Ben Shiffman Recalls Years of Adventure
on Eve of 60th Wedding Anniversary
Ben Shiffman couldn't bring
along his bride of 60 years, but
anyhow he hopped a bus and came
down to The Jewish News, just
a short ride from home, Borman
Hall, Home for Aged.
The Shiffmans, who will have
been married six decades next
r id a y, will be honored at a
amily dinner party and reception
aturday evening given by their
aughter Mrs. Sam Krohn. An-
other party at which they will be
honored guests will be held Mon-
day evening at Cong. Beth Abra-
ham, where the Shiffmans have
been members for 25 years and
where Mr. Shiffman attends ser-
vices every Saturday.
The years have been good to
them. Besides their daughter,
Elaine Krohn, there are three
MR. AND MRS. SHIFFMAN
sons, Ralph of Kansas City, Kans.,
David of Bay City and Victor of
Detroit. The Shiffmans also have shun soup? Boiled chicken?' Who troit on Division Street.
11 grandchildren and three great- would have believed it possible?
Later, Mr. Shiffman went into
In Nagasaki?"
grandchildren.
the gasoline and tire business
Back home in the U.S.A., young here. At one time, he was running
Mr. Shiffman, born in Rozdov,
Galicia (Austria), doesn't mind Shiffman wanted to try the single three gas stations. But in the
admitting that he dates back to life. There was a girl—a Galit- 1930s, "the world came to an end."
He added hastily that he "came
1883 — after all, to look at him, zianer like him—back home in De-
tall and unbowed, who would troit, but he headed for San Fran- back pretty good." During World_
believe it? His many life mem- cisco. "In 1906, I was rolled out War II, he had a gas station on
berships in local organizations of bed by a huge explosion. I Dexter.
thought the boiler had exploded.
Mr. Shiffman belongs to the
are not empty honors; Shiffman
Retirees Club at the Jewish Cen-
attends their meetings regularly It was the great earthquake. I
ter, but he's hardly retired from
— Knights of Pythias, of which remember standing on Market
Street and watching the f ire community life. Nor has his wife,
he was chancellor commander;
spread."
who also belongs to the JWV
Perfection Lodge of the Masons;
Mr. Shiffman decided to go auxiliary and the women's group
and Jewish War Veterans Detroit
Post 135 — "my pride and joy." home and marry that girl. On of Knights of Pythias.
March 24, 1907, Rabbi Judah Levin
On their golden anniversary 10
Mr. Shiffman, who was JWV's married them.
years ago, the couple was pre-
national sergeant-at-arms in 1958-
For a time, the young couple sented with a Golden Book certifi-
59, refers to his "pride and joy" lived in Ionia, where Mr. Shiff- cate from the Jewish National
with reason. Considered the local man opened a junk business, like Fund as a 50th anniversary gift
"veterans' veteran," he is one of the one his father owned in De- from Beth Abraham congregation.
the three or four remaining "He-
brew Veterans of the War With
Spain" — the Spanish-American
In 1901, he was lied about his age
and enlisted in the Army as a
foot soldier of 17. ("I didn't really
A home teacher for the blind the establishment of a private
lie; I don't lie.")
and
boss are in the United agency for the blind in Israel to
Mr. Shiffman admits that he States her
to find new ways of servic- complement the government pro-
didn't see much action in the ing
the 70,000 blind persons in gram.
Philippines, where he was sta-
The services now offered in Is-
tioned for two years, nine months.
The two women, Mrs. Rivka rael—including rehabilitation cen-
But Company G, 30th Infantry
kept busy squelching insurrections. Ganon and her supervisor, Mrs. ters, a Central Library for the
His second lieutenant in 1902 was Pnina Radzinsky, are here on a blind—are under the government
the future General George C. Mar- U.S. Department of Health, Edu- ministry of social welfare. Their
cation and Welfare fellowship to host in Detroit was a private
shal.
"I remember we went over in study rehabilitation methods in agency—the Metropolitan Society
for the Blind.
the old tub Indiana, and on the this country.
In Detroit and at Kalamazoo's
way we got word that McKinley
Mrs. Ganon is one of 40 home
Western Michigan University last teachers who help the blind adjust
was shot."
Mr. Shiffman didn't know any week, they found that home teaci-- to life in the general community.
other Jews in the army, but he ing does not differ greatly in the Braille teaching is one such serv-
remembers the government orders two countries.
ice. What she learns watching
that any Jews who wanted to at-
Mrs. Radzinsky, a government home teachers here, in New York,
tend synagogue on the High Holi- social worker for 19 years, said, Washington and Chicago in the
days were to be given the time however, that the would encourage next three months, may well be
to do so. "On Yontiff, I went to
incorporated into her work.
shul in Manila."
