6 | NOVEMBER 10 • 2022

1942 - 2022

Covering and Connecting
Jewish Detroit Every Week

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Detroit Jewish community, reflecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the
morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity.

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205,
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248-354-6060
thejewishnews.com



Publisher
The Detroit Jewish
News Foundation

| Board of Directors:
Chair: Gary Torgow
Vice President: David Kramer
Secretary: Robin Axelrod
Treasurer: Max Berlin
Board members: Larry Jackier,
Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer


Senior Advisor to the Board:
Mark Davidoff
Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair:
Mike Smith
Founding President & Publisher Emeritus:
Arthur Horwitz
Founding Publisher
Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory






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Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Shari S.
Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis
Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther
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student’s corner
Community Within a Community
T

he holiday of Sukkot
we recently celebrat-
ed is where we build
temporary structures to
remind us of when the Jewish
people strug-
gled to establish
a permanent
home after they
were freed from
Egypt. During
the time of the
Temple, the
Jewish peo-
ple all gathered from near
and far in the Holy city of
Jerusalem. They came togeth-
er as a community to read
selections from the Torah
during Chol HaMoed. It was
important for the Jewish
Nation to gather in Jerusalem
at the Temple, after all of
the hardships they had been
through and survived.
Sukkot is a holiday sur-
rounding the act of ushpizin, a

word stemming from Arabic,
or in English, welcoming
guests. It is a mitzvah to
gather guests to enjoy a meal
with one another inside of a
sukkah. Inviting guests during
this holiday is just one way
the Jewish people form com-
munity.
Community is so import-
ant to us; it is the founda-
tion of Jewish traditions as
well as culture. It is stated
in the Torah, “You shall
rejoice on your festival”
(Deuteronomy 16:14). When
it comes to Sukkot in the
Torah, we recognize this
act of welcoming others
when Abraham, our first
patriarch, sat outside of his
tent waiting to invite guests
inside, so that he could serve
them a well-prepared meal
as well as make them feel
at home. Additionally, our
Sages expressed that true joy

is shared joy, which is why
sharing our space with guests
on Sukkot brings forth so
much joy.
The Jewish people cele-
brate Sukkot for seven days,
this is because we reference
inviting one of the “found-
ing fathers” each day. The
first day represents inviting
Abraham, which brings us
love. The second day rep-
resents Isaac, which brings us
discipline. The third is Jacob,
bringing us truth; the fourth
is Moses, bringing forth
endurance. The fifth, repre-
senting Aaron, brings humil-
ity, the sixth, Joseph, bears
connection, and the seventh,
David, brings us leadership.
For example, the act of
ushpizin can be related to the
community at Leeza’s Cafe,
a restaurant my family has
been dining at for as long
as I can remember. We have

established a meaningful
relationship with Liza, the
owner, as well as her kind-
hearted employees. I am
always greeted with a smile,
and the employees will even
sit down with my family
and talk to us about what-
ever may be interesting at
the time. I always leave the
restaurant feeling a sense of
community and joy.
The connections that Liza
and her staff have estab-
lished with the community,
I believe, is one of the many
reasons that everyone enjoys
this restaurant so much. It
is safe to say that Liza and
her staff are constantly doing
the good deed of welcoming
guests, just like the Jewish
people do during the seven
days of Sukkot.

Erin Starr is a senior at Frankel Jewish

Academy.

PURELY COMMENTARY

Erin Starr