This Week
pen'
k• s
Their
4'‘
The community is coming
together for Ben and
Jeremy Michalson.
ESTHER ALLWEISS TSCHIRHART
Copy Editor
B
07.
7/21
2000
16
en and Jeremy Michalson of Novi
were in dire straits when they lost
their father, Mark, 52, to a heart
attack last month, just 2 1/2 years
after the death of their mother Joan, a multi-
ple sclerosis patient.
The brothers were left without any close
relatives to give them emotional and financial
support. Ben, 16, and Jeremy, 20, faced an
uncertain future.
But that future is getting brighter.
A number of individuals, some of them strangers
and others mere acquaintances, have rallied around
the Michalsons to ensure their survival.
From the hospital where their father died, Jeremy
and Ben phoned Debbie Aaron of Farmington Hills,
a distant friend of the Michalson family. She and her
husband, Lou, hosted the shiva and since then, have
assisted the sons in every way they can. Another
essential new friend has been Otto Dube of Ira
Kaufman Chapel, once Jeremy's youth adviser in the
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's AZA. The
Michalson brothers now spend time at home with
both the Aarons and Dube and his wife, Patty.
The Dubes and Aarons spoke with Sandy Hyman
of Jewish Family Service to set up a community fund
for the brothers. "We are working on a five-year plan
to get the boys through college," Dube said. "We are
trying to help preserve their childhood."
And the fund is growing, thanks to the generosity
of many. JFS said donations are coming in from $5
on up; children have enclosed notes and drawings.
Someone who cares about the brothers is Euni
Michelson (no relation), executive secretary of the
Jewish War Veterans. She was planning a singles
dance party for July 30 at the JWV building in
Southfield, when she read about the Michalson
brothers in the Jewish News ("A Time To Care," June
23, page 12). That moved her to turn the party into
a public dinner-dance and give half the proceeds to
the young men.
She and her "Euni's Team" volunteers have been
putting up posters, selling 300 tickets and seeking
donations of food and door prizes. The volunteers
include Barbara Alpert of Farmington Hills, Elissa
Berg of West Bloomfield, Sandy Ephraim of
Farmington Hills, Katherine Ensman of West
Bloomfield, Elaine Zeron of Southfield, Shelley
Nadiv of Huntington Woods, Sandy Strauss of West
Ben and Jeremy Michalson in front
of the family's condo in Novi.
Bloomfield, Otto Dube and Debbie Aaron. It's all
coming together, Euni Michelson said, with Tapper's
Diamonds & Fine Jewelry in West Bloomfield and
the Cappuccino Man (Elliot Lewkow) among the
merchants who have agreed to donate goods, ser-
vices and food.
Barbara Alpert said it seemed like beshert (meant
to be) that "I was standing behind Euni [Michelson]
in line at Deli Unique when she was asking them to
donate for the Michalson brothers." Days before,
Alpert had been discussing with friends how they
could help.
Alpert gave Michelson a cash donation on the
spot and said she'd like to outfit Ben and Jeremy for
the next few years at her clothing store, For Men.
Another generous individual, a radiologist who
wishes to go unnamed, contacted Debbie Aaron and
Richard Berg, both mentioned in the JN article, to
verify that the fund money would go to the brothers.
Advised to call JFS, he drove over with his check for
$10,000. "He didn't even know these kids," Berg said.
"I think their mother did a wonderful thing when
she insisted that they go to Hillel Day School," Berg
said, noting how that community of parents has
come together financially for Ben and Jeremy.
Another event on their behalf is a parlor meeting
"for angels" that Herb Kaufman of Ira Kaufman
Chapel, and his wife Babs will host Aug. 14.
With the help they are receiving, Jeremy, who was
given temporary custody of Ben, is assured of
returning to his studies at Western Michigan
University next month. The fund will take care of
some of his school and living expenses, Dube said. A
university trustee is seeking additional money.
Ben's life will be changing more. In a couple of
weeks, he will join the Berg family in West
Bloomfield. Elissa and Richard Berg are parents of .
his friend Zach, the youngest of their three children.
"We've been spending time with Ben," Richard
Berg said, "so it's very comfortable. He and Zach have
been very, very good friends since first grade" at Hillel.
"Ben is just a wonderful boy, so it wasn't hard
to do this [offering their home]," Berg added.
"We talked to the kids individually and had a
family meeting and without hesitation we all
agreed this was the right thing to do." If he wish-
es, Jeremy is welcome to stay with the Bergs dur-
ing breaks from college.
The big project now is getting the Michalson
condominium in shape for resale. Dube and the
Aarons are assisting Ben and Jeremy with the task,
even while Ben works at the condo pool and starts
driver's training and Jeremy has his job at the Jewish
Community Center's hockey camp.
Dube said donations are coming from John
Morgan of Perspectives in Laminate in Royal Oak
for the kitchen cabinets; Amy and David Chaims of
Bloomfield Carpet and Flooring and Mickey
Alterman of Royal Distributors for labor, padding,
flooring and material; and Mohawk Industries in
Georgia for carpeting.
The adult friends of Ben and Jeremy have
become a new family for them, and new friends to
each other.
"I met Otto once years ago and at funerals, but
didn't really know him, and I had never met the
Aarons," Richard Berg said. "I can't believe how
they stepped forward." Alpert said, "Euni
[Michelson] is amazing for what she's taken on"
with the benefit.
Debbie Aaron, who just met the Bergs, said,
"The Bergs are incredible offering their home, open-
ing their arms to these kids. What a huge, huge gift
they're giving Ben. The Michalsons are worth the
investment. The boys are so wonderful, and I think
they chose their friends very well." She said the
brothers haven't sought bereavement counseling yet,
focusing instead on getting the condo ready.
Last weekend, Ben and Jeremy gave away furni-
ture to a Catholic family in Farmington Hills. They
heard about the family's need through Dube, who
expressed pride that the brothers "are already start-
ing to give back to the community; already learning
the true meaning of tzedaka."
Aaron said the brothers are very appreciative of
what's being done for them, adding that Jeremy
recently told her, "`I think I'm finally beginning to
believe that this is real.' People are donating and want
nothing in return. The boys are hoping, down the
road, they can contribute the way others have been
helping them."
"I'm very proud of the Jewish community," Berg
said. "For great causes, the community really steps
Tickets are $20 for the Jewish War Veterans
benefit dinner at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July
30. For information, call Euni Michelson,
(248) 559-5680. Tickets are tax-deductible.
To send a gift to the Michalson brothers' fund
at Jewish Family Service, send a check to JFS,
24123 Greenfield, Southfield, MI 48075;
write Michalson in the memo portion. JFS has
received clarification that contributions to a
fund to benefit specific individuals are not tax
deductible.