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

