r
Sinai Hospital
Celebrates 40th
50 YEARS AGO...
Aid To Victims As
Resistance Grows
KIMBERLY LIFTON STAFF WRITER
SY MANELLO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
r. Gerald Mandell
was a young med-
ical student in
1951 when con-
struction workers laid
the first bricks for Sinai
Hospital.
He was excited about
the prospect of working
for a Jewish hospital.
Though he knew he could
find an internship, he
knew that a choice posi-
tion might not be avail-
able for a Jewish doctor.
Two years later, Dr.
Mandell joined the first
group of interns at Sinai
Hospital, which begins
celebrating its 40th
anniversary year this
.week.
"Many of us thought
the opportunity to make
a contribution to a new
institution like Sinai
-- would come once in a
lifetime," Dr. Mandell
said. "We wanted to sup-
ort this hospital that
had no sense of religious
discrimination."
Choosing Sinai was a
risk for the 11 original
interns. At the time, no
internship program was
approved, and each could
have fallen behind by a
year in their respective
careers had the authori-
ties failed to recognize
the institution.
"We were willing to
cast our lot with the idea
of starting an education-
al program at Sinai, even
though the internship
was not yet approved,"
Dr. Mandell said.
"I never really had any
doubt that the hospital
would survive," he
added. "It has always
been a major representa-
tive of the Jewish com-
munity. The promise
made 40 years earlier
has been fulfilled and
continues to be fulfilled
in terms of patient care
and excellent teaching."
All week long, Sinai
has been toasting its suc-
cess with displays in its
dining room that include
a 1950s era hospital
room, original photos
and medical break-
throughs.
On Tuesday, candy in
the gift shop sold for the
anniversary price of 40
cents each. On Wednes-
day, many employees
dressed in 1950s fash-
ions.
And today, Sinai's first
baby, Lisa (Lezell)
Levine (born on April 21,
1953, to Maurice and
Hilda Lezell) will fly into
town from Virginia,
where she is a teacher,
for the hospital's cake-
cutting ceremony.
"My mother always
talked about the photog-
raphers who came to
take pictures of us," Ms.
Levine said. "I didn't
have much hair, but
somehow the nurses
managed to put a bow in
it anyway."
Dr. Hugh Beckman,
chairman of the ophthal-
mology department, has
been around the hospital
for 36 years. He is credit-
ed with helping muster
support from the hospi-
tal's doctors when Sinai
faced closure a few years
ago.
"I feel really good
about the hospital," he
said. "Now I am savoring
its success. I've always
been really proud of its
Jewish ethic and proud
of being a Sinai doc-
tor."❑
Super Week Events To
Boost Campaign
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
I
he director for the
Allied Jewish Cam-
paign says he is opti-
mistic, but uncertain,
about reaching the target
goal of $27.5 million by the
end of this year's Cam-
paign in early June.
Campaign Director
Allan Gelfond said the
1992 Campaign did not
increase the dollar amount
of its pledges, which has
remained at $26 million
for two consecutive years.
The cost of services, how-
ever, has increased year by
year, and many recipients
of Campaign monies were
forced to cut back.
According to Mr.
Gelfond, the money Jewish
Detroiters have pledged
thus far this year bodes
well for meeting the 1993
target.
"Currently we're ahead
of last year and two years
ago in terms of dollars
raised and increased," Mr.
Gelfond said. "We're hope-
ful. We're optimistic, but I
can't tell you whether or
not we're going to do it."
To date, the 1993
Campaign has brought in
more than $18 million.
The upcoming Super
Sunday, a pho. nathon that
will involve hundreds of
volunteers on Jan. 24, is
expected to bring in anoth-
er $1 million.
Linda Lee, co-chairman
of Super Sunday with Dr.
Mark Diem, said more
than 6,000 potential con-
tributors are called during
Super Sunday. Four thou-
sand pledges are usually
secured in one day. This
represents more than 20
percent of all Campaign
contributors, she said.
Federation leaders say
the need for contributions
this year is greater than
ever. Doreen Hermelin,
Campaign co-chairman
with Norman Pappas, said
Campaign planners are
trying new strategies in an
attempt to defy slackening
contributions due to hard
economic times.
SUPER WEEK page 16
A
t least 100 refugees
daily were crossing
the border from
Nazi-held France
to Spain. Despite their
illegal entrance, the
Spanish government was
not returning them. The
United States govern-
ment was considering
special consideration for
300 refugee children in
Spain to emigrate.
From occupied Poland
came a story of heroic
resistance. Jewish wo-
men in the small town of
Lublin.etz attacked Ger-
man soldiers who plun-
dered their property and
forced them to flee. Jews
in the township of
Adamov killed all the
Nazi gendarmes, aided
by the local non-Jewish
population.
A truly tragic report
came from Warsaw; nine-
ty-three Jewish girls and
young women, pupils and
teacher of a Beth Jacob
school, chose mass sui-
cide to escape being
forced into prostitution
by German soldiers.
A report from 20 years
earlier noted that Adolph
Hitler, identified as
leader of the National
Socialists in Munich,
planned a review of
200,000 armed Facists;
Jewish groups expressed
fear of anti-Semitic
attacks. Little did we
know!
The General Assembly
of the Council of Federa-
tions was planning its
10th meeting in Cleve-
land. Among the Detroit
delegates were Abraham
Srere, Isidore Sobleoff
and Irving Blumberg.
A full page was devot-
ed to a tribute to Abba
Hillel Silver at 50. A por-
trait in words of this
Jewish leader was pro-
vided by Dr. Solomon
Freehof. Birthday festiv-
ities were planned for
the following week in
Cleveland.
Benjamin Kaufman,
national commander of
' the Jewish War Veterans
of the United States and
a Congressional Medal of
Honor winner, was hon-
ored by a weekend of
activities in Detroit.
Throughout the com-
munity, groups were
continuing efforts to
raise funds by selling
war bonds. The Gamma
Kappa Chi fraternity of
Wayne University pur-
chased $200 worth of
bonds with proceeds
from their annual dance.
Henry Yudoff, newly
elected president of the
Greater Detroit B'nai
B'rith Council, inaugu-
rated the sale of
$1,000,000 worth of
bonds..
The war and its effect
on our lives was the
topic, in varied forms, of
several talks that were
heard in the community.
"Marriage in War Time"
was the discussion sub-
ject at a meeting of the
Young People's Society
at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek; Rabbi Morris
Adler delivered a talk on
"How Shall We Treat the
German People After the
War?"
For those whose "sav-
age breast" could be
soothed by music, the
following items were in
the column on music
notes. William Galman
sang songs in Yiddish
and English at the
Halevy Singing Society;
Henry Hermann spoke
on Frederic Chopin at
the Music Study Club
followed by a flute duet
played by Dorothy
Picard and Joanne Seitz.
Among the community
members being mourned
at this time were Peter
Vass, Detroit merchant
and former president of
Congregation B'nai
Moshe and Abraham
Rabinowit'Z, janitor at
the Crosman School for
18 years. Mr. Rabino-
witz was granted a dis-
tinct honor in the planti-
ng of 19 trees in his
name in Palestine by the
faculty of the school.
To offset the sadness
of the passing of loved
ones, the community
took note of new life in
the community in the
forms of Sanford Jerome
Sulkes, Ellen Ruth
Shapiro, Frances Rhoda
Fried and Joel Michael
Heitman. ❑
.