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for continued rehabilitation. Visiting
symptoms of heart disease. Our physi-
him has now become a regular part of
cian warned us of all the possible com-
our lives and we have learned to accept
plications, which we logically accepted,
this reality for the time being, knowing
but emotionally discounted. Surely this
that it could have been a lot worse.
could not happen to him! Besides, we
Occasionally we take a day off from
felt that we had no other option, given
visiting,
and while not ideal, this seems
his condition. We were surprised and
to
be
working
out fine. We even cele-
dismayed when we learned that while
brated
the
second
night of Chanukah
the surgery was successful, unexpected
together
in
the
nursing
home. Lighting
complications (two minor strokes and
the menorah with our whole family
excessive fluid in his lungs) would keep
together, surrounding my father-in-law's
him on a ventilator in intensive care for
• bed, made this Chanukah one which I
10 days and that if he was able to
will never forget. My-mother-in-law has
breathe on his own, he would be then
started driving again and been able to
be in rehabilitation for several months
be more independent (which she likes
thereafter.
much more). My daughter is back to
The impact on our lives was imme-
her normal self again. Life is good! ❑
diate and intense. Since he provided the
primary means of transportation for my
mother-in-law, who suffers from arthri-
tis in her knees, we had to provide not
only the emotional support, but also
the primary transportation for hospital
OPPORTUNITIES from page 29
visits and other care-giving functions.
Fortunately, with teen-age children in
receiving a nominal amount for their
the home, they were able to manage
teaching and administrative efforts.
with less attention from us (probably
Other incidentals include a $50 fee for .
even enjoyed it!) and were able to pitch
-
using the mikvah.
in and help on occasion as well, by dri-
Until last year, when Congregation
ving their grandmother to the super-
Shaarey Zedek offered to print a
market or taking her to the hospital
glossy, two-color brochure, the only
when we could not. Our lives revolved
materials promoting the Conservative
around visits and telephone calls to the
movement's conversion program were
hospital, rarely spending time together
on colored copy paper. The brochure
without experiencing the stress and anx-
lists the sponsors as the Conservative
iety related to this crisis.
Rabbis of Metropolitan Detroit and
After three weeks, he was finally well
congregations Adat Shalom, Beth
enough to be moved into another hos-
Abraham
Hillel Moses, Beth Achim, -
pital for rehabilitation. The prognosis
Beth
Shalom,
B'nai Moshe,
was definitely better and things were
Downtown Synagogue and Shaarey
finally starting to improve. It was then
Zedek.
that our youngest daughter (14) devel-
With proper visibility and support
oped the most serious asthma attack
for the Rabbi Max Weine Institute for
that she has ever had, complicated by
Judaism, Rabbi Nelson believes the
pneumonia. We spent the first night
number of persons considering
with her in the emergency room and
Conservative conversion would, at
the next day and night in the hospital
least, double. Ideally, he would like to
(the one my father-in-law had just left),
see the Conservative community
while they struggled to stabilize her
underwrite all or most of the cost of
breathing and bring her. "peak flows" up
the conversion process, including
to normal levels. We were caught in the
books, materials, mikvah fees and
typical dilemma that sandwich genera-
honoraria for teachers, and provide
tion families deal with. Pulled from
funds for a coordinator who could
both sides, emotionally and physically
form friendship groups, retreats and
worn out, we knew that our immediate
create greater visibility.
priority was to be with our daughter,
An expensive proposition? In an era
but that we also had to continue to pro-
when Conservative synagogues look
vide support to my in-laws. I remember
for — and receive — endowments for
my wife and I looking at each other in
everything from building maintenance
the emergency room, knowing that we
to landscaping, isn't it time to raise the
had to manage this, but not being able
necessary funds to attract and wel-
to come up with a single cogent idea as
come those interested in becoming
to how to do it.
Conservative Jews by choice? That's
On the first night of Chanukah, my
one decision that doesn't hinge on the
father-in-law was moved into a nursing
Chief Rabbinate of Israel. ❑
home within two miles of where we live
NOTEBOOR