EDITOR'S WATCH

Synagogue, Funeral Home Partner
To Help Elderly Visit Cemeteries

Since the idea included partnering
n the spirit of communal out-
with a funeral home, Tisdale, through
reach, Temple Israel and The Ira
Temple Israel's Family Life Center and
Kaufman Chapel have teamed
Social Action Committee, approached
up to perform a "mitzvah of a
The Ira Kaufman Chapel.
lifetime" — helping the elderly visit
"We were delighted to participate,"
the graves of loved ones over the High
said funeral director David Techner.
Holy Days.
"We see this as the collective
The pilot program is
performing of a kind deed.
"the
called Kefer Avot
It's a feel-good project. It's
graves of our ancestors."
truly a mitzvah."
The idea is to match Tern-
The Southfield chapel will
ple Israel volunteers with
cover the cost of deluxe
ambulatory residents of Fleis-
buses to transport the volun-
chman Residence and Jewish
teer chaperones and their
Apartments and Services who
elderly companions. It also
would like to spiritually touch
will supply graveside prayer
the soul of a. loved one via a
sheets.
ROBE RT A.
cemetery visit on the Sunday
At least 60 big-hearted
AR
SKL
between Rosh Hashanah and
volunteers
will meet at Tem-
Ed itor
Yom Kippur.
ple Israel at 9 a.m. on Sun-
"Many of the older adults
day, Sept 27, board the
in our community have been unable to
buses and head to Fleischman Resi-
visit the gravesides of their loved ones
dence in West Bloomfield and Jewish
for some time, either because they have
Apartments and Services, which has
no family or no transportation. It's our
campuses in West Bloomfield (Hecht-
hope to provide them with some com-
man) and Oak Park (Teitel and Pren-
fort and solace," says Temple Israel
tis). There, residents will join the vol-
Executive Director David Tisdale.
unteers to ride to the cemetery of their
Tisdale discovered that a New York
choice: Machpeleh, Clover Hill,
City group had done something simi-
Hebrew Memorial, Beth El or Adat
lar. When he pitched the idea to Tem-
Shalom.
ple Israel President Jimm White and
Volunteers will have a map of the
the Executive Committee, they quick-
grounds; graves to be visited will be
ly embraced it. "They thought it was
marked to make them easier to spot.
one of those great mitzvahs people
Cemeteries will be contacted to make
could do," Tisdale said.
sure maintenance of the graves is up
He added: "Jimm told me to do
to date.
whatever was necessary to make it
"The volunteers will accompany
happen."
older adults on a one-on-one basis for

—

Revisiting
True Love

Rabbi Amy Brodsky leads school partici-
pants in prayer.

that Ms. Jacqueline Gilbert has joined
Rabbis Brodsky and Roman in teach-
ing the families.
Rabbi Norman T. Roman
Rabbi Amy B. Brodsky
Administrator Joseph Tarica
Temple Kol Arai

Thank you for the wonderful article
on the love affair that my wife,
Eleanor, and I have enjoyed for over
50 years (Mazel Toy Sept. 4).
But please help me out of the dog-
house and finish the last line of the
quote I gave your fine staff writer,
Lonny Goldsmith. My wife, Ellie,
kids, grandchildren, friends and rela-
tives have called to tell me they can't
believe I could say, "I give her (Ellie)
150 percent more than she could ever
give me." The rest of the quote that
you failed to include was, "And I
know that Ellie has always given me
150 percent more than I could ever
give her. But when you are in love,
you always want to give more."
Also, you wrote, "The trip to Cali-

Korelitz has worked with the elder-
the entire morning, from the time of
ly as a volunteer both at the Hospice
pickup to the return trip home," said
of Southeastern Michigan
Kari Provizer, Temple
in Southfield and the Mar-
Israel Family Life Center
vin
and Betty Danto Fami-
director.
ly
Health
Care Center in
"Visiting at a cemetery
West
Bloomfield.
is very important to many
"Working with the
people, especially at High
elderly hasn't given me a
Holiday time," said Her-
new perspective, but it has
bert Kaufman of The Ira
opened my eyes to maybe
Kaufman Chapel. "When
that's me 25 years from
people move into a senior
now, when I'd sure like to
center complex, there is a
have a volunteer to help
great loss of independence
"It's a haimish thing to me," Korelitz said.
and means of transporta-
do," says David Techn-
A Temple Israel member
tion. Consequently, we
er of The Ira Kaufman for 26 years, Korelitz says
have joined with the many, Chapel.
he realized a few years ago
many volunteers at Temple
he had to re-evaluate his
Israel to avail elderly peo-
priorities and change talk
ple the opportunity to visit
to action. He points to a
their loved ones."
Torah
passage that com-
"Senior citizen centers
mands us to "rise before
are designed to minimize
the elderly and give respect
the impact of this loss of
to them."
independence, but some
"One thing that has
things they just can't do,
preserved
our people over
like providing transporta-
4,000
years,"
he said, "is
tion to cemeteries — a
that,
with
every
genera-
desired service heightened
tion,
we
have
demonstrat-
"It's
our
hope
to
pro-
around holiday time,"
vide them with some
ed, and must keep demon-
Techner added.
comfort
and
solace,"
strating, the worthiness of
Says Jay Korelitz, a
says
Temple
Israel
our past. Respect for the --
Kever Avot bus captain:
Executive Director
aged is demanded of us, in
"I'm concerned about the
David Tisdale.
whatever
way we can fulfill
emotions. I'm assuming
that
obligation.
So for me,
the elderly who we'll be
to volunteer for Kever Avot was easy,
taking haven't been to the graves for a
it was natural." -
long time, for whatever reason. I'm
sure they'll feel good about going, but
VISIT on page 38
it will hurt also."

fornia was one of the bravest things
that Ellie and I did." Would you
please add that we were brave to drive
to California and back with six kids in
a station wagon with no air condition-
ing and the temperature was 110
degrees in the shade as we crossed the
Mohave Desert.
Thanks again for your beautiful
article that added more gold to the
magic of our golden wedding anniver-
sary.
Monte Korn
West Bloomfield

Maccabi Games
Inspire Verse

I wanted to write and thank everyone,
especially my host family, the-
Korotkins, for a great week. They

made the Maccabi games my most
memorable experience. I think we
laughed our heads off that week and
that's what it's all about.
I wrote this poem to express my
feelings about Maccabi. Thank you all
again.

Feather

We are the Maccabi,
At last the free,
We represent the ones before,
For us they had wanted more.
Us, the future generation,
Which they knew about through con-
templation.
The struggles which they faced,
We should remember and have traced.

For them we come here together,
All united as the single strands which
form a feather.

9/18

1998

Detroit Jewish News

37

