22 | MAY 2 • 2024
J
N
S
habbat dinner at the Goldis
house brings the whole fam-
ily together. Arica and Jason,
their kids Reagan, 5, Griffin, 3, and
Archer, 6 months, regularly welcome
grandparents, great-grandmothers,
aunt, uncle and cousins to the table.
Their dinners can be the five
of them, a group of 12 or even
20, Arica Goldis says, adding that
they’ve been known to Zoom out of
towners in as well. “When we’re all
around the table saying blessings,
that moment when we’re finally all
together and everyone’s done run-
ning around and you exhale at the
end of the week, that’s really special.
”
Getting ready for the meal, which
they host at their Bloomfield Hills
home, is a team effort. Sometimes
the grandmothers will bring food,
or the Goldis family will cook. Yet
other times, they choose carryout.
“I think it’s just nice to be together,
”
says Arica Goldis, who grew up in
Farmington Hills having Shabbat
dinner with both sets of her grand-
parents, alternating between their
houses and then eventually her par-
ents’ house.
“Growing up, being Jewish was
a significant part of our lives,
” says
Goldis, who attended Hillel Day
School along with her husband,
Jason. “Having Shabbat dinner was
just a very normal thing, and I think
it just really kept us connected to
Judaism and to each other.
”
Now she carries on the tradition,
having her parents and in-laws come
to dinner. After a busy week, it’s a
time when they know they’ll see
each other and be able to connect.
“I grew up thinking that every-
Shabbat dinner keeps the
generations connected.
Carrying on
Traditions
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
CELEBRATING SHABBAT
Griffin
Goldis
Reagan Goldis, Archer
Goldis, Arica Goldis and
Griffin Goldis
Jason Goldis,
Griffin Goldis and
Archer Goldis