Judaism is rife with deeply spiritual traditions and customs that have been passed down for generations through the written word. And then there are the unwritten practices each congregation makes just for fun.

One such tradition came alive today as more than 300 members of the Ann Arbor area’s Jewish community, and a few friends, participated in this morning's special showing of “The Music Man” at the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor.

The event marked the 11th annual Christmas day cinema celebration hosted by Temple Beth Emeth, which aims to provide a family-friendly community experience while paying homage to a time-honored tradition among American Jews that’s pretty universal.

“There’s a faux Jewish tradition in this country that you go to the movies and eat Chinese food for dinner because those are the only two kinds of places open on Christmas,” Rabbi Lisa Delson said. “This is our take on it.”

The Temple rents out the entire theater and has staff, lay leaders and volunteers run concessions. Jewish staples like bagels and cream cheese are offered in the morning, and the volunteers rearrange tables to provide kosher hot dogs for sale during a lunch-time intermission. Proceeds from concessions and ticket sales are used to sustain the event, officials said.

The congregation started hosting Christmas day gatherings about 15 years ago with bingo games and potluck dinners, said Ronnie Simon, the Temple’s executive director.
They started showing full-length feature films in 1998, and the event was an instant hit, regardless of the film showing.

“I’ve heard so much about it and it sounded like it would be a lot of fun,” said Ann Arbor resident Matt Adler, who brought his wife, Melina, and children, ages 6 and 4, for their first Christmas day movie. “Plus, what else would we be doing as a family today?”

The last time Ypsilanti resident Joel Vergun and son Daniel saw a movie together on Christmas was at the Temple’s inaugural showing of the “Prince of Egypt” in 1998.

“This is free time together for us,” Vergun said, pointing at his 23-year-old son. “We don’t get to see each other as much as we used to, so it sounded like a fun thing to do again.”

Simon said organizers typically select films that all generations can enjoy and have a good time watching. Kazoos, noise-makers and song sheets are often distributed, and spontaneous sing-a-longs have been known to happen during musicals, as they did today.

Though nearly five decades old, “The Music Man” is a classic Broadway adaptation featuring more than 20 songs. And it's a theme of redemption still resonates today.

Ann Arbor residents Carol and Bob Milstein said they dressed in costume and looked forward to the show for months since Carol played one of the lead roles in her high school’s version of “The Music Man” in Traverse City.

“This is so near and dear to my heart - it’s just wonderful,” Carol said, while adjusting her late 1920s-style hat and fake flamingo-feathered shawl. “The hats were so indicative of the period. It’s not real flamingo, but it works.”

Whatever the reason for attending, some participants said it was just nice to be with others in a positive atmosphere.

“Christmas can be a hard day for many people for many different reasons, and think it’s special to have somewhere uplifting to go,” said Terri Ginsburg of Ann Arbor.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.