to explain anything.”
SHARING THE MESSAGE
OF FREEDOM
Verne and Ed Royal also planned seders
with friends after a move to Michigan
separated them from family. The couple,
who became active with Temple Israel,
had about 20 guests each time and had
included Suzanne and Joel Welsh, valued
in a couples’ friendship launched while
the two women worked together at Sinai
Hospital.
The Royals, now retired in New York
state to be near their daughter’s family,
listen to Temple Israel services online and
stay in touch with the Welshes.
“This is a very religious Christian
couple who seemed to know a good deal
about Judaism,” Verne Royal said. “I
asked if she and her husband would be
interested in coming to our seder, and
they were excited because they had never
been to a seder before but knew about it.
“We tried to make sure the message
about freedom applies to everyone, and
we pulled some readings to make it appli-
cable to anyone, not just speaking to Jews.
I think the overall message is a universal
message that anyone can appreciate.”
Verne, a longtime career consultant,
and Ed, a longtime oral surgeon, often
went out to dinner with the Welshes
and were happy to attend their wedding,
which combined Catholic and Protestant
traditions.
“We consider Passover as a time to open
your doors to all and, for us, having some-
body who is not Jewish was just another
opening of the door,” said Ed Royal, who
made sure Hebrew prayers were translated
as well as explained along with the sym-
bolism of items on the seder plate.
“Because we had so many different
people from so many different places, we
began by having people introduce them-
selves and tell how they came to be at our
table,” Verne Royal said.
Since the seder experience, the Welshes
send High Holidays greeting cards to the
Royals.
“I felt honored when I got the seder
invitation,” said Suzanne Welsh of Lathrup
Village, a career coach married to a com-
puter businessman. “Verne and I had been
talking about spirituality and found that
we had a connection, and I treasure that to
this day.
“My husband and I are avid readers and
students of Scripture, so we did read up
on the seder before going into the dinner.
We took away the warmth, love, openness,
sharing and [sense of peace]. We saw a
lot more similarities than differences. We
didn’t feel like guests; we felt like family.”
BUILDING INTERFAITH
FRIENDSHIPS
Another work friendship, which devel-
oped over 20 years at a West Bloomfield
dental office, also led to a seder invita-
tion. Carol Meyers of West Bloomfield, an
office manager, invited Diane Gavron of
Wixom, a dental hygienist.
“We always like to have people, and
Diane likes to join in and be part of the hol-
iday,
” said Meyers, who included some 20
Martin and Diane Alvin
Verne and Ed Royal
Suzanne and Joel Welsh
continued on page 48