-iipmemew

62 Friday, April 25, 1980

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

JFS Poverty Grants Aid More Than Aged

Many of the Jewish poor
"Because of inflation, an
in our city are senior citi- income which may have
zens. But some are not. De- been adequate five or six
troit's poor Jews are young, years ago is no longer
old, married, single, di- enough. But these people
vorced, widowed. They may often have a pension which
be students, unemployed, is too high to allow them to
retirees. They have only one qualify for public assis-
thing in common: an income tance. _
which doesn't cover their
"A lot of elderly Jews put
basic needs.
most of their income into
Among the Jewish poor shelter," she said. ,"It's al-
are:
most impossible to find an
• A student, struggling apartment for less than
to put himself through col- $200 or $250 a month except
lege by working full-time. in areas isolated from the
He can't afford to pay for re- Jewish community.?'
pairs to the aging car he
The poverty program also
needs to get to his classes pays for little "extras" that
and his job.
can enrich a bare existence,
• A single mother of such as the repair of a tele-
two-pre-school children who vision set for a senior adult.
has no family in the area to
"Of course some people
turn to for help. She wants may think that a television
to keep working, but doesn't is not a necessity," Mrs.
earn enough to pay for a Weiner said. But for an
full-time sitter. But she older person who lives
earns too much to qualify, - alone, especially in winter
for Aid to Dependent Chil- months when it's hard to get
dren.
out, a television is a com-
• A middle-age widow panion. Doing without it is a
who has been laid off. real deprivation."
Unemployment insur-
Similarly, a young
ance covers most of her mother on public assistance
needs, but she - can't af- may receive a grant to pay
ford to repair her furnace for living room furniture, an
when it breaks down.
item deemed non-essential
And there are the elderly, by public welfare regula-
trapped in fixed incomes as tions.
double-digit inflation plays
Emergency cases include
havoc with living expenses. people who are starting new
To help people like these, jobs and need some help
the Jewish Family Service, until their first paycheck
a member agency of the arrives and single-parent
Jewish Welfare Federation, families whose income can
started a poverty program cover regular expenses 'but
in 1974, with a special allo- can't cope with extraordi-
cation from the Allied nary problems, such as a
Jewish Campaign - Israel major plumbing job.
Emergency Fund.
Before the poverty pro-
The allocations enable gram was started in 1974,
JFS to make one-time Mrs. Weiner said, JFS
grants to persons faced with caseworkers either refused
financial emergencies and requests for financial assis-
monthly grants to clients tance or spent hours on the
with continuing needs, par- phone trying to find an in-
ticularly senior citizens on dividual or company willing
fixed incomes.
to do such jobs free.
In 1978, the agency as-
The agency has a set of
sisted 230 families through guidelines which help
its poverty program. Most caseworkers determine
were senior citizens or whether to offer assistance.
senior female heads of "We don't always agree
households, according to with clients about the kinds
Margaret Weiner, director of things that are neces-
of professional services at sary," she said, "But the
JFS.
poverty grant funds covers
Two-thirds of the poverty genuine cases."
funds are disbursed in the
Often the agency will
form of monthly grants, she help a client apply for public
said. Most of them are assistance instead of offer-
small, but sufficient to ing a direct_ grant.
allow older people on fixed
"People may not know
incomes to remain in their where to turn, or they're
apartments and have embarrassed or angry at the
enough to eat," she said.
thought of turning to public

