COMMUNITY

Emergency Campaign For Bonds
Reaches The Halfway Point

Joseph Shiffelman talks with Dr. Steven Arbit and Dr. Marc
Feldman at Sinai Hospital.

New Americans
Get Sinai Help

Editor's note: The lives of
thousands of Jews in
Detroit are touched each
year by the Jewish Welfare
Federation and its Allied
Jewish Campaign. This is
one of a series about people
who benefit from Federa-
tion agency services.

Joseph Shiffelman never
drove a car before he came
to Detroit. Nor did the
55-year-old Soviet im-
migrant receive proper
treatment for a 15-year
heart condition — until he
went to Sinai Hospital.
Last July, Mr. Shif-
felman arrived in Detroit
with his mother and son —
and with little money. The
stresses of coming to a new
land and learning a new
culture and profession led
to chest pains and a 10-day
stay at Sinai Hospital. He
left the hospital a
healthier man.
His medical costs were
covered by Sinai Hospital's
Immigrant Screening Pro-
gram. "The hospital
donates the services, while
the immigrants are under
the care of Resettlement
Service," said Dr. Marc
Feldman, the screening
program's director.
Two medical residents
originally from the Soviet
Union, other multi-lingual
staff and translators hired
by Sinai, and Jewish Fami-
ly Service volunteers assist
with communication. JFS
volunteers also transport
patients to and from the
hospital.
In addition to care pro-
vided by hospital staff,
private physicians donate

their services to treat the
new Americans. Sinai saw
more than 800 Soviet im-
migrants last year, accor-
ding to Dr. Feldman.
Mr. Shiffelman was
amazed at the quality of
care and kindness he
received at Sinai as com-
pared to the treatment he
received at a prestigious
Moscow cardiology clinic
in 1987. "Mainly, it was
the care, the smiles and
the equipment," he said. "I
am very thankful . . . that
I was able to be there free
of charge."
Mr. Shiffelman remains
on heart medicine and has
monthly check-ups with
his doctor. His mother,
Liya Yalevich, was treated
at Sinai for angina and
blood clots in her lungs.
Now, she is on medication
and has an oxygenator at
home to help her breathe.
Since being treated for a
clogged artery, Mr. Shif-
felman has learned to
drive and is attending both
English and job-training
classes five days a week.
Before coming to the
United States nine
months ago, he was an
economist with the State
Project Institution in
Moscow, which arranges
joint ventures with foreign
governments. He has
worked on projects in
Mongolia, India and
Vietnam.
His son, Leon Minchin,
was in his final year of
medical school. Now a
medical assistant in
Detroit, Mr. Minchin plans
to return to his studies,
soon. ❑

Metro Detroit synagogues
responded to an appeal by the
State of Israel Bond Organi-
zation for a short-term, ac-
celerated $100 million
emergency campaign to help
provide funds for absorption
of Israel's mass influx of new
immigrants.
Five synagogues — Adat
Shalom, Beth Shalom, B'nai
David, Beth Achim and Beth
Israel, Flint — held Israel
Bond emergency sales
meetings last week, realizing
$441,694 in purchases and
commitments.
Congregation Beth Abra-
ham Hillel Moses, Congrega-
tion B'nai Moshe and Temple
Beth El will hold emergency
Bond meetings this coming
week . . . and other congrega-
tions and organizations are
making plans for meetings.
With the boost of these
meetings, plus public interest
in Israel Bond investments
generated by recent wide
news media exposure,
Detroit's sales are approx-
imately 200 percent ahead of
last year at this time, with
over $1,800,000 in securities
sales from Jan. 1-31.
Nationally, by Jan. 27, the
halfway point of the special
campaign, sales had reached
in excess of $51.4 million.
The Bond organization is
mobilizing this campaign at
the request of the Israel
ministries of housing and ab-

Robert Brown

AJCongress
Elects Brown

Robert I. Brown, an at-
torney with the Southfield
law firm of Raznick,
Misuraca, Elson and Smith,
has been elected as the new
president of the Greater
Detroit Chapter of the
American Jewish Congress.
Mr. Brown, who has served as
vice president of the organiza-
tion for the past two years,
succeeds Gerald Cook, who
will remain on the Congress
board after five years of
outstanding service as
president.

At the Israel Bond meeting were Gerald Meister, Rabbi Spectre, Harry
Maisel and Lawrence Wolfe.

sorption. The funds will help
provide housing and employ-
ment for the 1,000 to 2,000
Soviet Jews, plus Ethiopian
and Argentinian Jews, arriv-
ing in Israel each day despite
the current war crisis. Ever-
increasing costs of oil and
military defense, coupled

with an all-time low in
tourism and exports, are
straining the Israel treasury.
All Israel Bond proceeds are
being directed exclusively to
the absorption of new
immigrants.
For information about Isrel
Bonds, call 352-6555.

Sinai Sponsors
Childbirth Class

Sinai Hospital's Division of
Nursing childbirth educa-
tion department will sponsor
a new program starting Feb.
21 for couples considering
childbirth. The course,
"Maybe Baby? (Pre-concep-
tual Counseling)," is the first
of its kind in metro Detroit.
"Maybe Baby" will provide
information for couples who
are exploring the possibility
of pregnancy and is designed
to promote a healthy
pregnancy and delivery.
The evening class, held at
Sinai's main campus in
Detroit, will explore such
social issues related to
pregnancy as financial con-
siderations and respon-
sibilities related to child rear-
ing. The course asks couples
to explore their reasons for
having children.
Also offered is a discussion
of genetic counseling and the
importance of testing couples
whose ethnic backgrounds
may put them at a higher risk
for a difficult pregnancy.
Couples may also be in-
terested in the discussion of
infertility and the tests that
are available.
Aspects of diet, nutrition
and exercise will be explored
in the class. Finally, the
course will outline the symp-
toms of pregnancy and the
tests available for pregnancy,
and what routine prenatal
care consists of.

There will be three sessions
of the class, held weekly at
Sinai Hospital in Detroit from
7-9 p.m. Session dates are Feb.
21-Mar. 14; April 9-30 and
Aug. 5-26. In addition, Sinai
Hospital's childbirth educa-
tion department will offer a
number of other courses such
as Lamaze, Breastfeeding,
Prenatal Exercise, and In-
fant/Child CPR and Safety.
For information, call
493-6086.

Soviet Immigrant
Workshop Set

The Adult Education Com-
mittee of Congregation Beth
Abraham Hillel Moses, in
cooperation with Midrasha,
will present a workshop on
relations between the new
Soviet Jewish immigrants
and the American Jewish
community 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13
at the synagogue.
Moderating the discussion
will be Sandra Hyman, direc-
tor of Resettlement Service of
the Jewish Family Service.
She will lead a panel con-
sisting of a multi-
generational cross-section of
Soviet Jewish immigrants
who will tell of their ex-
perience with the aim of eas-
ing the process of absorption
into our community of the
newest wave of Soviet Jews.
Admission is free. Refresh-
ments will be served.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

39