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Marvin Berlin's Teachings
T
ime and again, Marvin Berlin came
through in extraordinary ways for
the Detroit Jewish community. He
was a sweet, caring man and one of
our community's most significant philan-
thropists.
There are stories that aren't found on the
pages in a book or a newspaper about Mr.
Berlin. Many of us know these private stories,
because they involved him helping us as indi-
viduals in some way.
Mr. Berlin didn't want us to write about
him even in glowing terms. Those stories,
however, are on his "page" in the Book of Life.
A page that continues to reward those of us
\__, left behind, and that will elevate his soul
before the Almighty.
Mr. Berlin, who died Monday, was always
there for us. Whether it was critical funds and
guidance for the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, or
simply to provide a family in need with the
money for a proper simcha, or even food on
their table, he was there.
A resident of Southfield with his wife Alice,
he also was an active contributor to Shomrey
Emunah's kehillah.
Most of all, Mr. Berlin was a man dedicated
to HaShem, to his family and to the Jewish
people. He loved his children, grandchildren,
nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-
nephews with an unconditional fervency. And
they loved him back. But, he loved your chil-
dren as well. When he spoke at a family sim-
cha, he did so with strength and emotion. He
gave those speeches typically only to his family.
How interesting it was that Mr. Berlin, a very
successful businessman, didn't publicly speak a
great deal, nor would he let himself be placed
on a pedestal, though there were many who
asked him to be honored. His dedication to
the Torah included an incomparable level of
sniut (modesty). He was content that others
should get the public's credit. His concern was
that he, his family and the Detroit Jewish
community grow positively on a pathway of
righteousness.
Walk into one of the facilities he helped,
such as Bais Yaakov in Oak Park or Beth
Yehudah in Southfield, and you'll see the
wonderful interaction of children and teach-
ers — his partners on that pathway. Attend
services at his beloved Congregation Shomrey
Emunah and feel the special feeling of Shab-
bos in the neighborhoods near the shul. Or,
consider a class with the Yeshiva Beth Yehu-
dah-hosted Partners in Torah. This will give a
glimpse of what Mr. Berlin was all about and
what he was teaching us.
As long as there is learning going on in
Southfield, Oak Park and all the other areas
that make up the Detroit Jewish community,
one thing is clear: Mr. Berlin was successful in
teaching us. He brought us together when he
was alive. His memory should inspire us to
work even harder, especially on behalf of Jew-
ish education and nal Yisroel.
U
A Heartfelt Experience
As part of Children in Health Care Week, members of the
Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah shared special moments
last week with patients preparing for surgery at Children's Hospi-
tal of Michigan in Detroit. Above, Hadassah's Carnell Jones,
Eleanor Smith and Candia Riollano greet David Sanchez, 6, and
Tashara Alisa Mionte Sanders, 2. Every year, Hadassah donates
handmade dolls that help youngsters understand the procedures
they may encounter at the hospital. The kids are encouraged to
personalize the dolls by drawing faces and describing where they
hurt. Child life specialists and care providers use the dolls to
explain medical conditions and treatments.
LETTERS
A Need To Be Bold
nder the guidance of a U.S. presi-
dent who had been governor of a
southern state, the leader of Israel
shook hands with .the leader of the
Arab people as each renounced making war on
the other.
That wasn't last fall, when Bill Clinton led
Binyamin Netanyahu and Yasser Arafat around
the Wye River Plantation; it was 20 years ago
and the principals were Jimmy Carter, Men-
achem Begin and Anwar Sadat.
The peace that was brokered then may be a
cold one, with Egyptians and Israelis still rou-
tinely suspicious of each other, but at least it
has been kept. It may not have led to an out-
break of peace with other Israeli neighbors, but
because of the Egyptian precedent, Israel now
has political and economic relationships with
more than two-dozen Arab and Moslem states;
the Arab League, established to combat Zion-
ism and Israel's existence, has lost its ideologi-
cal zest.
The outstanding issues being negotiated
now are admittedly more complicated and sen-
IN FOCUS
sitive. Egypt wanted a clearly defined geo-
graphic area, the Sinai, and Sadat could speak
for his country and commit to removing the
main military threat on Israel's southern bor-
der. The borders of the would-be Palestine are
anything but clear — untangling Jerusalem
and the West Bank settlements is a knot of
Gordian complexity, and that is only one of
the territorial questions. Further, Arafat cannot
bind the major military threat, Syria, nor con-
trol how other armies might take advantage of
regaining a foothold just across the Jordan
River.
But the sharpest difference between 1979
and now is the current lack of forceful, vision-
ary leadership. In Washington, in Jerusalem
and in Gaza City, commitment and principle
have been replaced by political expediency,
playing to the crowd.
It would be wonderful if, 20 or 50 or 100
years from now, editorialists could look back
to a new U.S.-brokered treaty that brought
lasting peace between Israel and the Palestini-
ans. It could happen, if the leaders of the three
countries miraculously grow a backbone. H
High Tech
Revisited
The Jewish News story, "High
Tech Jewish Education"
(March 19), misrepresented
some of my comments.
The statement "... most
software is from a decidedly
Orthodox perspective," has a
subtly negative connotation
— I did not make it. My
remark about the preponder-
ance of Jewish software from
an Orthodox perspective was
certainly not a lament. The
institutions that were pioneers
in the creation of Judaic soft-
ware are Orthodox. Notable
are the Institute for Comput-
ers in Jewish Life of Chicago
(the forerunner of Davka
Corp.), and Bar-Ilan Universi-
ty. Their initial objective was
to provide tools to enhance
the study of Jewish source-
texts, especially Tanach, Tal-
mud and the Commentaries.
These tools, and their sophis-
ticated progeny, have provid-
ed revolutionary research
capabilities for scholars and
rabbis — of all movements.
The passion for text study
helped establish these and
other enterprises early, and
they are now the strongest
publishers of Judaic software.
Ken Yirbu! ("May they contin-
ue and multiply.") No won-
der, then, that as these organi-
zations expanded into the cre-
ation of titles in Jewish
Thought, History and
Hebrew Language training, an
Orthodox orientation was
natural.
If I noted the difficulties
non-Orthodox educational
institutions have in selecting
some software in these latter
subject areas, it resulted from
3/26
1999
Detroit Jewish News
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