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Now he teaches the Haftorah to
about eight students a day, some of
whom study for two or three years
leading up to their bar or bat mitz-
vahs, Mermelstein said.
"I don't say no to anybody," he
said. "No one is denied an education.
I taught any child who had a problem
reading — deaf, hyperactive, or a
child with any disability. People would
say, 'Oh, you have a problem? Go to
Mermelstein.'"
"I was his best student," said
BAHM's financial secretary, Stuart
Farber. "But I'm sure he told that to
everyone."
Both Farber and his father,
Leonard, were taught the Haftorah by
Mermelstein. Farber's daughter,
Shirah, will celebrate her bat mitzvah
in March 1999, marking a three-gen-
eration span of tutelage under Joseph
Mermelstein at BAHM.
"Joe could teach anyone, even the
most hyper kid. I was one of them,"
said Farber. "He had a way of making
you concentrate. He knew of that
nerve between your neck and your
shoulder blades, and when you got too
hyper in your seat, he knew how to
press on it to settle you down.
"I've known the Mermelsteins as
long as I can remember," Farber con-
tinued. "Joseph once taught me a
Haftorah in two days. And when I
was growing up, it took a whole sister-
hood to put together a kiddush. Now
it just takes Ruth."
Ruth Mermelstein said since their
four children have grown up and
moved out, "the synagogue is like my
home."
A very soft-spoken woman who
refuses to make a speech at the dinner,
Ruth Mermelstein assists in the
upkeep of the shul, makes breakfasts
and does the banking.
Her daughter, Judy Klein, will do
the speaking, and so will Joseph.
"We graciously accept this honor.
People come and go, but we stayed
on. We must be doing something
right," she said.
Dr. Elliot Burns, BAHM's executive
director, said the dinner is not a retire-
ment party, because the Mermelsteins
are not leaving. It's "a way to say
thanks," he said.
Joseph agreed to the honor because
"the whole board voted on it. If one
member would be opposed, I would
think twice about it," he said.
"This is our main fund-raising
event of the year," said Rabbi
Bergman. "They're wonderful people,
and I rely on them."

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GMAC Smartlease + tax, title & license. MuSt qualify for
Cadillac lease loyalty. 12,000 miles/year, 20/mile over limit.

7100 Orchard Lake Rd. (at 14 1h mile) • West Bloomfield

(248) 851-7200

w w wattto web.comu t.te &ter/ audette/

6/12
1998

25

