hrineis Welco
ual Circus
KIMBERLY UFTON STAFF WRITER
lbert Lublin, 66, who lives near Rochester,
might not be able to walk today if it weren't for
the Shriners.
At 3, young Al required orthopedic surgery
for two dislocated hips. Though his immigrant
parents couldn't afford the expensive medical
procedures, the Shriners picked up the tab at
New York's 42nd Street Hospital.
For the following seven years, he was in
and out of hospitals. And all his medical bills
were paid for by the Shriner's organization
— a non-sectarian fraternity that provides
free health care and transportation for
youngsters through age 18 who suffer from
orthopedic diseases or burn injuries.
Al Lublin, middle, with Detroit
Moslem Shrine Club.
THE DE TRO IT JEW IS H NEWS
Al Lublin with his
grandchildren and a clown.
Now Mr. Lublin is giving back to the orga-
nization that assisted him. For the past decade,
the retired window cleaning business owner
has been working with the Perfection-Mosaic
Lodge of the Detroit Moslem Shriners to raise
money for the fund that supports 19 pediatric
hospitals and three burn institutes through-
out the country.
In addition, Mr. Lublin and a handful of oth-
er Jewish Masons and Shriners volunteer time
each year at the Shrine Circus, which opens
tonight and runs through Feb. 20 at the Michi-
gan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.
"It is a wonderful charity," said Rabbi M.
Robert Syme, a 33rd Degree Mason — the high-
est honor one can achieve in the organiza-
tion. "This is a brotherhood in action. These
men give of their time, and that is giving life.
After the tents are folded, and everything is
put away, there remains a spark of goodness
that we must keep alive in a world filled with
so much darkness."
One of the Masons committed to the cir-
cus is Myron Cohen, 61, also of the Perfec-
tion-Mosaic Lodge, who will be entertaining
children during the circus. For 10 years, Mr.
Cohen, who manages First American Mort-
gage, has played the role of Butterfly the
Clown at the Detroit Shrine Circus.
"This is a brotherhood in
action. These men give of their
time, and that is giving life."
Rabbi M. Robert Syme
"I always wanted to be a children's enter-
tainer," Mr. Cohen said. "This is the closest
I could come to it."
Mr. Cohen first became interested in the
philanthropic organization after visiting a
burn unit at the children's hospital in Cincin-
nati.
"My real love is the handicapped children,"
Mr. Cohen said. "As a clown, I see the bright-
ness of their eyes."
Butterfly the Clown takes no chances in
the arena. He plays a security guard. He just
performs for the smiles.
Crescent Lodge, which is predominantly
Jewish, will bring about 2,000 children with