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Uptown • Lathrup Village, Southfield . at 111/2 Mile • Phone 559-3900
Big & Tall • Lathrup Village, Southfield at 11 Mile • Phone 56,4030
Wishes Its Customers
and Friends A
Healthy and Happy
PASSOVER
11 Mile and Lahser Harvard Row Mall
354-4560
Supervised Apartment Living
for the Elderly
The group apartments are for people who need more sup-
portive care and can live comfortably sharing an apartment
with two other individuals, each person having a separate
bedroom.
If you or someone you know desires a family-like, non-
institutional setting, please call Zeno Baum or Carol Plotkin
at 559-1500.
Limited space is currently available,
Group Apartments for the Elderly
A Jewish Family Service Program
108
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1989
around the world will reunite
clearances," Weinmann said.
in London this June to visit
"They wanted the Jews to
the country that saved them.
leave, but didn't make it all
Former Kindertransport
that easy for them to leave,
child Bertha Leverton of Lon-
either."
don and her sister, Inge
Of the British action, Wein-
Sadan of Jerusalem, both sav-
mann says, "It shows at least
ed by the program, are
they did something. At least
organizing the reunion. They
they permitted the children to
expect about 1,200 par-
come in — France didn't do it;
ticipants from the United
the United States didn't do
States, Canada, New
it."
Zealand, Australia, Austria,
He said he would not be go-
Germany, Holland,
ing to the reunion in England
Switzerland, Israel and
because he stayed with only
Nepal.
one English family and most
The Baums, who eventual-
members have either died or
ly wound up in Southfield,
moved away.
will be there. A few other sur-
Henry Baum, a cantor's son
vivors are considering the
who retired last year as prin-
venture.
Marion Alflen, also of
The Nazis 'wanted
Southfield, is going to Lon-
don. Now 67 and a retired
the Jews to leave,
hairdresser and manicurist,
but didn't make it
she joined Kindertransport
all
that easy for
from Vienna just before she
turned 18, the cutoff age for
them to leave.
the program. She had mixed
feelings about leaving behind
cipal of Detroit's Cody High
her family.
School, recalls his Kinder-
Born Marianne Lang, she
transport departure.
had lived a comfortable life as
"I remembered it for days.
a daughter of Charles Lang,
There was a finality — even
a decorated World War I of-
as a kid of 12 years of age, I
ficer and managing director
knew there was no turning
of the largest insurance com-
back, no way the things could
pany in Vienna. But on the
come back to the way they
day Hitler entered Austria,
were. I knew then that the
her father lost his job and,
chances of reunion with my
with his wife, had to train as
parents were nil."
domestics to be able to leave
In England, he was lonely.
the country.
"I didn't know anyone. I
Edith Maniker, a Kinder-
didn't know the language —
transport child who today is
just yes, no and thank you,"
a para-professional with
Baum said.
special education children in
Rose Baum, then 10,
the Southfield Public Schools,
remembers . watching the
remembers as a child seeing
other children in the Liver,
her synagogue in Leipzig,
pool Station's huge waiting
Germany, burn on
room as their future adoptive
Kristallnacht.
English families arrived.
"I never fully understood
As. children often do, they
what was happening," she
giggled and poked fun at
said. "The only thing that af-
some of the older people. They
fected me was the furniture in
stared endlessly. They
our house was disappearing"
wondered which people would
— sold to raise money for her
care for them.
and her family to escape. Her
"The Jewish communities
parents were killed in concen-
met you with cookies and
tration camps.
cake and welcomed you very
Hans Weinmann, who is to-
warmly," Henry said. "They
day a docent at Detroit's
were very generous and well-
Holocaust Memorial Center,
organized."
left Vienna for Holland and
Children had clothing, food
the Kindertransport with his
and other essentials.
older brother Ernest.
Young Henry stayed in a
"The policy of the Nazis
hostel at Brighton and ap-
then was to get rid of the
prenticed as a furrier, runn-
Jews. The problem was, no
ing errands. He earned a lit-
country was willing to take
tle over a dollar a week.
them," Weinmann said.
He left the hostel at age 17,
Luckily, his mother's cousin
moving to London, working
worked as a domestic for a
and learning to play ping-
another Jewish family that
pong. He liked to sing and
agreed to take the brothers.
studied for a while under a
"The Germans didn't mind
Royal College of Music
giving exit visas — as long as
professor.
you could show you didn't owe
Wartime England wasn't
taxes, had no debts, had no
easy. The Baums recall
criminal record — you had to
hiding in the tubes — the
go to about six different of-
London subways — when the
fices with your parents for
German buzzbombs came.