AUGUST 24 • 2023 | 39

The Rosh Hodesh Group of 
Metro Detroit, organized by 
Rabbi Dorit Edut and Sydney 
Skully, held a couple of 
interesting meetings recently.
In June, the group learned 
about head coverings for 
women from Zarinah 
El-Amin of the Muslim 

Center of Detroit. She had 
organized a large-scale event 
on this topic at the Suburban 
Showplace in Novi, which 
attracted Orthodox Jewish 
women and Muslim women 
prior to the pandemic. 
The women in the Rosh 
Hodesh group learned about 

the different origins and 
usage of these head coverings, 
which are not only used for 
issues of modesty for married 
women, but as a means of 
celebration and enhancing 
beauty. It was lots of fun to 
try on these various head 
coverings and gain some new 

perspectives on this shared 
tradition in both Judaism and 
Islam. 
In July, the Rosh Hodesh 
Group of Metro Detroit had 
a special guest — 99-year-
old Harriet Berg — dancer, 
choreographer, teacher and 
former WSU professor who is 
an icon of Jewish and secular 
dance, performing all over 
the world with her troupes 
and individually. She spoke 
about her life, how she began 
dancing though her parents 
opposed the idea initially, and 
of her many famous friends 
such as Isadora Duncan, 
Martha Graham, Diego 
Riviera and his wife, Frida 
Kahlo, etc. 
Even at this advanced age, 
Harriet continues to teach 
others dance in the senior 
center where she lives — the 
Allegria in Dearborn. 
The Rosh Hodesh group 
thoroughly enjoyed meeting 
her and being inspired by her 
life story. 

Rosh Hodesh Group 
Celebrates Women

LEFT: Standing; Rabbi Dorit Edut, 
Sydney Skully, Barbara Shapiro, 
Gar Sims-Jones; seated are 
Harriet Berg and Susan Cohen.

Zarinah El-Amin 
with Susan Cohen.

Sydney 
Skully

Janet Meir

Zarinah El-Amin with 
Sharon Curran