Friendseder Community Brunch

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Hot spot — Yisrael Attali and Avi Selesny (Farber). Shooting stars — Steven Brenis (Fuchs Mizrachi). 3-point shootout — Netenal Jacobs (Fuchs Mizrachi).

always challenging. It pushes us to the limit,” he said. “But while competitive basketball is the focus of the tournament, the tone always is an opportunity for each player to connect with the other players and grow as a person.”

Farber went 3-1 in its four tournament games and finished in third place.

After an exciting 43-40 victory over Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh and a 55-47 win over Columbus Torah Academy, Farber fell 60-34 to Atlanta.

That set up the third-place game against Pittsburgh, and Farber won the rematch 45-41.

Farber overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Pittsburgh in the teams’ first meeting.

“That game was intense,” Selesny said. “Our crowd was amazing that night. There was a mosh pit celebration on the floor after the game.”

Fuchs Mizachi defeated Atlanta 47-31 in the tournament championship game. Columbus defeated Denver 41-37 in the fifth-place game.

Tournament all-stars were Ari Jacoby (Fuchs Mizrachi), Noah Kalnitz (Atlanta), Adler (Farber), Noam Azagury (Pittsburgh), Yaki Liebesman (Columbus) and Izzy Potestio (Denver).

The tournament MVP was Ephraim Blau from Fuchs Mizrachi, who impressed fans with not only his dunking, but his post-game ritual of hugging opposing players and thanking his parents.

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RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Friendseders started in 2019, inspired by the Friendsgiving trend, having a meal with friends leading up to the big Thanksgiving holiday.

“Friendseder is the sidekick to Passover that helps you gather with your friends prior to (or during) the week of Passover to make this holiday your own,” according to The Well’s Director of Operations of Marisa Meyerson says,

“The idea of having to lead a Passover seder is intimidating for a lot of young adults. So it started as a way to say hey, you know, you can do this too, and you can modernize it and make it more relevant, more meaningful to you and your friends.”

This year, The Well is stepping up its game with the hope of demystifying the idea of leading a Passover seder. The Well will be hosting both an in-person and virtual Friendseder Community Brunch on April 10 at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor.

“We are working with [Zingerman’s] to create the menu and to do all of the learning in between the dishes that will connect some of Zingerman’s favorite brunch dishes with their respective components of the Friendseder,” Meyerson said.

Those who want to attend the event virtually on Zoom can purchase a tasting kit to pick up or have delivered. During the Friendseder Community Brunch, Zingerman’s Event Coordinator Tessie Ives-Wilson and Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh will be leading guests through the special menu — the tastes, products, ingredients, meaning, ritual and traditions.

“It’s a really fun way to think about the Passover story and the concepts that it teaches us while not necessarily having to go through a full Passover seder,” Meyerson said.

The Friendseder Community Brunch is family-friendly, young-adult friendly, multi-generational and is open to all backgrounds. For information and to purchase tickets for the in-person or virtual experience ($10-$65), log on to www.zingermansdeli.com/ event/friendseder-brunch.