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Lake Joanne

Arctic lake named
in memory of
communal volunteer
Joanne Zuroff

SUSAN TAWIL

Special to the Jewish News

A

lake, a lady and lifelong mem-
ories live on at Lake Joanne.
The beautiful freshwater
lake, about 5 by 12 miles in
size, is in a remote area near the North
Pole populated by polar bears, caribou
and musk oxen.
Last Aug. 11, the lake was named
for Joanne Zuroff. She died on Aug.
18, 1998, at age 56, after a hard-
fought battle with cancer, during
Which time she lectured, counseled
and gave cheer, help and hope to
many others.
She was the wife of Southfield
endodontist Arnold Zuroff and the
mother of five children. She was a'fre-
quent volunteer at Jewish nursing
homes, a founder of the Detroit chap-
ter of Chabad's Children of
Chernobyl, and active in many com-
munal organizations, including
Hadassah, B'nai B'rith and the
Women's Orthodox League.
In a unique gesture to honor her
memory, Dr. Ronald Trunsky, a
DMC/Sinai psychiatrist and longtime
friend and fishing buddy of Dr.
Zuroff, arranged to have a lake named
after her in the Arctic Circle in
Nunavit, a section of the Canadian
Northwest Territories.
Lake Joanne is about 800 miles
from the North Pole and about 4,000
miles from Detroit. The lake is about
25 miles from the High Arctic Fishing
Lodge on Victoria Island where Drs.
Zuroff and Trunsky have ventured
each summer for years.
"The fishing there is incredible,"
said Dr. Trunsky. "We catch char (a
species of salmon) and lake trout
weighing up to 28 pounds."
The West Bloomfield resident
pointed out that the two fishermen
use non-barbed hooks and release all

the fish they catch, after photographs
said Dr. Zuroff's daughter, Sheryl
are taken.
Krohner of Oak Park. "He's been fish-
Fred Hamilton, owner of the lodge, met
ing for about 20 years. Mom knew
Joanne two years ago on a visit to Detroit.
how much Dad loved it."
When Dr. Trunsky asked him
A naming ceremony was
about dedicating a lake in her
held at the lake in August,
Michael, Dr.
Arnold and
memory, he quickly agreed. The
with 10 in attendance, includ-
Jerome Zuroff ing Dr. Zuroff, sons Michael
name was submitted to the
at Lake Joanne. and Jerome, Hamilton, Dr.
Canadian Department of Lands
and Forests and the Division of
Trunsky, Dr. Trunsky's son Jeff
Cartography for approval, and will officially
and other friends. Hamilton made six
appear on maps printed this year.
round trips in his four-seater plane,
"It really meant a lot to my dad,"
transporting the guests to and from
the lake. "He must
4 have flown 100
miles easy," said
Dr. Trunsky. With
high fuel costs, "it
must have cost
0
, him a good
$1,000, and he
28 wouldn't take any
-2 payment. He said
it was his gift."
The dedication
ceremony was
informal, with
those present
speaking about
Joanne. Son
Michael sang a song his mother had
written (at left). Friend Michael
Hermanoff of Bingham Farms read
Psalm
23 ("The Lord is my shep-
e tune of Annie's Song"
herd").
an Denver
Dr. Zuroff spoke emotionally about
tves me a feeling
the Haftorah portion of the week,
quoting from Parshat Nachamu (the
I got from my mother
portion of consolation following Tisha
that I give to my daughter,
B'Av):
to my daughter and sons.
"The fields shall grow and the
a way of our knowing
fields shall wither, the flowers shall
grow and the flowers shall wither, but
which way to be going,
the fields shall grow again and the
and I like how they're growing
flowers shall bloom again," he read.
We've only begun.
"Joanne's legacy, five wonderful
children
and 11 grandchildren, are a
It's' a kind of direction,
consolation to me. I can't thank my
a finished perfection,
family and friends enough. It's a beau-
tradition's reflections
tiful occasion that I will never, never
generations have known.
forget," he added.
A l'chaim toast was made, and a
I've walked that way surely
flag,
bearing Joanne's Hebrew name,
holding ever securely
Zahava, was planted on the shore.
as I claim this tradition
"I'm sure," said Dr. Trunsky,
and make it my own.
"there's never been another service like
this in the history of the Arctic." O

at

Remember
When • • •

From the pages of The Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.

President George Bush appoints
Kitty Dukakis to the 65-member
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Members of Alpha Omega, the
Jewish dental fraternity, are offering
free dental screenings to newly
arrived Soviet Jews.
North Farmington High school,
featuring all-state basketball candi-
date Matt Hoffman, wins its first
three games and is ranked 10th in
the state in Class A.

• :C714

•:•, %

Rabbi Isaac Stollman, a national
leader in the Orthodox rabbinate,
dies in Israel at age 86.
An El Al manager in Istanbul is
slain by unknown assassins while
driving home from the airport.
Rabbi David Lieberman, dean of
the Beth Yehudah Schools for 12
years, accepts the post of chief rabbi
of Antwerp, Belgium.

Mrs. Aaron
aron G
ershenson is
named vice chairman of the Heart
of Gold awards luncheon, to recog-
nize volunteers in the community.
The Jewish Agency-American sec-
tion announces that there are 1,209
Americans enrolled in Israeli yeshivot.

Kikit4V.VRWWWN
`V , :‘
„
s ,
Cantors Hyman J. Adler and
Jacob H. Sonenklar are elected by
the Cantors Ministers Association
of Detroit as president and life
president, respectively.
Dr. Harry Arnkoff is the new
chief of staff at St. Joseph Mercy
Hospital in PontiaC.

‘;1.:16VA0Asma, „
The last Israel war prisoner in
Syrian hands is released after two
years of captivity.
Stanley Riegler is installed as
president of the Young People's
Club at Congregation B'nai Moshe.
Lieberman's Delicatessen on
Dexter adds more space to its din-
ing room to accommodate patrons.

— Compiled by Sy Manello,
Editorial Assistant

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2000

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