THE JEWISH NEWS
UP FRONT
This Week's T o d Stories
A Home
At Last
Young Israel of West
Bloomfield finds a
permanent house of
worship.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
faded memory of a for-sale
sign on the front lawn of a
West Bloomfield home lin-
gered in the back of Renee
Muchnick's mind.
The recollection would prove
helpful long after her congrega-
tion, Young Israel of West Bloom-
field, started looking for a
permanent home for the 22-fam-
ily congregation.
A
"We will be able to
root ourselves in the
community."
— Dr. David J. Berris
'0"
The Care Crunch
Choices have narrowed for Jewish families seeking
residential nursing care for their older loved ones.
JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER
iven the "horror stories" she heard
about Menorah House, Constance Fi-
dler is pleasantly surprised at the care
her 92-year-old mother has received
there since she relocated from Prentis Manor
in April.
Frances I afer is happy, too, with her aunt's
new surroundings, remarking that Menorah
House "has a bad reputation for nothing."
Good thing, because the two women don't
have much of a choice.
With the imminent closing of Prentis
Manor in Southfield, Detroit will be left with
two Jewish nursing care facilities with vast-
ly different residency rates, amenities and
locations.
Like most Prentis Manor residents who
are being relocated to Menorah House in
Southfield and other nursing care facilities,
Rose -Levy -and Leah Yellen rely on Medicaid
payments for their survival. The Marvin and
Betty Danto Family Health Care Center,
scheduled to open at the Jewish Communi-
ty Campus in West Bloomfield in mid-De-
cember, has only 30 beds set aside for
G
Above: Constance Fidler
is happy with the care
mother Rose Levy
receives at Menorah
House.
Right: The Marvin and
Betty Danto Family
Health Care Center is
scheduled to open in mid-
December in West
Bloomfield.
Medicaid beneficiaries. They're already filled
with Prentis residents.
"I feel [the new center] is not going to ad-
equately take the place of a Jewish home for
the frail elderly," Ms. Fidler said. "I am the
third generation of my family to volunteer
and support Jewish Home for Aged (the Jew-
ish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
agency that runs licensed care facilities for
After months of a fruitless
search, Mrs. Muchnick, a mem-
ber of the synagogue board, re-
membered the sign at a home on
Maple, just west of Farmington
Road.
As she approached the front
door of the 1,700-square-foot
home, she had a good feeling
about her unannounced visit.
Her positive vibes were quickly
confirmed. The owners did, at
one time, put their house up for
sale and, yes, they were still in-
terested in selling.
Today, after eight years of
functioning as a nomadic con-
gregation, Young Israel of West
Bloomfield has finally found a
place to call its own. Congregants
hope to be in their home by Feb.
1.
"Now that we have a more per-
manent location, we feel we will
be able to root ourselves in the
community and become more at-
tractive to potential members,"
said Dr. David J. Berris, presi-
dent of the congregation.
Beverly Leuchter, one of the
shul's original members, added:
the elderly). I will never give up on JHA, but "We feel part of the perception in
it hurts me both emotionally and every oth- the community is that there is
er way to know our city truly does not sup- not a lot of confidence in our sta-
port a Jewish home for the aged. They say bility because we have had to go
both [facilities] will take care of the frail el- from one place to another. We
derly, but the new home will take care of the hope that, with a permanent
frail elderly with a lot of money."
structure, people will take us
The new center, at a cost of $8 million to more seriously."
YOUNG ISRAEL page 20
CARE CRUNCH page 19
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