education away from them, that this was something that you carried within you, and they taught me that I could :always carry mine with me." (Susie recalls the moment Herman I made his last college tuition payment I for his children. "We were eating din- net, and he got up from the table and I stated dancing the hora. We laughed for a long time afterward.") His family, Susie says, was every- ; thing to her father. "I guess it was :because he was all alone. We were iall that he had." Etka stayed at home and cared for ithe family, though she did -attend I school and graduated valedictorian of I her class. She also was active in I B'nai B'rith Women, where she served as president of her chapter, I and to this day she loves bowling. Susie has many memories of going with her mother every Monday evening to bowl with B'nai B'rith Women. And, for the past 38 years, lEtka has saved every Thursday after- : noon for lunch and mahjongg with close friends. •, The Goldenberg home was a tradi- itional one. In Detroit, they lived near eAdat Shalom SynagogUe, which her :mother preferred, and sometimes the !family would walk to Shabbat ser- :vices there. Other days, they attended :Young Israel of Northwest Detroit, her father's choice. When the family moved to Southfield, they went to IShabbat services at Young Israel of 'Greenfield (today Young Israel of Oak Park), of which Herman was a found- 1 ing member. "My father clung to his religion," Susie says. Though he had endured !so much anguish during the Nolo- caust, "he was never bitter about :what he suffered. I think my father :found a sense of comfort at shul. He had friends there; it was like a family. He was respected there." A longtime Zionist, Herman was grateful for the opportunity to practice ihis religion, his daughter says. "His family had died because they were 1 Jews. How could he turn his back on his religion now?" Her mother, too, refused to let her past darken life after the Holocausi. "Her greatest pleasure," Susie, says, "is knowing that the Jewish people are still here to tell the story that we are alive." Both Etka and Herman spoke open- ly about their past, which Susie appre- ciates. "It was healthy" to talk about the Holocaust, she says. "A lot of my I friends had parents who survived and I didn't want to talk, and their children were left with so many questions." Susie describes her father as a man "with a perpetual smile ... he was an incredible person." He passed on his love of Judaism to his daughter, and because of him she opted 10 send her children to Hillel Day School, she says. "I want them to have all the tra- ditions, too." Herman Goldenberg died 14 years ago, and Susie remains close with her mother, who continues to help out in her daughter's home. "She is the kind of person who would do anything and everything 1 for you," Susie says. "First of all, she's a fabulous cook. We never have store-bought challah [egg bread]. My brother [Zygi] lives in Seattle, and whenever she finds out someone going there she wants to send a package (maybe some homemade gefilte fish or rugelach [a pastry]) to him." Susie remains inspired by her moth- er's volunteer work at the original Sinai Hospital of Detroit where Etka. who speaks seven languages, oftel, served as a translator; with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit; and with Adat Shalom Synagogue. Etka also has been a docent at the Holocaust Memorial Center in West Bloomfield since its opening, and today is the only person to both work as a docent and serve as a guest speaker about her experiences during the Holocaust. She also has led sever-1 1 al groups on the March of the Living, taking teens back to Poland and to the sites of Hitler's death camps for the Jews. When she was little, Susie says, she •TN Subscribe 'TN To receive The Detroit Jewish News by mail call (248) 354-6620 detroitjewishnews.com CANADA 0 USA 0 EUROPE 0 1SR" USA ' F .ISR EUROPE 0 IRA ISRAEL CO NAME Cy11001 CANADA •USA •EUR005•15RAEL FOR. THE SUMMER OF' A uurime Active Teen Tours • Outdoor Adventures Golf & Tennis Programs Call Now for a Free Brochure AGES 13-20 Grouped by Age 1- 800-767- 0227 Visit our website: www.westcoastconnection.com Since 1986 STEVEN TARNOW, C.R. PREFERRED BUILDING CO. (248) 626-5603 Fax 248-932-0950 Residential & Commercial Remodeling Building Quality Into Every Project With Unmatched Personal Service. ARI' Featuring Andersen Windows IONAI. ASSOCIA1 ION OF IIIE REMO01.1.ING Licensed & Insured 6, GROWN CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS 28 Years Experience Residential/Commercial WE SPECIALIZE IN HOME-MODIFICATIONS & PRODUCTS NEEDED FOR THOSE WITH LIMITATIONS DUE TO AGE, ILLNESS OR INJURY • • • • Is there at least one accessible entrance to your home? Can you get into/out of the tub or shower safely? Can you maneuver up/down your stairs? Are light switches and electrical outlets easy to reach? EVELYN GRODAN CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE PHONE CONSULTATION: 248-855-5887 1/26 2001 103