20 | AUGUST 10 • 2023 W hen summer days come to Michigan, we all love the extra hours of daylight. Some Jewish women in Huntington Woods are taking advantage of these long Shabbat afternoons to better get to know their neighbors. Huntington Woods residents Rachel Lopatin, Lisa Winer and Debbie Kirshner Devries are at the beginning stages of establishing an informal group comprised of mostly Shabbat- observant women to get to know each other in the neighborhood. Winer said the group’s first event — a seudat shlishit (Shabbat afternoon meal) — occurred on July 8 in Devries’ backyard. It prompted the 25 women there to form a group on What’sApp. From there, they agreed on a second seudat shlishit for Aug. 5. In the chat group, there has also been talk about future events into the fall, maybe a Shabbat wine and cheese tasting or a sangria in the sukkah. Other women suggested forming a walking group or social opportunities with spouses. Either way, Winer said there is a lot of potential for this group to organically evolve and connections and friendships to deepen in the Woods. “The majority of women expressed appreciation to have a way to meet Jewish neighbors and socialize and connect with women who they don’t see often because they don’t attend the same synagogue, ” said Winer, an attorney who belongs to Young Israel of Oak Park. “I noticed that post-COVID, many of my friends and myself had gotten out of the habit of going to synagogue, ” Winer said. “We were Shabbat-observant, but we were not relying as much on the synagogue as a social outlet but there still was a desire for connectedness. “ Winer said she also noticed many new Jewish families were moving into Huntington Woods. Arranging a backyard get- together on Shabbat after-noon proved to be the ideal way to get to know new women as well as reconnect with familiar faces. “In the post-COVID era we find ourselves in, our community needs to find ways to adapt to changes in the way people socialize, ” Winer said. “In our area, there are so many different shuls where people belong. Some lean more to the left and others lean more to the right, but we all have something in common in that we are all Jewish. Irrespective of our political beliefs or levels of religious observance, there’s no reason we cannot be friends and create opportunities to grow or cultivate new friendships. ” Devries, a court reporter who affiliates with several local synagogues, recalled how her own mother would invite women over to socialize in their Oak Park backyard and loves to carry on this tradition. “I have frequently hosted and entertained on Shabbat and holidays, ” Devries said. “Shabbat lends itself to be a welcoming time, and I hope we as the women of Huntington Woods have more opportunities to gather and socialize on Shabbat this summer and into the fall. ” Rachel Lopatin said she was approached by Winer and Devries on the idea, noting that many young Jewish families had moved into Huntington Woods during the pandemic and were interested in getting to know their neighbors. “On our first gathering in July, it was purely two hours of socializing with about 25 women, ” Lopatin said. “We had a great mix of women of different ages and phases in their lives. We had some single women and empty nesters. We realized that nearly all the women already knew each other as acquaintances, but this was a greater opportunity to better get to know one another. New connections were made as women made a point to reach out to welcome a new face in town. Women lingered a bit longer than we thought they would. They were all just happy to be in each other’s company. ” Lopatin, who is the wife of Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Eytz Chayim Congregation in Oak Park, said any future gatherings are carefully planned as to not to detract or conflict with programming at local synagogues, such as if a shul invites a speaker to give a talk or a study session. While the first get-together was purely social, ones in the future, especially as the Jewish High Holidays approach, may have a Torah or text learning component. “While the summer lasts, those long summer Shabbat afternoons have become a perfect opportunity to get together, ” Lopatin said. “I was just envisioning this as a summer thing, but others have expressed they want to host Shabbat evening dinners and include men and families. I don’t know how this will evolve, but what it shows us is that there is an eagerness for Jewish women, and then their husbands and then even families, to gather in person once again on Shabbat. ” Women in Huntington Woods form social group to better know their neighbors. STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER OUR COMMUNITY Shabbat Get-Togethers LEFT: Lisa Winer, Debbie Devries and Rachel Lopatin started Shabbat get-togethers for Jewish women in Huntington Woods