assistance," she said. "We up interview with a client.
help them to deal with these In other cases, we end up se-
emotional problems as eing the client on a regular
basis."
well."
Jewish Family Service
Gilbert B. Silverman is
considers the poverty pro- president of Jewish Family
gram to be an auxiliary to Service, whose offices are at
its main function, which is 24123 Greenfield Rd.,
counseling. Since its begin- Southfield. Samuel Lerner
ning in 1925, the agency has is executive director.
worked to promote "family
welfare and welfare of chil- Rabbi Breuer,
dren among the Jewish
people of Detroit and Led Orthodox
NEW YORK (JTAI —
environs."
A staff of professional so- Rabbi Joseph Breuer, an
cial workers offers indi- Orthodox rabbi who fled
vidual and group therapy Nazi Germany and was
for emotionally troubled in- spiritual leader of Cong.
dividuals, both children and K'hal Adath Jeshurun in
adults, as well as marital the Washington Heights
and family counseling. section of Manhattan since
More than 3,600 families 1939, died April 19 at age
received counseling serv-
89.
Rabbi Breuer, a sixth or
ices from the agency last
seventh generation rabbi,
year.
"Money is important, but was born_ in Papa, Hungary.
it's not the main thing," said He was the grandson of
Mrs. Weiner. "Families who 'Rabbi Samson Raphael
come to us for financial aid Hirsch of Frankfurt who in
often have other problems the mid-19th Century
and need other services, too. founded neo-Orthodoxy in
We don't just disburse response to the growth of
funds. A person is a person the Reform movement.
Neo-Orthodoxy sought to
to us, not just a recipient.
"Sometithes, if it's truly fuse Western culture with
an emergency case, we rigorous observance of tra-
might have just one follow- ditional Judaism.
Rabbi Breuer was
rabbi of a congregation
Israel-Africa
in Frankfurt where his
father had been the rabbi
Ties Rejected
TEL AVIV (ZINS) — Is- before hini when, in 1938,
rael's Foreign Ministry has the SS assembled all
refused to comment on an Jews in the area sending
Israel Radio report that Is- those over the age of 60
rael has made three at- back home and the rest to
tempts recently to establish concentration camps.
The rabbi was only 56,
diplomatic relations with
but
an SS man allowed him
Zimbabwe.
Israel Radio also said that to return home which he
special ambassador always regarded as artAct of
Eliashiv Ben-Horin visited God.
Five years after he be-
Kenya, Zambia and the
came
rabbi of the Washing-
Ivory Coast, but was told
ton
Heights
congregation,
that the time was not yet
Rabbi Breuer founded the
right to re-establish formal
diplomatic relations with Yeshiva Rabbi Samson
Raphael Hirsch which now
Israel.
has 800 students from kin-

Former Detroit Round Table
Leader Robert Frehse Dies

Representatives of all
faiths joined this week in
paying tribute to the mem-
ory of Rev. Robert Frehse,
associate minister of
Westminster Presbyterian
Church and former execu-
tive director of the Greater
Detroit Round Table of the
National Conference of
Christians and Jews, who
died April 16 at age 84. -
Jewish members of the
board of the Detroit Round
Table pointed to the deep
interest he had shown in
cementing good relations
between all faiths and his
interest in Israel's security.

ROBERT FREHSE

Satirist Shimon Dzigan Dies,
Yiddish Theater Champion

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Shi-
mon Dzigan, the Israeli
satirist who was known to
Yiddish speaking audiences
throughout the world, died
April 14 at age 74. -
Mr. Dzigan suffered a
heart attack April 5 on
stage at the premiere of his
new show based on Sholem
Aleichem's stories in honor
of the 120th anniversary of
the Yiddish writer's birth.
The Polish-born wit was
known in Israel for his bit-
ing satire on everyday life
in Israel as well as Israeli
politics and politicians.
Mr. Dzigan brought his
humor to Jewish audi-
ences throughout the
world, particularly in
Europe and Latin
America. Last fall and in
the fall of 1978, he ap-
peared in New York in
skits with the American
Yiddish actors Ben
Bonus and his wife Mina
Bern.

