HARRY KIRSBAUM
Staff Writer
Participants
And
Affiliations
Id
ark Tapper wasn't quite
sure what clothes to
pack last week to take
to Poland and Israel,
but he knew he had to make room for
a camcorder.
"In a few years, the survivor genera-
tion will be gone," said Tapper, an 18-
year-old senior at Cranbrook Kingswood
School in Bloomfield Hills. "It's my
responsibility as a Jew to be able to
explain it to the generation after mine."
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to
visit the concentration camps again,"
said the Shaarey Zedek congregant.
"It's a learning experience that allows
me to gain some knowledge and
become a broader-based person.
Those twinned themes of exploring
the past and building greater under-
standing of themselves echoed repeat-
edly last week in interviews with many
of the 42 local students preparing to
leave on the Detroit Teen Unity
Mission/International March of the
Living, April, 10-26.
The group left last weekend on a
night flight to Sokinitze, Poland, in
time to mark Yom HaShoah on
Tuesday. The teens will tour the cities
of Krakow, Warsaw and Lublin — and
the Auschwitz-Birkenau, Maidanek
and Trebling concentration camps,
before flying Sunday for a week of
touring Israel. Their visit will include
touring Michigan's Partnership 2000
sister region, the Central Galilee.
Fourteen Israelis from that region will
take part in the two-week march.
Participant Sherry Kraft, 18, said
she's become more religious over the
past few years, and is trying to find
out about her family roots.
Interested in the Holocaust because
her great-uncle survived, she said she
began educating herself, taking
Holocaust literature classes at
Birmingham Groves High School to
learn about the past, and talking with
people to find out what to expect.
"A good friend of mine went to
Poland a few weeks ago and she said
that anti-Semitism has not changed in
the past 50 years," she said. "I'm a lit-
tle nervous about that. I've come
across people who don't like Jews, but
being in surroundings where no one
likes Jews is completely different."
The B'nai B'rith Youth Organization
and the Jewish Federation of
ORTHODOX
Bais Chabad --- Barry Skoczylas and
Izzy Weiss, both of West Bloomfield
Shomrey Emunah — Fred Goldman,
Kayla Jacobson and Seth Jacobson,
all of Southfield
Young Israel of Oak Park — Avi Feld
and Dovy Singal, both of Southfield,
and Zevi Reinitz of Oak Park
ding Identit
In Poland and Israel, 42 local teens are seeking to
understand the Jewish experience at first hand.
vivors, he noted, but he was too young
Metropolitan Detroit take turns spon-
to hear their stories when they were
soring the annual trip. Federation sent
alive.
45 from Michigan and 15 from Israel
He also sees the journey as an
two years ago; this year, Federation's
opportunity
to meet a wide range of
Michigan/Israel Connection sent 42
new
friends.
"I'll be bunking with
from Michigan and 14 from Israel. The
them,
so
I
don't
have a choice," he said.
staff of 26 includes rabbis from Young
The Akiva Hebrew Day School junior
Israel of Oak Park (Steven Weil), Beth
will take a few Detroit Red Wings hats
Abraham Hillel Moses (Aaron Bergman)
to trade with students he meets.
and Temple Beth El (Sheila Goloboy).
Rachel Sherman, a 17-year-old
The goal is education — from the
from Temple Israel, whose grandfather
context of the Holocaust, and Israel
spent two years in Auschwitz, said she
after 1948, said Judah Isaacs, interim
has no idea what to
director of the Agency
expect, but she is sure it
Above:
Melissa
Klein,
16,
for Jewish Education of
will be emotional. She
of Farmington Hills, left,
Metropolitan Detroit. He
said a friend's brother
and Rachel Sherman, 17,
also calls it a "unity mis-
of West Bloomfield do some went on a previous
sion," a way to bring
march and has yet to
last-minute shopping.
Jewish kids together from
look at his pictures.
the Reform, Orthodox
The
trip
will
reaffirm the lesson to
and Conservative movements.
"live
life
to
the
fullest
and not take it
That's a good idea, students said.
for granted," she said.
It has to do with straying away
Kraft agreed.
from who you know and starting to
"People go day-to-day, and don't
get to know other people," Kraft
noted.
She said the groups
were separated in
January during the first
few meetings, then
:A 4
"slowly but surely, they
N fn IM
a VA
started coming together."
Izzy Weiss, 16, from
Shoah can be remembered formally, with
Bais Chabad said the
speakers and ceremonies. It can also
trip will give him a first-
hand perspective about
come to life vividly, for teenagers and a
Harry Kirsbaum can be reached at
the Holocaust; his
(248) 354-6060, ext. 244, or by e-mail grandparents were sur-
survivor at his Polish concentration camp.
at hkirsbaum@thejewishnews.com .
42,
Young Israel of Southfeld —
Tali Blanchard, Elly Goldenberg,
Daniel Greenbaum, Danny Gutman,
Adina Novetsky, Shimon Pichette,
Ellie Rothstein and Aron Srolovitz,
all of Southfield
CONSERVATIVE
Adat Shalom — Sarit Ashmann of
Farmington Hills; Rachel Boyman
and Eric Ceresnie, both of West
Bloomfield, and Jessica Leeb of
Orchard Lake
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses —
Jackie Goldis of Bloomfield Hills
Shaarey Zedek — Jonathan Dorfman
and Mark Tapper, both of Bloomfield
Hills; Annette Gajda of Farmington;
Jennifer Kurland and Karin Weinstein,
both of West Bloomfield, and Lauren
Lovinger of Farmington Hills
Beth Shalom —
Tali Zechory of Beverly Hills
REFORM
Temple Shir Shalom ---
Elissa Lindow and Gill Sharkey,
both of Farmington Hills
Temple Beth El — Megan Harris-
Linton of West Bloomfield and
Melissa Keller of Bloomfield Hills
Temple Emanu-El ---
Marc Barnes of Southfield
Temple Israel— Melissa Klein and
Amanda Plisner, both of Farmington
Hills; Sherry Kraft of Southfield, and
Nir Saar, Rachel Sherman and Erica
Silverstein, all of West Bloomfield
TRADITIONAL
Shira and
B'nai David
Ali Traison of West Bloomfield
Shomer Israel —
Adam Gardin of Oak Park
4/16
1995
Detroit Jewish News
15