Tefilo Emanuel cemeteries in
Ferndale — made its stop at Teitel
Apartments, volunteer Sharon
Shapiro prepared to meet Alma
Hochman, 92, who has family
buried at Beth Abraham Cemetery.
Shapiro, an operating room nurse
at Beaumont Hospital, said her rea-
son to volunteer for this project
stemmed from a sermon given by
Temple Israel Rabbi Paul Yedwab
during a yahrzeit service for her
mother.
"He said there are five things you
should do to live a good life, and
volunteering was one of them," she
said.
Shapiro also believes volunteering
sets a good example for her three
children.
At first, Hochman seemed agitat-
ed by the help she needed to climb
the steep steps entering the bus and
the time it would take to make the
trip.
Her mood didn't change until she
found herself in front of the graves
of her two brothers, a sister and her
parents. Then she needed some
TLC.
At the grave site, Hochman said
her own tear-filled prayer, while
Sharon read, from the prayer book.
The older woman
hugged and kissed
w
her in gratitude. The pair placed
stones taken from the bus on the
graves, something Hochman said she
had never done.
Shapiro said the woman kept
repeating, "you did a great thing
today."
At Machpeleh Cemetery, May
Helman, 88, from Hechtman
Apartments, sat on a stone bench in
front of her son's grave, said a simple
prayer, wept, and then thanked
Marcia Kahn, Sheila Goldberg and
Robert Gunsberg, her volunteers,
"for the opportunity to visit my
mother, father, husband and son. I
couldn't have done it on my own."
Helman hadn't visited the graves
in over a year, and was so grateful,
she swapped phone numbers with
Goldberg.
Kahn of Farmington Hills, who
said more volunteers were along
than were needed, was willing to
share May with her sister and anoth-
er friend.
- After the trip, as the seniors were
helped off the bus, they stopped to
personally thank the volunteers
lucky enough to sit in an aisle seat.
What started as agita-
tion, followed as grief,
had blossomed into deep
appreciation.
One volunteer said
they should do this every
six months, while bus
captain Levine said even
once a month might
work, but on a smaller
scale. "We need smaller
buses and more cars," he
said.
Joe Roberts, a bus co-
captain, said "volunteer-
ing is like exercise; once
you start, it makes you
feel good."
Taking the seniors on
this trip, he said, gave
him "goose bumps." ❑
May Helman and volunteer Robert Gunsberg sit on a bench in Machpeleh Cemetery.
Joining The Family
A year-old Jewish Apartments and Services
program gets off to a fast start.
provides programming and the salary
of a community outreach coordinator,
Staff Writer
who works "more directly with the
residents and act(s) as a liaison to the
ast year, past board members
community," Kamin said. The role of
and relatives of residents of
the coordinator is to encourage the
Jewish Apartments and
seniors to get involved in activities and
Services were looking for a
out into the community, she said. •
way to cure the loneliness that resi-
As of Monday, the new coordinator
dents occasionally experience.
is Esther Winer, who was hired in
The program they created to address
May as a receptionist at Prentis Jewish
the problem, the Friends & Family
Apartments in Oak Park. She takes
Society, has exceeded their expectations
over from Harriet
Hessenthaler, who left
last month after a few
months on the job.
Staff members filled in
until Winer's start.
"Prentis is biggest
building so she
(Winer) already knows
most of the residents
and staff," Kamin said.
The community
outreach coordinafor
works flexible Sunday
through Thursday
hours and rotates
between all the build-
ings. Hessenthaler,
according to Kamin,
was the
wrong fit for
that type of
Mildred Snitz and Edith Silverstein For more information
schedule.
join the festivities at the Friends tr about joining the Friends
Said society
Family Society Ice Cream Social. & Family Society, call
chairman Bill
Damon J. Bradley at
Ross, "We
by attracting 400 members.
(248) 661-0123, ext. 231.
want
to have
"I thought it would be great if
someone
to
we had 100 or 200 members at
be
there
and
focus
on
what
the
resi-
this point," said Marsha Goldsmith
dents want to do."
Kamin, executive director of the
The most recent program was the
senior-adult congregate housing orga-
Friends
& Family Ice Cream Social in
nization. "It's one of the smartest
August,
which drew 80 people to the
things we've done."
Eleanor
Butzel Simon Park next to the
Individuals pay dues of $35 yearly,
Prentis
Jewish
Apartments in Oak
or $350 for a lifetime membership, to
Park.
join the society, which plans both in-
The first fund-raising drive the
house activities and field trips for the
society
will assist with is the Robert
JAS' 670 senior adults. The residents
and Bluma Schechter Challenge,
go to movies and concerts, and attend
which will match contributions dollar
performances at the agency's five
for dollar up to $25,000. According to
buildings in Oak Park and West
Ross, this money will be used to bring
Bloomfield. More than 500 people
residents into the community, rather
have participated in the 40 programs
than being used for their routine care
held to date.
and building maintenance. ❑
The money collected by the society
LONNY GOLDSMITH
L
10/2
1998
Detroit Jewish News
21