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Fully extended, the custom-built dining-room table seats up to 24 guests. 1

BETH FHIEDrVIAM-RlMVIEUStaff Reporter

MJ^ou'd never guess from the exte-W rior of the modest Claver Roadi bungalow in University

Heights that within lies "Beis, Louis," a community Orthodox syn-agogue, and'/'Shabbos House," afree, fr um (observant) B & B ofsorts, open to all;

Louie and Suzie Weinstock havetransformed both their home andtheir lives to reach out to Jews at alllevels of observance. A typicalShabbat morning service in theirconverted dining-room sanctuarydraws anywhere from 30-60 worship-pers, many of whom linger after-ward for the "deluxe" kiddush andhuge lunch the Weinstocks havepainstakingly prepared.

The focal point for Shabbat festiv-ities is a stunning 20-foot-long cherry wood dining-room table, created byadding up to six 18-inchleaves to a standard 96-inch table. Twenty-fourmatching straight-backedchairs surroun d the table, and 12comfortable armchairs line thewalls for additional seating.

A lace curtain and two steps sep-arate this davening (praying) areafrom the atb'acent living room,where women sit during services.Female worshippers are able to hear,but not see, everything perfectlyfrom this location. They can, howev-er, keep one eye on the children inthe study-cum-playroom located inthe old dining room across the foyer.

The former three-bed-room, two-bath home hasbeen substantially recon-figured to. accommodateShabbat guests. By build-ing into the roof, convert-ing basement space,adding a bathroom andutilizing bunk beds, cots,cribs and couches,"Shabbos House" isequipped to welcome asmany as four sets ofguests, or families of up to10 on any given weekend.

If the neshama (soul) ofthis house resides in thedining room, its lev(heart) is found behindtwo wide swinging doors,in the extra-large,rehabbed kitchen. Suzie'sextensive kosher cook-

The largestcrowd they f ednumbered 53.

DOOK collectionseparates theeating areafrom the mas-sive refrigera-tor, two freez-ers, two sinks,

ovens, crock-pots and "miles" ofcounter space required to producesumptuous , multicourse Shabbatmeals. (The kitchen also houses thewasher and dryer, since the base-ment has been turned into guestquarters.)Food preparation usually begins

Thursday evening, when Louie canbe found peeling, chopping and slic-ing the vegetables for Suzie's vari-ous signature salads.

While Louie is sous-chef and

Scale and Roule Weinstock with children Mendl14 mos., and Rlva, z-1/2. *

cholent master, Suzie does most ofthe rest of the cooking and bakingoften working ahead and freezingfor big gatherings. Her trick is not toprepare mass quantities, but ratherto provide a wide variety of differ 'f H\^

S}eS

- "Cook™& for 24 is potthat different from cookingfor six to12, she says. "People sample a littleof everything."Aluminum pans, paper napkinsand plasticware aid cleanup Thelargest crowd they have fed to date

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"Bels louis" founder with sefer Torah.

numbered 53.On a recent Shabbat visit, thisreporter attended services andenjoyed succulent roast turkey with

cranberry relish, five kinds of salad,hearty cholent, homemade challah,fruit , and too many desserts torecount. At the table, lively conver-sation and exuberant singing pre-vailed among the mixed crowd,which included families with chil-dren, single men and women, theobservant and the simply curious.After lunch , my gracious hostwalked me part of the way home.

Just a few years ago, Louie andSuzie would have seemed an .unlike-ly pair to lead a community shul.Neither came from a particularlyobservant home. Cleveland nativeLouie, now .0, freely acknowledgesne spent a wild youth as an enter-tainer. Suzie, born in Odessa, cameto the United States at age 8 with herparents. She began attending ParkSynagogue "on the High Holidaysonly "

Ironically, before Louie and Suziemet, they each had briefly datedobservant Jews, but, says Louie, "werejected the potential relationshipdue to our own unwillingness to fol-low the observant lifestyle."

