AMBASSADOR DAVID B. HERMELIN, 1936 - 2000

"The void I feel in my heart and
head gives me a sense that will
never be filled again with a David
Hermelin. He had every single sen
sitivity that a great leader -- not
just a Jewish leader -- would have.
"His commitment to every uni-
versal and Jewish humanitarian
cause was incomparable. .He was as
beloved and charismatic a Jewish
leader as I have ever known. I
loved David Hermelin with pas-
sion only exceeded by his passion
for giving and leading others.
"He really was one of a kind,
really is irreplaceable."

-- Dr. Conrad Giles, vice chairman,
United Jewish Communities

"On a personal level, he was as
much a mentor as anybody I've
ever encountered. If I could emu-
late, in any small degree, the way
he approached life, what he tried
to accomplish with the way he
approached people and his con-
cern and respect for the dignity of
each human being he ever encoun-
tered, I would feel I had accom-
plshed anything I could possibly
have accomplished in this world.
"He was a prince among our peo-
ple, and there are very few of those."

— Larry Jackier, vice president- of
the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit

His wife, Doreen, and their
family knew intimately the
courage and the resolve to live
with which he met the affliction
that set upon him.
"Millions of people, and partic-
ularly children whom he never
knew, benefited from his incredi-
ble philanthropy and deep and
abiding belief that all humankind
is one family."
-- I.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.)

(

'David Hermelin loved people and
people reciprocated with an
immense love for hire. All the
world felt his embrace. His activities
impacted almost all aspects of
human existence -- family, commu-
nity, religion, business, health care,
sports, government and politics.
"People from all walks of life in
the greater Detroit and Michigan
community, and the nation will
rally around his beloved wife and
family in this time of deep mourn-
ing and warm remembrance."
— U.S. Rep. Sander Levin

(D-Royal Oak)

SAYING GOODBYE

A beloved leader gets an
emotional farewell at Shaarey Zedek.

DAVID SACHS

Staff Writer

avid Hermelin was remembered by more than 2,500
people whose lives he touched at his Nov. 24 funeral.
It was held in Southfield at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek — the synagogue he had served as president.
Afterwards, some 150 cars formed a procession for the inter-
ment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham.
Mr. Hermelin, of Bingham Farms, died of brain cancer
Nov. 22 at age 63.
Delivering the eulogy was his friend of 41 years,
Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Irwin Groner. Also speaking were
Jon Gundersen, deputy chief of the American Embassy
in Oslo, Norway, where Mr. Hermelin served as ambas-
sador; U.S. Agriculture Secretary Daniel Glickman; and
Mr. Hermelin's son, Brian.
Speaking first, Gundersen said he had just conveyed to Mr.
Hermelin's wife, Doreen, messages from the royal family of
Norway, from the U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,
from the Norwegian ambassador and counsel general, from
the prime minister of Norway and from the foreign minister.
"I've just arrived from Norway, and it seems the entire
nation sends to David and Doreen their greatest condo-
lences," Gundersen said.
"David and Doreen represented the very best of America
and what we stand for. Faith, honesty, openness, tolerance,
love. David, your embassy family and indeed an entire
nation will miss you. You will be in our hearts forever."
Glickman, like President Bill Clinton, has known the
Hermelins for many years. He shared a letter the president
sent to Mrs. Hermelin, which read, in part:
"David loved life. And he made sure that everyone
around him shared that love. I will always cherish his
friendship and support and remember with gratitude his
exceptional service as our ambassador to Norway.
"He left the world a better place than he found it. And
no one could ask for a finer legacy.
"Hillary and I are keeping you and your family in our
thoughts and prayers."

His Son's Memories

Brian Hermelin then gave an emotional, personal tribute to
his father.
"The thing about us that made us feel the most special
was that he was our dad," Brian said. "Just being able to be
with him at the intimate family settings allowed the full
bright glow of one of God's brightest lights to shine on us
and provided a comfort and security which is irreplaceable."
Brian added, "He just knew how much fun it was to be
alive. And he was sure if you were with him, you would
know how much fun life could be, too.
"We took such pride in his accomplishments with
him," Brian said. "We were all equally amazed at how far
and how much he accomplished because we knew how
he saw himself, just a regular kid from Pasadena [Avenue
in Detroit]. He made it all seem so within our reach —

the accomplishments, the friends, the admiration, the
fun. Just go out there with that positive, can-do attitude
and you can have all that, too."
Rabbi Groner mourned his friend, whose influence was
felt from the sanctuary of the synagogue to the far reaches
of the world stage.
"When a true leader goes, can he be replaced?" the rabbi
asked. "Woe is the army that has lost its captain.
"We will miss him. We will miss his hearty welcome, his
warm laugh, his quick wit, his words of encouragement, his
shared exuberance.
"When David came into a room, his luminous pres-
ence was immediately felt," Rabbi Groner added. "He
was so vital, so filled with energy, so magnetic that he
seemed indestructible.
"Once you came to know David, your life changed. You
laughed more, you felt more, you cared more, you gave more.
"To have known David was to have warmed your hands -
at the central fire of life.
"For David Hermelin, service, benevolence, mitzvot was
the very essence of his life," said the rabbi.
"David gave us a great and blessed gift. He taught us how
to dream a glorious dream."
Mr. Hermelin is survived by his wife, Doreen; son and
daughter - in - law Brian and Jennifer Hermelin; daughters and
sons-in-law Marcie and Rob Orley, Karen Hermelin Borman
and Mark Borman, Julie Hermelin Frank and Mitchell
Frank, Francine Hermelin Levite and Adam Levite; and
grandchildren Matthew, Alex, Jason and Olivia Orley, Max
and Isabel Hermelin, Asa Levite and Madeline Borman.
Also surviving are sisters and brother-in-law Henrietta
Hermelin Weinberg, Lois Shiffman and Terran and Roger
Leemis; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Eugene and
Suzanne Curtis, Reggie and Dr. Robert Fisher and Mitchell
Curtis; and mother-in-law Anna Curtis. Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.

❑

. • • •

•

.• .

•

suggests that donations a:
Herm e lin
Herne
iliade in David ••••••
•••••n's memory to •• •

• Ambassador David B.
Hertnelin Memorial Fund,
do Jewish Federation Of
Metropolitan Detroit
P.O. Box 2030
Bloornfield.1-1ills, MI
48303-2030
• ORT Hermelin College of
ineering in Netanya, Israel
817 Broadway Ave.
New York, NY 10043
• Goldman-H=6n
Education Fund
Fiala 1-.)ay School of
Metropolitan Detroit
32200 Middlebelt Road
Farmington Hills. MI 48334

.•

Herrnelin Brain 'tumor
Fund
'Henry Ford Hospital
2799 W. Grand Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48202-
• Karmanos Cancer Institute
18831 'W 12 Mile Road
Lathrup Village, MI 48076
• University of Michigan
School Business
or Hermelin Judaica Library
701 Tappan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234
• Hamelin Youth Choir Fund
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
29375 Bell Road
Southfield, /t4I 48034

12/1
2000

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