COMMUNITY

Sick Visits And Shiva Calls
Is Midrasha-Beth Shalom Topic

SUSAN GRANT

Staff Writer

S

ix years ago, Terry
Brown began making
regular trips to
Beaumont Hospital to visit
the sick. At first, he didn't
know most of the people, but
he did know they needed to
talk to someone.
Mr. Brown, a member of
Congregation Beth Shalom,
wanted to do something to
help long-time friend Rabbi
David Nelson with his busy
schedule. With the help of
Pastor Charles Richter of
Beaumont's pastoral care
department, he was able to
talk to patients when Rabbi
Nelson just didn't have the
time.
While visiting the sick and
making shiva calls are often
done by rabbis, Mr. Brown
thought more volunteers
should get involved. He ask-
ed Rabbi Nelson to form a
class to teach people how to
make hospital and nursing
home visits. Now a seminar,

the first of its kind in
Detroit, will teach lay people
how to perform those ser-
vices.
An eight-week series of
classes, called the "Para-
Rabbinic Training Pro-
gram," will introduce people
to the dynamics involved in
visiting shiva houses, nurs-
ing homes and hospitals.
The class, which begins Oct.
17, is sponsored by the

"Rabbis need to
know they don't
have to do it all."

Rabbi Bruce Aft

Midrasha, College of Jewish
Studies, and Congregation
Beth Shalom.
"There is a need in all con-
gregations, especially those
with one rabbi, to do the
things that the rabbi just
doesn't have time to do,"
said Rabbi Bruce Aft,
Midrasha director.
"We call them heart at-

Labor Zionists
Elect Naimark

Norman Naimark has been
elected as president of the
Labor Zionist Alliance of
Metropolitan Detroit Council.
Mr. Naimark serves on the
board of governors and the
Israel Overseas Committee of
the Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion. He is Chairman of the
executive committee of the
Detroit Zionist Federation
and formerly was its presi-
dent for six years. Mr.
Naimark was recently elected
to the board of directors of the
Jewish Community Council
and presently serves on its
Israel and World Jewry
Committee.
His national positions in-
clude the national executive
committees of the Labor
Zionist Alliance and
Histadrut. He is President of
the Corktown Consumer
Housing cooperative, trustee
of the Michigan Housing
Trust, director on the board of
the Michigan Housing coali-
tion and a member of the
Neighborhood Stabilization
and Housing Committee of
New Detroit, Inc.
As president of the Detroit
Zionist Federation for six
years, Mr. Naimark initiated
efforts to assist college
students on Michigan cam-

Norman Naimark

puses to form MASI
(Michigan Alliance of
Students for Israel) to
stimulate interest in Israel
and to combat anti-Semitism.
Other officers elected were
vice presidents Henry Faigin,
Helen Naimark, Sara Schiff
and Ethel Silberg. Esther
Klein will serve as secretary
and Dena G. Greenberg as
treasurer. Joseph Medwed
and Joel Waldbott will be at-
large members of the Council.

tack rabbis," Rabbi Aft said.
"It means if he tries to meet
all the needs, he will get a
heart attack, especially in a
larger congregation."
Although the responsibili-
ty to visit the sick now often
lies with the rabbi, it used to
be more common for all
Jews.
Bikkur cholim societies
visit the sick, and chevra
kadisha groups still help
prepare bodies for ritual
burial. An expanded chevra
kadisha could lead a minyan
at a shiva house or provide
spiritual support to the
grieving.
"People in the community
need these kinds of comfort
services, but it's not
available on a regular
basis," Mr. Brown said.
"There are people scattered
around the Jewish commun-
ity who can do these ser-
vices."
Sometimes well-meaning
volunteers will go into shiva
homes or hospitals and
unintentionally say some-
thing which hurts the family
or patient. "The seminar
will help sensitize people,"
Rabbi Aft said.
David Techner of Ira
Kaufman Funeral Chapel
will speak on coping with
death on Oct. 24. Avi
Shapiro and Jerri Litt of the
Jewish Home for Aged will
talk Oct. 31 about making a
difference in a nursing
home.
Pastor Richter of Beau-
mont Hospital will speak
Nov. 7 about pastoral care
within the hospital setting.
All eight seminars will be
held at Beth Shalom. There
is a charge.
Recognizing that vol-
unteers can't solve every
problem faced by those in
grief or suffering pain, Ann
Mintzer of Jewish Family
Service will talk Nov. 14
about what to look for dur-
ing the visits and where to
turn if the volunteer cannot
help.
Other speakers include
Rabbi Nelson. Nov. 28,
discussing the helping pro-
cess and Cantor Samuel
Greenbaum, Dec. 5, who will
discuss the role of prayer.
The series will conclude on
Dec. 12 with a summary ses-
sion on "Where Do We Go
From Here."
Rabbi Aft said if the semi-
nar is successful, he would
like to expand it into a cer-
tified para-rabbinic training
program.