Esther Robbins •

Esther Robbins, founder
and owner of the Berkey
Shops, ladies ready-to-
dergarten through wear, died April 19. ,
Sadat Reveals
She founded her company
graduate level.
War Losses
He taught classes in the in 1930 and after expanding
CAIRO (ZINS) — In a Talmud at his home twice a it to seven stores she retired
,message to an Indian uni- week until his death and and sold the business in
versity celebrating its supervised the kashrut at 1953. She was a member
100th anniversary, restaurants, hotels, butcher and board member of the
President Anwar Sadat of shops, bakeries and American Jewish Congress
and Women's American
Egypt revealed that Egypt groceries.
ORT and was a member of
has lost 100,000 men in four
Hadassah.
She resided at
wars with Israel and has Henry Rapaport
22700 Saratoga Dr., South-
100,000 disabled men from
Led Conservative field.
those wars.
She leaves her husband,
It was the first official Synagogue Body
Maurice; two daughters,
indication of Egyptian war
NEW YORK — Henry N. Mrs. Saul (Ruth) Rubin and
losses.
Rapaport, a lawyer and Mrs. Arthur (Isabel) Soltar
former president of the of Shingle Springs, Calif.; a
Technion Tries
United Synagogue of brother, Jack Robbins of
Spice Farming
America, died April 14 at Clearwater, Fla.; a sister,
HAIFA (ZINS) — The age 75.
Mrs. Ida Messer of Hol-
He was the recipient of lywood, -Fla.; four
Technion - Israel Institute
of Technology is developing the Eternal Light Medal, grandchildren and five
a spice farm on a stony the Solomon Schechter great-grandchildren.
Galilee hillside too rocky to Medal, the Statesman
Correction
Award of the Synagogue
plow.
Council
of
America
and
the
Information
that should
The Spice Research Farm
has about 20,000 flourish- Lewis Marshall Memorial have been included in the
ing plants, including bay Medal of the Jewish obituary for Sadie Hecker,
leaves, sage, sweet mar- Theological Seminary of 70, who died March 27, was
inadvertantly omitted.
joram, thyme, oregano, cap- America.
He
was
a
director
of
the
Mrs. Hecker was a char-
ers and wild savory, laven-
der and lemon balm, rosem- seminary and the World ter member of Adat Shalom
Council of Synagogues, Synagogue, a founder of the
ary and others.
An unusual feature of chairman of Conservative University Area Women's
this project is that this movement Joint Commis- Club, a member of Tikvah
farming is done without ir- sion on Social Action and a Chapter of Bnai Brith, and a
Elderly Jews in the Detroit area make up only one rigation as the hardy plants nongovernmental represen- volunteer at Sinai Hospital
segment of the Jewish poor assisted by Jewish Family go through the long, hot, dry tative to the United Nations and the Jewish Home for
from the United Synagogue. the Aged.
ily Service's poverty grants.
summer without water.

Mr. Dzigan was always
telling jokes even at his
most serious moments. He
was very serious about what
he considered the shabby
way Yiddish culture was
treated in Israel. "They
don't let it live and they
don't let it die," he said. He
said for 28 years he had
been trying to get the Israeli
government to provide a
subsidy for Yiddish theater
and all he received was
promises.
Mr. Dzigan was born in
Lodz, Poland, and started in
the avant garde Yiddish
theater there in 1927. In
1930 the group moved to
Warsaw where, as the
"Ararat," it became famous
for its humor aimed at the
threat of Hitler from Ger-
many and anti-Semitism in
Poland.
With the outbreak of
the war, the group fled to
the Soviet Union where it
reorganized. But Mr.
Dzigan and his partner,
Israel Shumacher,
were jailed by Soviet
authorities for their sa-
tire and spent five years
in various labor camps in
Siberia.
- After the war, they re-
turned to Poland and then
made their way to West
Europe and finally arrived
in Israel in 1950. Mr. Dzi-
gan and Shumacher set up a
Yiddish theater in Israel
until they separated after
several years. Mr. Dzigan
continued on his own • until
his death.

Blanche Lipshaw

Blanche Muskovitz Lip-
shaw, a member of the Sinai
Hospital Guild and a volur
teer at the hospital's giLIW
shop, died April 22 at age
72.
Born in Poland, Mrs. Lip-
shaw also was the direct( 111
of the senior citizens group
of the Jewish Community
Center and a member of
Hadassah.
She leaves a son,
Seymour Muskovitz of
Muskegon; a daughter, Mrs.
Theodore (Helene) Grant;
two brothers, Dr. Henry
Chapnick and Phillip
Chapnick; two sisters, Mrs.
Irving (Faye) Weindling
and Mrs. Norman (Rose)
Broder of Skokie. Ill.; seven
grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren.