Woolf Roofing & Maintenance Inc.
A Third Generation Roofing Family in Detroit
Enthusiastic Students
Phone Refuseniks
ROBIN FREEDMAN
Jewish News Intern
I
t took three attempts to
get through, but their ef-
fort finally paid off.
Thanks to long-distance
phone lines, a group of
students gave words of love
and support to a Russian
family desperately trying to
emigrate.
"Pretty soon we will see you
in the land of Israel. Don't
give up hope," said Marisa
Rothstein.
The phone call was made by
second through sixth grade
students at Hillel Day School
who give up their lunch hour
once a week to participate in
a class that deals with the
issues surrounding Soviet
Jewry. They are taught by
Judith Grant Granader, a
parent volunteer who in-
itiated the program at Hillel
two years ago.
The program focuses on two
families in the Soviet Union
"The children are
very enthusiastic
and dedicated in
helping to keep
the hope alive in
our Soviet Jewish
brothers and
sisters," said
Granader.
who are trying to leave the
country. The children write
letters of encouragement and
listen to speakers who talk
about the plight of Soviet
Jews.
"The children are very en-
thusiastic and dedicated in
helping to keep the hope alive
in our Soviet Jewish brothers
and sisters," Granader said.
The fifth and sixth graders
recently held a letter-writing
contest to see which class
could write the most letters to
the Raiz family in Lithuania.
They have been trying to ob-
tain exit visas since 1973 and
have been told not to apply
again until the year 2000.
May 16 marked the 15th an-
niversary of their first
visarefusal. The phone call
was made to them on this
date to provide moral support.
Carmiella Raiz, the mother,
spoke to the Hillel students
and to Granader in English.
Raiz told them that she and
other refusenik families are
demonstrating in the streets
until the upcoming summit
between President Reagan
and Soviet leader Gorbachev
on Sunday.
"It takes guts to
demonstrate in this town,"
said Rae Sharfman, a
member of the Friends of the
Soviet Jewry Education and
Information Center who was
present for the phone call.
"This isn't Moscow or Len-
ingrad."
Granader has been involv-
ed with Soviet Jewry since
she attended the first
Brussels Conference in 1971,
where representatives from
all over the world met to
discuss the issue. She thought
the program at Hillel would
be a good way to involve
future generations.
"It's good to know that I'm
helping someone else, not just
thinking of myself," Tal
Sapeika said.
There is no rhyme or reason
as to why some Soviet
families are allowed to leave
and others are refused.
Granader teaches the
children that they must help
build pressure on the Soviet
government to let the Raiz
family leave. They have writ-
ten numerous letters to Presi-
dent Reagan and Sen. Carl
Levin (D-Mich.), asking for
help with their cause.
After passing the phone
around to most of the
children, the students
chanted "Chag Sameach,
Happy Shavuot."
"I feel like crying" said stu-
dent Bree Kessler, and many
of the students cried as they
returned to their classes.
Granader blessed them as
they left the room and said,
"Each one of you is perform-
ing such a mitzvah. You're in-
spiring other kids to do the
same thing."
Participating students in-
cluded Joshua Lutz, Rachel
Weiss, Emily Hallenberg,
Jennifer Leemis, Jessica
Alter, Scott Rubin, Jennifer
Levine, Sara Goldfein, Carey
Chicorel, liana Kohen, Mollie
Harris, Heather Kaye, David
Herskovic, Philip Rubin,
Julie Ruskin, Michelle Stern,
Daniel Berenholz, Jennifer
Maiseloff, Rebecca Liss, Bree
Kessler, David Salama, Lisa
Berkowitz.
Also: Owen Alterman, Elly
Berger, Mara Berris, Michelle
Berris, Davi Ellis, Jordan
Field, Ilana Glazier, Jeremy
Gordon, Lori Kauffman, Ari
Kohen, Marisa Rothstein, Tal
Sapeika and Ezra Wanetik.
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