COMMUNITY

Population Surge Benefits
Young Israel Of Southfield

MICHAEL WEISS

Jewish News Intern

A

Elizabeth Schulman, 89, cuts the cake, supervised by residents Kate
Guttman and Anna Lipshaw, and careworker Sophia Sheyman.

Apartment Residents
Mark A Birthday

MICHELLE COHEN

Special to The Jewish News

A

lthough only four can-
dles appeared on the
birthday cake, 352
years of life were celebrated
recently by the residents of
Group Apartments for the
Elderly.
A. decade after its creation
by Jewish Family Service, the
program continues to enable
older adults to live in-
dependently while receiving
care from professionally-
trained geriatric careworkers.
The 21 residents, ranging in
age from 66 to 93, spend their
days in active pursuits.
More than 40 friends and
family members of the July
honorees — Anna Lipshaw,
86; Elizabeth Schulman, 89;
Kate Guttman, 87; and Sadye
Garfinkel, 90 — gathered in
the decorated clubhouse for
lunch and birthday - cake,
songs and conversation.
The Group Apartments'
aim is to prevent prema-
ture nursing-home place-
ment. When the program had
just 12 residents, seven came
from nursing homes.
"They had no business
being in nursing homes in the
first place," said Zena Baum,
coordinator. "That's the
reason we started this
program.
"These people are in charge
of their own lives. They make
decisions for themselves. It's
a combination of suport from
the careworkers and freedom
over their own lives.
"The bottom line is
residents must be willing to
help others and accept help
themselves. They must be
able to live like a family," said
Baum.
Three residents live in an

Michelle Cohen is on the staff
of the Jewish Welfare
Federation.

apartment unit, each with his
own room. A careworker is
responsible for the cooking,
cleaning and other house-
keeping duties.
"The careworkers are
responsible for the daily
work, the caring and the re-
lationships between the
people," Baum said. "The
careworkers see to it that the
people are comfortable. The
quality of the program is
reflected by the quality of the
careworkers. They get a lot of
personal satisfaction from
taking care of the residents."
The seven careworkers, five
of whom immigrated from the
Soviet Union, work five to,six
hours a day, five days a week.
Baum describes them as the
"come early, stay late type of
people." One dedicated
worker came to the apart-
ments on a Sunday to help a
resident change a light bulb.
"I feel they need me," said
Elizabeth Razodolsky, who
came to America 11 years
ago. "I always like to help
people."
"It's a very, very good pro-
gram," said Mrs. Schulman, a
resident of six years. "They
should have this in many
many places. This is home."
"Of course, everything is
not always perfect," explain-
ed Baum.. "There are dif-
ferences between residents on
occasion. Generally, though,
things run smoothly."
Residents keep busy with
exercise classes, current
events and resident council
meetings and more. They also
enjoy outings to the theater,
Belle Isle, the Detroit Zoo,
Kensington Park and a
private farm.
Every other Saturday night
they have a social where they
sing and play games. All
holidays are celebrated, in-
cluding Passover, Rosh
Hashanah, Chanukah and
New Year's Eve. ❑

n influx of young
Orthodox Jews into
the north Southfield
area is resulting in a
membership boom for Con-
gregation Young Israel of
Southfield.
The population surge is in
part due to the success of the
Jewish Welfare Federation's
Neighborhood Project, which
provides loans to Jewish
families for the purchase of
home's in Southfield and Oak
Park, according to Rabbi
Elimelech Goldberg.
Rabbi Goldberg said that
the congregation's member-
ship has grown from 65
families in 1983 to 130
families in 1989.
"We have quite a few people
moving into the area," Rabbi
Goldberg said. "Thank God
it's a positive trend."
Encouraged by the success
of Young Israel of Southfield,
a new Young Israel congrega-
tion has been established in
West Bloomfield. In addition,
YIS is considering expanding
its property, Rabbi Goldberg
said.
"There's a very serious corn-
mittee that is speaking to the
architect about expansion,"
he said. "The plans are not
yet definite, but the concept

is."

Many of the new residents
have moved into the Beacon
Square and Mount Vernon
subdivisions. "We have people
moving in there, and also in
Pontchartrain on the other
side of Lahser," Rabbi
Goldberg said. "We also have
a fairly even division along
Bell Road."
Rabbi Goldberg described
the average Young Israel
family as young, professional,
and with two incomes. One
such family, Drs. Neal and
Lynn Blavin, moved into the
area in November.
"If you're Orthodox, then
you either live in Oak Park or
you live here," Neal Blavin
said. "This congregation has
a great mix of people. We're
all observant, but there is
tremendous variety in the
way we observe. We have
modern Orthodox and
Chasidim — members from
all walks."
Rabbi
According to
Goldberg, people have come to
the area for a variety of
reasons, but he notes that
"many of them have benefited

from the Neighborhood Pro-
ject."
The Neighborhood Project's
Norma Silver said that 122 of
the 279 loan recipients to

date have been professionals,
and 30 percent identify
themselves as Orthodox. 59
have moved into the north
Southfield area. ❑

Federation Honors
Four Young Leaders

A husband-wife team and
two Young Adult Division of-
ficers will be honored with
Young Leadership Awards
from the Jewish Welfare
Federation.
Benjamin F. Rosenthal will
receive the Frank A.
Wetsman Award, and his wife
Marta will be presented with
the Sylvia Simon Greenberg
Award. Dennis S. Bernard
and Lisa Sommers will share
the William H. Boesky
Memorial Award.
Benjamin Rosenthal is
chairman of the 1990 Allied
Jewish Campaign Mercantile
Division. He serves on
Federation's Community Ser-
vices Division and chairs its
Resettlement Review Corn-
mittee. He is a recipient of the
1981 Boesky Memorial
Award.
Marta Rosenthal is a board
member of Federation's
Women's Division and served
as associate chairman of
Campaign education. Local
chairman of the 1989
Discovery Mission she will
chair the 1990 Campaign
Walk for Israel.
Immediate past president of
the Young Adult Division,
Bernard has been active on
the board for several years
and served as. Campaign co-
chairman. He is a member of

the National UJA Young
Leadership Cabinet and will
lead Federation's Young
Leadership Mission to Israel
this fall.
Chairman of the YAD Ex-
ecutive Committee, Sommers
served as Campaign co-

Rosenthal

Roserithal

Sommers

Bernard

chairman for the past two
years. She was involved in the
1988 Women's Hadracha
leadership program and is a
member of the UJA Young
Leadership Cabinet.

The Ethnic Connection
Highlights Yiddish Event

The 11th annual Yiddish
Concert in the Park will
feature klezmer music and
songs by Oak Park's Ethnic
Connection. The concert will
take place 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
In case of rain, the concert
will be held at Oak Park High
School.
The program is, sponsored
by the Sarah K. Gold Philan-
thropic Fund, United Jewish
Charities, Jewish Communi-
ty Council, Sholem Aleichem
Institute and the Workmen's
Circle.
The Ethnic Connection,
based in Ann Arbor, is
directed by David Owens, who
plays accordian and for 12

years was director of NAMA
Orchestra, a klezmer band in
California.
Ralph Katz plays clarinet.
He has played in UMGASS
and is concertmaster of the
Ann Arbor Summer Civic
Band. Nan Nelson plays man-
dolin and guitar and sings.
She is a member of the
Detroit Balalaika Orchestra.
Marvin Brode plays contra-
bass balalaika and is also a
member of the Detroit
Balalaika Orchestra.
Neil Alexander plays
trumpet and is a trained chaz-
zan. He played with the New
Shtetl Band in the
Southwest.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS • 41