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ROYAL OAK NOVI TOWN CENTER NEW - UTICA
306 S. Main St. 26164 Ingersol Drive 7770 Auburn Rd.
(313) 548-4422
(313) 349-5040
(313) 254-9828
SINAI HOSPITAL
Sinai Hospital Ambulatory Services Division
is pleased to welcome
Support For Jewish
Adoptive Families
JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN
lissa Rosenfeld knows
how hard it is to be a Jew-
ish parent trying to adopt
a child. It took her and
her husband almost three years
to adopt their son, Noah, and
she considered herself luckier
than many adoptive parents.
When she found out there
were no Jewish groups for adop-
tive families, she established
a local Stars of David chapter,
part of a national network that
offers support for adoptive Jew-
ish parents and couples plan-
ning to adopt.
More than 30 local families
meet every six weeks for an in-
formal Stars of David meeting.
Occasional events like
Chanukah parties are planned.
Members receive newsletters
and educational programs are
offered.
"Everyone in the group
shares a common bond," Ms.
Rosenfeld said. "Many of us
tried unsuccessfully to get
pregnant and then tried to
adopt, which isn't an easy
thing."
Stars of David works as an
outlet to let adopted Jewish
children meet and develop re-
lationships with other Jewish
E
children. It also gives them the
opportunity to universalize
their experiences, Ms. Rosen-
feld said, and allows parents to
share common experiences.
"Stars of David is important
because adoption is different;
therefore, Jewish people need
to be together," said Esther
Krystal, coordinator of adoption
and foster care at Jewish Fam-
ily Services.
Rosa Schindler has been in-
volved with Stars of David since
its Michigan inception. She and
her husband adopted two for-
eign-born children.
"I needed a group that would
consist of Jewish parents and
adopted children and would
bring up Jewish issues," Ms.
Schindler said. "My children
may or may not have to come to
terms with these issues; but if
they do, they will have others
around who are in the same
boat."
Adoptive families of any re-
ligion face similar issues, but
Jewish adopted children may
have additional inquiries.
"There is an identity issue
with the children who may
question if they are really Jew-
ish," Ms. Rosenfeld said. ❑
Melvin Linden, D.O. and David Rothenberg, D.O.
as family practitioners
located at
2014 Beech Daly
Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
■ ■ ■
For an appointment, call 274-3320.
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Stars of David children enjoy last month's Chanukah party.
Michigan Adoption
Laws May Change
JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN
Next time you feed your face, think about your heart.
Go easy on your heart and start cutting back on foods that are high in saturated
fat and cholesterol. The change'll do you good.
V American Heart Association
WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE
N
ow that lawmakers in
Lansing have deter-
mined how to fund edu-
cation in Michigan, they
will be able to focus their at-
tention on other issues affect-
ing children, including
adoption.
A handful of bills introduced
by Rep. David Gubow, D-Hunt-
ington Woods, could slightly al-
ter Michigan adoption laws.
Some of Rep. Gubow's pro-
posed legislation could change
state law to permit direct place-
ADOPTION page 22