RABBI E.B. "BUNNY" FREEDMAN

Special to the Jewish News

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show her appreciation, but the volun-
Lori Novetsky gives
Lori Novetsky, a B'nai Moshe com-
teer 'did not want anything in return.
mittee member, has started spending
Beverly Ceresnie a
Secretly, the woman managed to save
time with fellow congregant Beverly
a small sum of money and, because
manicure
as
Roy
Ceresnie,
a woman with two children,
she had no immediate family, asked
a
devoted
husband and severe multi-
Ceresnie
keeps
them
her niece who was disabled to write a
ple
sclerosis
that has left her confined
check to the volunteer. Speechless at
company All are from to a wheelchair.
Beverly cannot do
the gesture, the volunteer donated the
anything except move her eyes, laugh
West Bloomfield.
money to a local charity, Dombey
and cry.
said, and to this day, remembers how
Husband Roy Ceresnie leaves the
her elderly friend would say: "'Weekly
door of their West Bloomfield home
visits are the only things that keep me alive.'"
unlocked for Novetsky, a beautician, to come andgo
during her visits, which occur about every six weeks.
Reinvigorated Efforts
Novetsky talks to Beverly while unclenching her hands
The work of Adat Shalom Synagogue's social-action
to
do a manicure,-and notices the joy in her eyes when
committee provides an example of how the
the Ceresnie children are near.
Conservative movement affirms its commitment to
"When her children walk in the room andsay any-
bikur cholim. The congregation in Farmington Hills
thing
remotely funny, she giggles. She lives for them,"
sponsors annual homeless shelters, book drives,
Novetsky
said. "I get as much as I give, especially from
tutoring programs and food collections.
the whole family. I enjoy their company."
A few weeks ago, Adat Shalom provided shelter
Novetsky said she and Beverly are still in the early
or 29 homeless people. Rabbi Daniel Nevins took
stage
of communicating with each other, its social-
15 of the guests on an optional tour of the syna-
action
committee. "It's my first time coming in con-
ogue, and suddenly, one of the men on the tour
tact with someone so ill."
topped everybody and thanked the Adat Shalom
Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield has
ongregants for their graciousness and generosity. -
just
started to rebuild its social-action committee. "I
Committee chair Micki Grossman said, "When
hope
that our shul members know about how many
e house the homeless, I get thank you's from peo-
volunteer
opportunities there are out there. It's not
le in our synagogue for letting them volunteer.
till
you
get
involved that you know how much you
eople really mean it. We get young parents who
can
really
do,"
said committee chairwoman Lisa
ant their kids to see and be involved, to see and be
Kurzmann
of
West
Bloomfield.
rateful for what they have. Even teens come by
hemselves to be good people."
Refocused Energies
"We re-started less than a year ago because it's one
Though
the concept is as ancient as Talmud, the car-
f the most important aspects of synagogue life,"
ing
community's
modern roots are fairly recent.
aid Betty Weiner, bikur cholim committee co-chair
Some
date
the
idea
to the healing services and sup-
t Congregation B'nai Moshe, a Conservative con-
port
groups
at
big-city
congregations during the
regation in West Bloomfield. She added, it's "one
onset
of
the
AIDS
epidemic
in the late '80s; others
hing one can do for which there is no reward."
HELPING HAND on page 10

t is comforting to focus on those things that unite
&us as Jews rather than those that separate us.
Visiting the sick (bikur cholim) is one of the
great, universal mitzvot (righteous acts). It can be
practiced by all of us equally, without engender-
. Mg controversy,
We need not attach labels to others or our-
selves as we do it. We can all participate together,
regardless of our level of affiliation, social status,
age, financial ability, profession or gender.
Bikur cholim has profound roots in our tradi
tion. On the one hand, the Talmud says that visit-
insgthes sick
one is a highly spiritual experience It is
listed as ne of the ways we mortals can reach
.
~ t spiritual h
eights and actually emulate God
just as God visits the sa lck , so can w e. On the
o h er ha
other
visiting the sick is the
e embodiment f
_
thi e c,G
, olden Rule: "Love your neierh bor as your-
o
'cu. , a ye ry h urnan, down-to-earth Jewish value
On the human or spiritual plane, visiting the
at the core of an y Jewish
si a ckbas
value
s)te
Tsalw
ma? rs been
eoipnie,
Al the first encounter that the father of our
fact,
am, bad vridi God
was
when
e
Abraham while ww
h e
S CiialinCiSi011.
e,s
It is probably
w
cone
I first "Jewish.

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