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"If you had suggested six orseven years ago that I'd be obser-vant, (I) would have said, 'Go take ahike,'" Suzie laughs. "It didn't hap-pen like, one day we sat down anddecided to keep kosher. It's a grad-ual process."

The catalyst for the Weinstocks'change was participation in RabbiYehuda Appel's weekly AishHaTorah classes. While both werehighly skeptical at first, their inter-est in an observant lifestyle waskindled when Louie and Suzie expe-rienced Shabbat in local homes.

They were particularlyimpressed with the "quality of fam-ily life" they found. "We were in theworld, living the life everyone wasliving - risque TV, antisocial stu-dent behavior, the dis-posable society,"explains Louis. "Buthere families could sitin a room and talk toeach other. The kidswere polite, readingbooks, having conver-sations."

As Shabbat became.1set m our psyche,"the Weinstocks added observanceslittle by little. For instance, Suziedescribes going to services onSaturday morning, then "hittingthe garage sales." Embarrassed tohave their Taylor Road area neigh-bors see them driving, they firsttook alternate routes, then stoppeddriving altogether. Next, they elimi-nated television on Shabbat.Finally, they became completelyshomer Shabbos (Sabbath obser-vant). Each added element of theirobservant lifestyle was a similarly'slow progression," Suzie says.

Now the Weinstocks are eager toshare Judaism with other Jews,regardless of background. Asrecent baalei teshuvah (returneesto observant Judaism), theWeinstocks remember how con-fused and intimidated they were bytradition just a few years ago. Theyhave learned to explain rituals asjney go along, so guests feel com-fortable and informed of whafsexpected.

"You can't say, 'I believe inUr»ity,' but not do the act," Louieexhorts.

This particular "act" has beenpaying for nearly three years, eversince the Weinstocks wereapproached a week before theirscheduled move-in date to hostwhat was supposed to be a "floatingmmyan:' A_ rabbi and a Torah scrollwould be provided.

Louie relates that "after thealeynu prayer, everyone looked ateach other and said, 'Let's do itagain here next week.'" Thus a tra-dition was born.

"Beis Louie" now draws a com-bination of local worshippers andnationally and internationallyknown rabbis and scholars whocome to stay for Shabbat. In addi-tion, classes are held on Mondayevenings. Word-of-niouth is the soleadvertising.

Two "heirloom" Torah scrollsare on loan to the minyan fromlocal residents.

Louie emphasizes that hisminyan is not "in competition"with any local synagogues, but,rather, is an informal organization,

without fees, dues, ormembership require-

"You can t say,'I believe in

unity, ' but notdo the act "

— Louie Weinstock

ments of any kind.People drop in and outat will. Louie may knowonly about half the peo-ple who show up on agiven morning.

The care and feedingof so many guests is acostly proposition. How

do the Weinstocks, who have twoyoung children, manage on Suzie'spart-time cardiology technician'ssalary and Louie's unpredictableincome as a freelance business andmarketing consultant?

"Every month, we wonder thesame thing," Suzie muses."Somehow, we always take in exact-ly what we spend. " There have cer-tainly been hard times, particularlyafter Louie suffered two heartattacks, but "every time we needmoney for something, it has comethrough," she marvels.

Their efforts are aided by theRiva Foundation, named for theWeinstocks' 2-year-old daughter.While the couple are reluctant todiscuss funding sources, theyallude to a religious discriminationlawsuit Louie was involved in pre-viously

The Weinstocks' dedication totheir faith seems to insulate themfrom worrying too much about thelogistical and financial concerns"Beis Louis" may generate. Theysay they are proud to have returnedto the customs and beliefs of theirancestors,' and grateful for theopportunity to share what they lovewith other Jews, in a non-j udgmen-tal atmosphere. "

«At Beis Louis," concludes theshul's founder, "our motto is, Justbe yourself and enjoy."'

e-mail: bfriedman@cjn.org

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