COMMUNITY VIEWS
Remembering Marvin Berlin
In the 1980s, before perestroika,
Editor's note: Marvin Berlin, of blessed
Mr.
Berlin
and Rabbi Freedman went
memory, of Oak Park died on March
to
the
Soviet
Union to meet with Jew-
22, 1999.
ish refuseniks. Eliahu Esses, one of the
here are many different
leaders of the Jewish movement, was
ways for a man to realize his
impressed that a prominent
mission in life.
philanthropist found the
Marvin Berlin,
time to visit them and bring
co-owner of New York Car-
gifts sufficient to maintain
pet World, led a life that
many families for a year.
influenced the destiny of oth-
Mr. Berlin began to
ers. He helped by example
employ newly arrived Russ-
and by action, demonstrating
ian Jews, including many
principles of generosity and
who did not speak any Eng-
kindness.
lish. Ironically, they often
Mr. Berlin worked in a
did not understand the kind
simple office, lived in a typi-
RIMMA
of person he was because
cal suburban house with
NOVOJENOVA
concepts of mitzvot and
nothing extraordinary. He
Special to
tzedaka did not exist in
was the "owner of an
the Jewish News
Russian
philosophy.
empire," but he cleaned
tables in the synagogue after
Big Hearted
Shabbat Kiddush. He combined aris-
In 1980, Mark Grinman went to work
tocracy with simplicity, magnanimity
for Mr. Berlin. A year later, Grinman
with humility.
and his fiancee could not afford a Jew-
Mr. Berlin, grew up without a
ish wedding. "I'll take care of every-
father, went to public school and had
strong Jewish values. He did not come
thing for you," said Mr. Berlin.
from a religious family and did not
Said Grinman, "He made a wed-
study in a yeshiva, but Torah and mit-
ding
and paid for it, and not only for
were
the
basis
of
his
life.
zot
me — there were hundreds like me,
Rabbi Avrahom Abba Freedman was
who celebrated family milestones,
his spiritual mentor. For more than 30
weddings, bar mitzvahs, kiddushes, all
years, they would travel the world to
to the credit of Mr. Berlin."
ignite and support Jewish life.
Mr. Berlin did not spare any
of
Oak
Park
is
a
resources
in order to give joy to oth-
Rimma Novojenova
ers. He helped hundreds and thou-
doctoral candidate at Wayne State Uni-
sands of people — anyone who turned
versity in educational psychology and
to him in a needy situation. When I
evolutionary research.
T
was in a hopeless position, my friend
who was then working for Mr. Berlin
advised me to speak to him.
I was an illegal immigrant and
needed money for a ticket to bring my
21-year-old son from Israel. Near the
entrance of Mr. Berlin's office stood a
line of people. They went in and
quickly left.
I felt scared and humiliated, but
everything happened quickly. After
hearing my short story, Mr. Berlin
wrote a check, gave it to me and said
that I did not have to return anything.
On the street, when I saw the check
for $500, I couldn't believe my eyes
and everything started to spin around.
My friend later told me that she
witnessed 10 to 15 people such as me
come through his office daily for
many years.
For 10 years, Mr. Berlin paid for
BERLIN on page 41
LETTERS
Self-Defense
To Be Desired
Fortunately, my grandparents immigrat-
ed to this country in the early 1920s.
Had they tried just 15 or 20 years later,
there is a pretty good chance I would
not be here to write to the Jewish News
("Guns And Jews," March 10).
After all, antisemitism prevented
thousands of Jews from leaving
Europe for a life with opportunity and
freedom here in America. I was lucky
that many in my family came to this
country before hate, right here in
America, locked that immigration
door. Unfortunately, many other Jews
were not so lucky. They were left
defenseless and hauled away like
garbage to be incinerated by European
antisemites who had been learning
3/24
2000
38
how to kill Jews for centuries.
Today, I am astonished that there
are Jews who have forgotten the Holo-
caust. They have forgotten the
pogroms and the thousands of years of
Jewish persecution. In the most grand
example of just 60 years ago, some
Jews have forgotten that a defenseless
people is ripe to be pushed around —
is not slaughtered — by a bully. In
our everyday life, it is not likely that
we will suffer violence at government
decree. Today, we are jeopardized by
street punks and thugs. Rather than
urge the good parts of society to sur-
render their ability to protect them-
selves, we should be encouraging self-
dependence with a strong dose of self-
defense.
It is bewildering that there are actu-
ally Jewish people who spend time
advocating disarming those of us who
feel obligated to defend ourselves and
our families. I don't want to honor
history by standing defenseless in
front of society's thugs and psy-
chopaths. An inanimate object like a
gun does not kill and maim by itself.
It is people — typically very bad peo-
ple — who wreak havoc and mayhem.
I hope the Jewish News, David Gad-
Had, Phil Baum and our Jewish com-
munity will reconsider the irrational
position that guns are today's No. 1 evil.
Incorrectly used, a wonder medicine can
become poison; it can become evil. A
gun in the wrong hand can become evil,
or in the hand of someone's grandmoth-
er, can be a lifesaver against evil. Let's
focus on the evil people who need to be
removed from society. Let's spend our
time and effort lobbying within our cur-
rent system to enforce the myriad of
existing laws.
Could it possibly be that God's ter-
rible message of 60 years ago was to
tell the Jewish people to finally wake
up and realize that they must stand up
to evil. They must no longer submit,
or they — "the chosen people" —
will, in fact, become extinct.
Giving away our individual free-
dom to self-defense somehow does not
sound like a solution for Jews in this
century. It was already tried in the last
century when a psychopath called it
"the Jewish solution."
Irwin Danto
West Bloomfield
The Voice Heard
Around The World
Your looking back in history column
("Remember When," March 10) car-