EDITOR'S WATCH

Comforting The Terminally Ill

Southfield-based HOM and Livonia-
n a seemingly odd coupling, the
based Madonna, run by the Felician
Detroit Jewish community and
Sisters, with Israel's Central Galilee.
a local university run by a
The Federation-sponsored partnership
Catholic order have teamed up
fosters people-to-people connections
to provide hospice care so terminally
between
Michigan Jews and their part-
ill Israelis can live out their last days
ner region.
with dignity and in relative
The Shiffman project,
comfort.
named
for its West Bloom-
When the Jewish Federa-
field
benefactors
who gave
tion of Metropolitan Detroit
$100,000, was designed to
and Madonna University
parlay Detroit's expertise in
unveiled the Milton & Lois
hospice care into a spring-
Shiffman Israel Hospice Pro-
board for a home-based
ject last month, I was skepti-
hospice
program in the
cal about how Detroiters
Central
Galilee
towns of
could develop a program half
Nazareth, Nazareth Ilit,
a world away for something
ROB ERT A.
Migdal HaEmek and the
as personal as dying.
SKL
AR
Jezreel
Valley.
I still have doubts, but the
And
that plan seems to
Ed
itor
more I learn about the pro-
be
working.
ject's potential, the more I
At a luncheon hosted by
realize that the distance
Federation,
Partnership
2000 Michi-
problem isn't necessarily insurmount-
gan
Steering
Committee
co-chairs
able.
Douglas Bloom and Stuart Hertzberg
Lest there be no mistake, I deeply
announced that Madonna University
believe in the role of the hospice —
was now a key player.
which is to comfort the terminally ill
Since it offers the only hospice
until nature works its course. Hospice
nursing care degree program in the
care may not prolong life, but it can
country, Madonna's entry gives the
raise the quality of life.
Shiffman project instant credibility
The Shiffman project isn't old
"We know we cannot cure people,"
enough to have much of a track
says Sister Mary Cecilia Eagan,
record, but its pioneers include a man
Madonna's hospice education director.
widely admired — Rabbi E.B.
"but we can at least try to heal their
"Bunny" Freedman, Hospice of
pain."
Michigan's Jewish Hospice Services
For me, her message resonated
director.
when she recounted how hospices,
Two and a half years in the making,
whose work has long been overshad-
this Partnership 2000 project links
owed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian's physi-

grandmother of one of them. All •
helped make our second seder one of
the most meaningful ever for me, my
-
husband Shelly and our son and
daughter-in-law, Udi and Debi.
When we recited in unison, first in
Hebrew and then in English, "In every
generation, a person should regard
himself as if he personally came out of
Egypt," the seder took on a greater
significance.
This seder get-together for many of
j us is not going to remain an isolated
occurrence, but hopefully will contin-
ue with Friday night and holiday din-
ners to the mutual enjoyment of hosts
and guests alike.
I hope that this invaluable project
becomes a new Pesach tradition in our
Detroit Jewish community.

Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield

cian-assisted sui-
Freedman has won
cide crusade, help
over both his boss,
people "live out
HOM's Dr. John
their last days
Finn, and the
peacefully, not
American Jewish
depressingly"
community's over-
A key to the
seas arm, the
Madonna's long-
American Jewish
distance learning
Joint Distribution
program is a World
Committee. The
Wide Web site
JDC is administra-
course in hospice
tive overseer for
care that covers
the Shiffman pro-
everything from
ject.
insurance rates to
- Three of Israel's
pain killers.
most hospice-
Israel, for all its
savvy institutions
high-tech advances,
— the Hadassah
is critically short of
Medical Center,
quality home hos-
Tel Hashomer
pice services. That's
Hospice and Israel
partly because
Cancer Founda-
Israeli health insur- Rabbi E.B. "Bunny" Freedman, Hos-
tion — also sup-
pice of Michigan's Jewish Hospice Ser-
ers generally don't
port the teamwork
vices director.
cover the cost. So
between Michigan
Israel's few hospice
and Israeli hospice
providers must rely on find-raising.
professionals. Unquestionably, this
The net result is that the terminally
caliber of on-site support in Israel
ill almost always linger in a hospital
eases the pressure on HOM to solve
devoid of the loving kindness and
every crisis, improving the long-term
depression controls that tend to flour-
prospect of success for the Shiffman
ish in a home setting.
project.
Compounding this shortcoming,
The project became operational
Israel doesn't boast an interdisciplinary
last October. A month later,
approach to caring for the terminally
HaEmek Medical Center, the largest
ill like we do here, where we build
hospital in the Central Galilee, said
patient care around nurses, doctors,
it would dedicate beds on an as--
social workers, clergy and other pro-
needed basis.
fessionals.
TERMINALLY ILL on page 32
His big heart notwithstanding,

DIA Exhibit
A Must-See

well as recent artwork by local
artist Lynne Avadenka cele-
brating Hebrew calligraphy
and Jewish prayer and
Don't miss it! What a
thought. The opening DIA
great job done by the
event included a fascinating
centennial committee
presentation by a curator from
that is planning events
the library of the Jewish Theo-
celebrating 100 years of
logical Seminary, which had
Prato Haggadah,
organized Jewish philan-
never before allowed the trea-
Spain, circa 1300,
thropy in Detroit.
sures ,on exhibit to be shown
part of the JTS
Each event seems more exhibit at the DIA.
outside of New York City.
interesting and more excit-
The chairs and committee
ing than the last: concerts,
members of the Jewish Federation's
exhibits, lectures, trips and more.
100-Year Celebration Committee, and
The latest effort is the exhibit at the
those who worked on the separate
Detroit Institute of Arts, "Treasures of
subcommittees for this and the other
Jewish Cultural Heritage From the
events, are to be commended. Our
Library of the Jewish Theological Semi-
entire community is greatly enriched
nary" It features historic manuscripts
by their volunteer efforts.
demonstrating Jewish community cus-
Judge Stephen C. Cooper
toms in other countries and centuries, as

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Disrict _Court, Southfield

4/9
1999