At a special Institute for Guide
t
Advances in Israel's Work for Blind
Reported by Social Workers Here
"In 1903," he went on, confi-
dent of each date he recalled,
"in Nagasaki, Japan, a bunch of
us went ashore and took a ride
in a ricksha to a hotel for dinner.
- We were so tired of army food,
we would have eaten anything.
Leo Knight Wins Awards
From State Photographers
_, "The woman who owned t h e
restaurant came out and said,
`What would you boys like? Lak-
ISRAEL
Stay at the hotel
in a class
by itself"
We didn't say this about the Shera-
ton-Tel Aviv. Hundreds of visiting
tourists did when polled by a lead-
ing Israeli newspaper!
Sheraton-Tel Aviv: enjoy its private
beach beside the Mediterranean, air-
conditioned rooms, superb food,
nearby golf, spectacular entertain-
ment in the hotel's own night-
club. For Insured Reserva-
tions at Guaranteed
. Rates, see your
Travel Agent. Or
call WO 1-8000.
SHERATON-TEL AVIV
D e t r o i t photographer Leo
Knight (right) accepts congratu-
lations from Douglas Lyttle of
Kalamazoo, president of the Pro-
fessional Photographers of
Michigan, as runner - up for
"Commercial Photographer of
the Year" in Michigan. Knight
received the gold cup award in
salon c9mpetition, as well as
"Best of Show" recognition for
his prize entry in commercial
photography. The judging was
held in Grand Rapids at the
convention of the association
serving portrait and commercial
photographer of the state. Knight
was elected to the office of vice
president of the 60 - member
group.
Dogs and Cane Training, Is-
rael helps its blind orient to the
world around them, and with 60
per cent of the blind being of
working age, jobs are found for
them through placement offices.
"Four years ago," Mrs. Radzin-
sky said, "we started to place
children in regular public schools,
rather than the school for the blind.
It is very important that they
meet other people besides the
blind. The program is working
very well."
She added that many of Israel's
— and Palestine's — earliest prob-
lems with the blind are disappear-
ing as the population is more and
more n a t iv e-born. Immigrants
from backward countries brought
in the eye diseases of trachoma
and glaucoma (Hadassah's eye-
saving work was in this area, rais-
ing funds for the department of
opthalmology at the Hadassah
Hospital).
Today, however, the incidence
of eye disease is similar to that
of the United States, said Mrs.
Radzinsky.
However, it hasn't been determ-
ined as yet why Israel sees com-
paratively few cases of blindness
caused by diabetes. Diabetes is a
primary cause of blindness in the
United States.
Classified Ads Get Quick Results
Friday, March 17, 1967-35
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
N. Y. Optometrist Designs Binoculars for Blind
Dr. William Feinbloom, a New
York optometrist and inventor of
aids for the partially blind, de-
scribed here a set of tiny binocu-
lar lenses attached to an ordinary
pair of glasses that can help
2,000,000 legally blind persons see
well enough to resume almost nor-
mal activity.
Dr. Feinbloom, addressing a
meeting of the Association of Mich-
igan Optometrists, said the lenses
are designed for persons with as
little as 10 per cent of normal
vision, but whose eye defects can't
be corrected with ordinary glasses.
His binoculars use four lenses for
each eye.
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
a
a
II( THE NEW
a
a
Green-8 Center Only!
l
Greenfield/8 Mile Rd.
a •I IP Suburban
a
a
GREEN-8 OPEN SUNDAY !
a
SHOP 12 TO 5 P.M.!
a
a
a
a
17174,
a
a
. -144
"+."41:114„L • '4,11obt...
a
• • -f.'•
■
a
SALE!
a
a
Silk & Worsted
a
. Spring Dress
a
Regularly $110
%
a
SUNDAY
a
a
4( $39
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
U
a
a
a
a
a
Casual enough for
a
anywhere, dressy
a
enough for the
unexpected social
a
happening. Slightly
a
eased to suggest a
a
contour. Choice of
white, red or green;
a
jewel button trim.
a
8 to 14.
II.
1
"
4"
16'
a
a
.
a
a
a
a Juliet Charge
a Security Charge
a Michigan Bankard
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a Mt
)I(
.X. 7 4 ,1,
a
a
a
•
)0
a
a
a
a
l
a
a
l
a
a
a
a
u
a
u
I
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
01
Shop Our Newest
Juliet Suburban
12 Mile & Farmington . 11'
Roads!
a
a
a
a
a
a a
a
GREEN-8 OPEN SUNDAY
a
a
a
Green-8 Shopping Center, Greenfield/West 8 Mile a
Mon., Thurs., Fri., and Sat. til 9 p.m.
SHOP SUNDAY 12 TO 5 P.M.
It
a
11101100 SO it LI It 1011010;11 SO ACK