▪Jewish Family Service
and

kkt :k

•\W.,

,

•

Plante & Moran

Ph.) by Krista Hus!

• • are excited to present

lkfinnie
Scififfinan: A
dedicated
docent.

Dennis Prager ,

Tuesday, November 18, 1997
7 P.M.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
27375 Bell Road • Southfield

Don't miss this unique opportunity
to hear Mr. Prager speak about
his most recent book,

Happiness is a Serious Problem

The ticket cost for this program is
$7.00 per person.

For more information, contact
Betty Barach at (248) 559-1500.

p9

JEWISH''
SERVICE

A Heart For

Itistorsr

PLANTE &MORAN, LLP

Re-Elect

HURITE

Southfield City Council
Tuesday, Nov. 4th

10/31

1997

18

• Southfield resident for 39 years
• Southfield City Council 26 years
• 1992-95 Council President
• 9 years as Council President &
5 years as Pro Tem
• 8-year member of Southfield
Zoning Board of Appeals
• Profession: Director-Trim Analysis
- Lear Corp. - GM Retiree
• Educaiton: Youngstown University,
Wayne State University
General Motors Institute - BSME
Oakland University
• Member of Southfield Senior
Citizens Club
• World War II Veteran -
U.S. Air Force

Minnie Schiffman made the leap from classroom to museum.

EDITH BROIDA
Special to The Jewish News

Mr hen Rabbi David
Nelson of
Congregation Beth
Shalom delivered his
Kol Nidre sermon this year, he was
probably unaware that he had
expressed the personal philosophy of
Minnie Schiffman, a 75-year-old
retired schoolteacher.
"He told us about Jimmy
Durante and how he had no voice
and no looks," Schiffman explained.
"But his theme was, 'You've got to
start each day with a song,' and
that's what I believe. If you opened
your eyes this morning, you're
ahead."
Schiffman lives in a comfortable

condominium in Southfield, sur-
rounded by pictures of her daugh-
ters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
After teaching fourth grade at
Vandenberg School in Southfield for
26 years, she retired at age 71, still in
love with what was most gratifying
during her teaching career: children
and history.
It didn't take long for Schiffman
to find a new way of combining the
two: she embarked on a training pro-
gram to become a docent at the
Detroit Historical Museum. Today,
she is one of four of the original 30
in her group still actively involved in
the museum.
Schiffman is on duty every
Wednesday and Sunday, reporting by
9 a.m. and staying until 2 p.m. She
is rarely absent, only taking off for

icy driving conditions and Jewish
holidays.
Schiffman's goal for young visitors
is to create a love of history. "I tell
them there's really nothing new
under the sun. History is what peo-
ple have done before you," she said.
Schiffman feels the Historical
Museum has so much to offer, par-
ticularly the Streets of Old Detroit
exhibit and the current display,
"Remembering Downtown
Hudson's."
Schiffman captivates her audi-
ences. Recently, 12 architectural stu-
dents from Harvard breezed in for a
20-minute tour. They stayed for two
hours, learning far more than they
had expected.
Often, Schiffman will share her
HEART FOR HISTORY on page 20