The foundation also is being built
grants will depend on resources and
with $100,000 intergenerational
the quality of the requests. Once
procedures are in place, proposals-.
donations to the same endowment
received in the JWF office by Feb. 1
fund as the individual gifts. A
will be eligible for the awards to be
$100,000 donation, also payable
over five years, provides for lifetime
announced after the next Jewish
New Year.
intergenerational membership; the
mothers, daughters and granddaugh-
Dr. Milton Goldrath, a
Farmington Hills gynecologist whose
ters vote on projects as a family.
A series of training sessions start-
practice has made him privy to
women's issues, has
ed last month, fea-
turing a presenta-
established an inter-
generational mem-
tion by a member
bership in memory
of United Way
of his wife, Joan. He
Community
wants to assure that
Services. The
younger generations
trustees are being
of women in his
prepared for read-
_family have a voice
ing grant proposals
and working
in Jewish philan-
together to make
thropy.
"My wife had
choices.
been involved with
"This will not be
just a matter of
Federation for many
raising money and
years and had talked
giving it away," says
about a perpetual
Birmingham's
gift before she passed
Margot Halperin,
away in 1998," Dr.
foundation chair
Goldrath says.
who is joined in
"After Margot
service by her
(Halperin)
became
—Margot- Halperin
daughter, Gayle
involved with the
Halperin Kahn.of
JWF, I realized this
Bloomfield Hills.
would be a suitable
"This will be an
vehicle for memorial-
education in phil-
izing Joan. She was a
anthropy, and we're going to bring
great lady, and she was always
in speakers from around the country.
involved with women's issues.
We're going to do site visits and
"In my pra6tice, I heard about
research.
women's problems that were not
"I like results-oriented programs,
being taken care of, and many of
and this will be the first time we will
them went back to antiquity. I may
be addressing the lives of Jewish
be the first man who is a JWF
women with direct, grant-giving
donor, but I'm sure there will be
ability. It's exclusively for Jewish
more and more."
women and girls in need, and we
Dr. Goldrath wanted an intergen-
want to be agents of change. We, as
erational membership because he
Jewish women, have to take care of
intends that the younger members of
our own. We are not in competition
his family become involved in Jewish
with any other Federation divi-
affairs, and he believes intergenera-
tional affiliation helps develop lead-
sions."
The JWF was designed to target
ers.
issues as they occur. It will strive to
Because of Dr. Goldrath's gift,
improve the quality of life of Jewish
one trustee has a long-distance
women in the Detroit area and
involvement. His daughter, Janet
beyond.
Loeb, is an investment banker living
Trustees believe their work will
in Los Angeles.
combat problems associated with
"The other trustees include peo-
diseases that strike Jewish women
ple I've known most of my life,"
disproportionately, domestic abuse,
Loeb says about the special circum-
stances of her membership. "I think
lifestyle choices, finances, spiritual
expression, single parenting, resettle-
my father knows women very well,
ment and aging.
and I always was encouraged to
The annual amount available for
become whatever I wanted to be. I
grant making will vary with the
hope that I can pass that kind of
investment return on the endow-
opportunity along to others." ❑
ment principal. The number of

It's exclusively
for Jewish
women and
girls in need,
and we want
to be agents
of change.

-

Spring Cleaning

Southfield funeral director fixes émigré's problem.

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

offers of payment.
One client at Kaufman's mistook the
paint container for something else.
"That's not a cremation urn, is it?" the
client asked.
When he took the paint to the
JCC in Oak Park, Dube told

hen Zinaida "Zina"
Kravets emigrated from
the former Soviet Union in
1995, the toughest things
to leave behind in Yel'sk,
Belarus, were the graves of
her parents.
Her mother had died in
1991. Her father died in
1947, but a new marker
was placed at his grave,
about 50 miles from
Chernobyl, before Kravets
left for Detroit.
Kravets has two sisters
who also live at Prentis
Jewish Apartments in Oak
Park. They took comfort
that another brother and
Otto Dubep resented the special paint to Zinaida Kravets.
sister remained in Yel'sk
near their parents' graves.
Recently, however, their siblings told
them the paint was chipping from the
letters on their mother's gravestone.
Kravets, a serious student in the
English as a second language program at
the Jewish Community Center in Oak
Park, told her-teacher about the chipping
paint. The teacher called Ira Kaufman
Chapel in Southfield for information on
how to solve the problem. Otto Dube
answered the phone.
A Kaufman funeral director, Dube
experienced a similar situation three years
ago. His mother, a Holocaust survivor
who had been hidden in Belgium during
the war, found her father's grave in a
small cemetery in Amsterdam. The
cemetery had been undisturbed by the
Nazis during World War II.
The family restored the grave mark-
er, refurbished the site and visited the
grave. And from the experience, Dube
began his own company that offers per- Kravets' mother's grave in Yefsk.
petual care for grave markers in nine
Kravets, "You have to be very careful
states. and Canada.
with lithochrome. If you get it in the
"I know exactly what your student
wrong place, it will stay there forev-
needs," Dube told the English teacher.
er." Kravets will send the paint, the
Lithochrome, he said, is a special paint
formulated for stone grave markers and brush and a bottle of rubber cement
to her brother and sister. The cement
it's available only through monument
masks areas that should not be-paint-
companies.
ed and will rub off when the
Dube called some friends, got the
lithochrome dries.
paint and the correct brush. The materi-
When spring comes to Yel'sk, a
als sat in his office for several weeks
family gravesite will get a thorough
before he presented them to a grateful
spring refurbishing. ❑
Kravets two weeks ago. He refused her

isTN

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2000