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BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News

he late comedienne Gilda Radner
always considered herself to be "just a
nice Jewish girl from Detroit," recalls
her brother, Michael Radner, who
still lives in Southfield. She never was impressed
by her own fame, he points out, and would have
been surprised that her death resulted in the
founding of the rapidly growing network of
Gilda's Clubs, a national organization of support
for cancer patients, their families and friends.
Jeffrey Ross — real name Lifschultz — fash-
ions himself as "just a nice Jewish boy from
New Jersey," but his proficiency in comedy
roasts has made him one of the country's most
sought-after young comedians. He's happy to
be the headliner at Gilda's Big Night Out II on
May 3 at Temple Beth El.
Th second
annual event, spon-
sored by General
Left: Jeffrey Ross: "I guess you
Motors, also will
could call-it a happy accident
feature a silent auc-
that I ended up in comedy.
tion and strolling
For a while, I thought I
supper to help raise
would spend my life in
the catering business."
funds for Gilda's
Club Metro
Detroit, which
supports 1,300 people at its Royal Oak head-
quarters. Gene Taylor of radio station WOMC
will be master of ceremonies.
About 600 people attended last year's Big
Night Out at St. John's Armenian Church in
Southfield, raising $122,000, but club officials
hope to beat that amount this year by utilizing
the 1,400-person sanctuary of the Bloomfield
Township temple.
Gilda's Club is a free, social and emotional
support community for men, women and chil-
dren with all types of cancer. It is named in
memory of Radner, who is best known for her
work on Saturday Night Live. She died of ovari-
an cancer at age 42 in 1989.
Ross can relate to death at an early age. His
mother died when Ross was only 13 and his
father when he was 19, both of non-cancer
related illnesses.
The comedian, who began his career after
Radner's death, "heard a lot about her through
people who worked with her, and, of course, by

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4/21
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