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000000 Luxury Senior Living Baldwin House offers a full meal program , housekeeping, and an extensive activity program . 200 Chester St. Birmingham, MI 48009 Telephone: 248.540.4555 baldwinhouseapts@ameritech.net Call Us Today For a Tour Apartments Available 2089490 O n seder night, while most of us will conclude singing "Next Year in Jerusalem," Lisa Glazer of Farmington Hills and her family might be singing El próximo año en Jerusalén as they celebrate their 10th Passover with the Jewish community in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Glazer and her daughters Lilah, 9, and Hannah, 7, created their own Passover tradition by helping out their Mexican home-away-from-home with as much chesed (lovingkindness) as they can pack into their suitcases. Glazer, 45, packs three suitcases for the trip: one for herself and her daughters and two filled with donated children's clothing to distribute to the local families of this central Mexican city. A sophisticated haven for artists and filmmakers, San Miguel is known for its classic architecture, cobblestone streets and colorful food markets. In recent years, many North American and European expatriates, including Glazer's mother, Linda, and her stepfather, Charles Soberman, purchased second homes there after falling in love with the city's opulence. Step away from the city's center, how- ever, and local Mexicans live in poverty in the outlying suburbs. Fathers leave Mexico for work in the United States to return only a few times each year. Mothers stay behind with the children. For them, work is hard to come by because of a lack of childcare and access to reliable public transportation to the city's center. If they can get work, it is mostly as domestic help for the non-Mex- icans. Wages average around $100 a week. Though Glazer knows many are in need in Detroit, she wanted to encourage her girls, students at Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills, to practice doing mitz- vot and chesed in other cultures. With each visit, Glazer said her daughters enjoy playing with and getting to know the local children they are helping. "Most Jewish children are brought up in educated middle-class homes where getting the clothes and shoes they need and good food for every meal is common and normal," Glazer said. "While not all Mexicans live in poverty, in this particular part of the country, poverty unfortunately is the norm." Over the past two years, Soberman raised money to build a new school where he volunteers teaching the children English several days a week. He has also collected donations for high-tech equip- ment including computers, iPads and cell phones. "It has been wonderful for both my children and the children of the commu- nity to have established a bond regardless of the language barrier," Glazer said. "Now that my children are older, I hope we can arrange their own program to learn more about the children of San Miguel and how we can continue to help them." In addition to his philanthropy in the general community, Soberman is the unofficial "gabbi" of the city's Jewish community, Comunidad Hebrea En San Miguel de Allende or CHESMA. Its mem- bership of around 150 is composed of North American and European expatri- ates as well as Mexicans, including a few converts. In recent years, CHEMSA pur- chased its own building where Shabbat and High Holiday services are held. Each Passover, Glazer said, around 200 gather at CHEMSA for seders. The congregation imports kosher food from Mexico City while Jewish travelers bring matzah, gefilte fish and other holiday delicacies not easily found south of the border. The community recently pur- chased new Haggadot. Come seder time, Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions, as well as Ladino melodies, mix to create a unique and memorable experience. "This is not a typical seder," Glazer said, adding it is a great way for her daughters to understand they are part of the global Jewish community. "While at its base there are the universal Jewish traditions, the locals introduce us to Ladino songs and other elements unique to a Mexican seder. Even though there may be a lan- guage barrier, children of all ages play together and participate. I am so glad my daughters are growing up with this inter- national way of celebrating Passover." * Lisa Glazer with daughters Lilah, 9, and Hannah, 7, in San Miguel de Allende with the girls' grandparents, Charles and Linda Soberman 48 April 28 • 2016 Stacy Gittleman | Contributing Writer International Seder Multicultural Passovers in Mexico teach girls about giving back and more.