❑

Borman

Hermelin

Davidson And Borman
Chair Hermelin Dinner

The Shaarey Zedek Inter-
national Golda Meir Tribute
Dinner honoring David B.
Hermelin will be held Nov. 19
at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek. Mr. Hermelin, inter-
national campaign chairman
for Israel Bonds will be
presented with Israel's Golda
Meir Leadership Award.
Serving as general chair-
man of the dinner will be
William Davidson, principal
owner of the Detroit Pistons
Basketball Club and chair-
man of the board and presi-
dent of Guardian Industries
Corp. in Northville. Serving
as dinner chairman will be
Paul Borman, chairman of
Borman's, Inc. and A&P's
Midwest Group.
Honorary chairmen are
Governor James Blanchard,
Charles Bronfman, Max
Fisher, Senator Carl Levin,
Senator Donald Riegel, Jr.,
Ambassador Meir Rosene,
Sam Rothberg, Sy Syms,
Julian Venezky and Jack
Weiler. International chair-
man is William Belzberg.

Associate general chairmen
of the dinner are Martin
Goldman and Robert Sosnick.
Associate Dinner chairmen
are Eugene Applebaum and
Joseph Orley. Vice dinner
chairmen are Florence and Ir-
ving Hermelin, Anna Curtis,
Marcie and Robert Orley,
Karen Hermelin, Brian
Hermelin, Julie Hermelin
and Francine Hermelin.
Mr. Davidson is a past presi-
dent of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek and a past chairman of
the United Jewish Appeal for
Detroit. He is chairman,
Board of Trustees of Clover
Hill Park Cemetery, chair-
man of the Congregation
Shaarey Zedek Endowment
Fund, and an active investor
in Israel industries.
Mr. Borman is general co-
chairman of the 1989-90
Allied Jewish Campaign and
co-chairman of the Passage to
Freedom Campaign. He also
serves on the board of gover-
nors of the American Com-
mittee for the Weizmann In-
stitute of Science in Israel.

Women Of JNF
Host Donor Rally

The Women of Jewish Na-
tional Fund will have their
pre-donor rally at noon on
Oct. 16 at Temple Emanu-El.
This will be the prelude to
the Women's 61st annual
donor luncheon Nov. 20 at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
At that time, the women will
launch their three-year cam-
paign to raise $250,000 to
develop a recreational area in
the International Peace Park
at Ezuz in the Negev.
The musical program at the
rally will feature Sadie
Braver, violinist and Rose
Morgan, pianist, who will
present "A Musical Fantasy."
Mrs. Braver studied with
Yasha Fishberg, concert
master of the New York Sym-
phony, also at Julliard and
later with Michael Press at
Michigan State University.
Rose Morgan is a past presi-
dent of the Music Study Club

Sadie Braver

of Metropolitan Detroit. She
is director and accompanist of
the Rose Morgan Choral
Group and Sholem Aleichem
Chorale for over 30 years.
Laurie Nosanchuk, assis-
tant executive director of
JNF, will give an update of
JNF's activities.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

51