THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511090150
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Kim Weitzenhofer did not lack for attention Sunday.
The 23-year-old is new to the Hampton Roads area, and she had come to Kempsville Conservative Synagogue's Nosh Cafe to meet other Jewish singles. She was not disappointed.
Michael Cohen, 27, was delighted to make Weitzenhofer's acquaintance. The two chatted and sipped cappuccino, getting to know each other, while Eli Vaz, 24, and Joseph Schaloff, 21, also vied for Weitzenhofer's attention.
It was the second of the twice-monthly gatherings, and Lonnie McLeod looked on with satisfaction. Not that she's a matchmaker, but as a mother of two single men in their 20s, McLeod knows how difficult it is for young Jewish people to meet others of their faith.
``They don't know where to go to find nice Jewish girls,'' she said.
It was McLeod's perception of the lack of a meeting place for Jewish singles - and her firm belief that a mother of any faith knows best - that gave her the idea for Nosh Cafe. She beamed Sunday as about 50 men and women of all ages made small talk in the synagogue's social hall, which was decorated to create the intimate ambiance of an authentic coffeehouse.
Maroon draperies defined a cozy area, which was dotted with pedestal tables and halogen lamps. The atmosphere matched the warmth of the people, and the aroma of coffee and chocolate cake filled the air.
Saturday's assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin undoubtedly put a damper on festivities, said McLeod. In fact, she said she had received several calls on Sunday asking whether the event would still take place. Still, the turnout was good.
Kim Weitzenhofer heard about Nosh Cafe by word-of-mouth. She is an outgoing sort - as evidenced by her quick smile and wit - but while it is ``really easy to meet people'' in the area, it is much harder to find other Jews to socialize with, she said.
The young woman, who moved to the area from Richmond, is director of administration and marketing for a nursing home and has just taken on the responsibility of serving as ``kadima,'' or adviser, for sixth-through eighth-graders for Hampton Roads synagogues and temples.
Cohen, who lives in Norfolk and attends Temple Israel, works as a manager for an auto repair business. He's not in the market for a wife, he said, but it's difficult to meet other Jewish young adults.
``There's not a lot of Jewish singles left here,'' he said, adding that when he does marry, it will probably be within his faith.
Vaz, who works in a Norfolk furniture store, also is in ``no rush'' to marry. But he says that he'll ``go Jewish'' when the time comes to tie the knot.
Schaloff hails from Detroit and is a Navy chef. He has trouble finding any other Jews to socialize with, on or off duty, but a Christian friend saw an announcement about Nosh Cafe in a newspaper and told Schaloff about it.
Meanwhile, Lonnie McLeod and her husband, Herman McLeod, were setting an example for potential couples. They've been happily married for 11 years now, and clearly want others to experience the same joy that lights up their faces when they look at each other.
On Oct. 22, the first night of Nosh Cafe, about 85 people came from all over the Hampton Roads area, including the Peninsula, said Lonnie McLeod. One man came all the way from Yorktown.
At first, on opening night, folks were a bit standoffish, but the ice was broken when Herman McLeod came up with a card game that mingled the men and women.
Whether any romances developed afterward, Lonnie McLeod could not say. But, she said, several people were seen exchanging phone numbers.
On its second night, there was no lack of conversation, and a proposed group game of Pictionary fell flat because people were too involved in socializing to take time out.
Nosh Cafe is also a great place to make, or renew, friendships, as evidenced by Adam Burgh, 21, and Quinn Samuels, 26. The two young men were acquainted with each other and picked up their friendship again Sunday.
The coffeehouse is open from 7 until 10 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month at the synagogue at 952 Indian Lakes Boulevard, half a block off Providence Road between Edwin Drive and Kempsville Road.
Admission is free and the dress is casual. For more information, call Lonnie McLeod at 424-5170. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by NANCY LEWIS
Adam Burgh, left, renews a friendship with Quinn Samuels.
Photo by NANCY LEWIS
Herman and Lonnie McLeod came up with the idea for Nosh Cafe.
by CNB