This Week

Personal Touch

This year's March of the Living
trip to Poland and Israel links
teens and survivors.

Meeting with sisters Stacey Crane
and Sharon Milberger of Farmington
Hills and their father Moniek
Milberger of West Bloomfield, also a
hree children of Holocaust
survivor, they decided to draft a letter
survivors want to make
to Holocaust survivors, offering a way
this year's pilgrimage more
for the students to say Kaddish
personal and community-
(prayer) for the slain family members
wide at the same time.
of survivors.
When 33 area teenagers, ages 16-17,
"We would like Detroit's March of
take flight April 16 on the Jewish
the Living participants to act as repre-
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
sentatives of Detroit Jews
March of the Living 2001
who
wish to honor and
Experience to Poland and
Top:
Glor
ia
Ruskin
bless
the memory of rela-
Israel, it plans to be the same
tives
who
perished in the
two-week emotional roller
Below: From left,
Holocaust," states the letter.
coaster of the past, with a
Stacey Cr ane and
"So many people were
new twist.
Sharon Milberger
trapped in the inferno that
ain, the Detroit delega-
was Europe, and especially
tion will join teens from
Poland, between the years
North America, South
1939
and
1945.
So many did not sur-
America, Europe and Israel to experi-
vive.
Of
those
that
did, many have
ence Jewish life in Poland and the dev-
never returned to the scene of their
astating impact of the Holocaust on it.
horrible experience and the place
Two survivors as well as local rabbis
where loved ones were lost."
will accompany the local group. After
It adds: "There are a variety of ways
a week in Poland, the group will visit
in which Detroit's teens can honor the
Israel, which grew out of the ashes of
memory of Holocaust victims while in
the Holocaust.
Poland. If desired, we could 'partner'
But this year's participants, repre-
you
with one of the teens going on the
senting the three major streams of
mission.
He or she could say Kaddish
Judaism, will not only travel as stu-
for family members no longer with
dents, but also emissaries for local sur-
you, at a selected site on the trip. A
vivors.
stone from Detroit could be placed at
The participants began a 10-session
a site. The whole group could recite
educational course on Jan. 7. They are
Kaddish for a group of people at a
learning about Polish/East European
specific site. Other ideas could be con-
Jewry, the Holocaust and the creation
sidered.
of the State of Israel. After the mis-
"After the students return to
sion, the group will meet twice in
Detroit," the letter continues, "it is
order to process and understand their
our hope to bring together those of
impressions and emotions.
you participating in this joint experi-
The plan developed when Mark
ence, for an evening of shared memo-
Myers, community shaliach (emissary),
ries and conversation. Our hope is to
met with some adult members of the
continue this thought-provoking jour-
pilgrimage, said Gloria Ruskin of West
ney by allowing these students the
Bloomfield, who will travel with her
•
ability to expand their vision of the
father, Alex Kuhn of Southfield, a
Holocaust
and meet individuals who
Holocaust survivor.

HARRY KI RS BAUM
StaffWriter

T

4IN

1/19
2001

20

unfortunately have firsthand knowl-
edge to share with future generations
of Jewish children. Of course, partici-
pation in this meeting is not a precon-
dition for having relatives remembered
in Poland. That is a mitzvah in and of
itself."

Generation To Generation

Ruskin said Myers had the original
idea, but he needed to rough it out
with them.
"When it all came together that my
father, and Stacey and Sharon's father,
would be part of the group going to
Poland," Ruskin said, "he thought it

would be an ideal way to
have the second genera-
tion work with the next
generation to reiterate the
lessons of the Holocaust."
The project organizers
are getting mailing lists
of survivors from
Children of Holocaust-
survivors Association in
Michigan, the Holocaust
Education Coalition and
the Hidden
Children/Child Survivors
of Michigan.
"Between the different
groups that we've been
working with and differ-
ent contacts that we've
had," Ruskin said, "we
would hope that Detroit
area survivors would have
the opportunity to con-
nect with us one way or
another."
Cookie Gonik, local
March of the Living
chairperson, said, "We
have no idea of the par-
ticipation we'll get. If
they could talk to the
teens and give them their story, it
would be much more personal for
them when the teens have the cere-
monies. When the mission comes back
we'll have a debriefing, and the sur-
vivors would be invited to come and
hear the teens' experiences."

❑

For more information regarding
the letter, please call Gloria Ruskin
(248) 855-3577, Stacey Crane
(248) 932-5283, or Sharon
Milberger (248) 489-5411. For the
complete letter, please visit the
Jewish News Web site, JN Online,
wwvv.detroitjewishnews.com

