'
11
Developmentally
disabled
members of the
Jewish
Community will
star in a video
about their
"Everyday
Miracles."
Fran Victor and Bill Harder embark on a mission of their own.
Capturing The Moments
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
s the sun beat down from
blue skies above Masada,
Lorraine Schwartz
shielded herself from fly-
ing candy.
The 63-year-old devel-
opmentally disabled
woman had just complet-
ed her bat mitzvah in
front of hundreds of
Michigan Miracle
Mission participants.
The crowd chanted
"mazel toy" and some
tossed congratulatory
confections at Ms.
Schwartz and other b'nai
mitzvah.
Among those applaud-
ing the simchah were her
friends, Jacob Feldman,
53, and Harold Folkoff,
41. They, too, have men-
tal handicaps, but nei-
ther refrained from join-
1,282
ing
other
Detroiters for this
spring's 10-day Miracle
Mission to Israel.
During the trip, Mr.
Feldman, Mr. Folkoff
and Ms. Schwartz were
trailed by an indepen-
dent camera crew from
Troy. The three individu-
als star in a documen-
tary about their lives on
the mission and at home
in Detroit.
Victor/Harder Produc-
tions Inc., an indepen-
dent film and video pro-
duction company, cap-
tured 15 hours of Miracle
Mission moments, which
they will splice together
with footage from the
stars' everyday activities
— from domestic duties
to banking to working at
full-time jobs.
The idea for the one-
hour documentary came
about when Victor/
Harder Productions Inc.
was contracted to pro-
duce an annual video for
JARC, a private nonprof-
it organization that
offers homes and ser-
vices to developmentally
disabled adults. JARC's
goal is to help them live
more independently.
"People should
look at us as
human beings."
Harold Folkoff
"The real launching
point for the documen-
tary was Jacob Feldman
and the particular spirit
and dignity he holds,"
said producer/director
Fran Victor. "To be able
to follow him on this
journey was nothing
short of amazing.
"You had an adult man
who had never traveled
or lived independently
before; a man who was
going to be traveling
8,000 miles to the Holy
Land, a man who is
devout, who knows more
about Judaism than most
people. It was an enor-
mous accomplishment for
someone who has faced
so much adversity. It
was proof that a disabili-
ty does not need to stand.
in the way of your
dreams."
The documentary,
which has a working title
of "Everyday Miracles,"
MOMENTS page 78