This eek

Insight

Remember
When • •

A Sad Change

From the pages of the Jewish News for
this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.

Local volunteer returns from Israel, feeling good about his personal experience,
but somber from the tense mood that pervades the country.

HARRY KIRSBAUM

Staff Writer

I

n previous years, Dr. Sam
Millstone, a retired Farmington
Hills dentist, relished his yearly
two-week trip to Jerusale. - .1,
'here he uses his skills at a volunteer
dental clinic to help poor children.
This year's violence has tinged his
experience with sadness, and affected
the humble clinic from all sides.
Dental Volunteers for Israel (DVI)
has treated about 80,000 needy chil-
dren from ages 5-18 since 1980. Only
poor Jewish, Muslim or Christian
children get into the free clinic,
Millstone said. "These days, most of
the kids coming in are Jews."
Millstone, whose plane departed
from Israel June 1 just minutes before
a terrorist bomb killed 20 young peo-
ple outside a Tel Aviv disco, said
Hamas has been telling the Muslim
population to stay away from DVI and
use Hamas-approved clinics instead.
"I would bet everything I own that
the quality of care offered in a Hamas
clinic is not nearly as good as what
we offer," he said, citing state-o ' the-
art equipment such as $3,500 drills
donated by the manufacturer.
Some 3,000 volunteers from
around the world have worked the
clinic in the past 21 years, Millstone
said. The majority of volunteers are
Christian — most are from Europe,
and about 10 have come from the
Detroit area.
Millstone was introduced to the
clinic eight years ago when he heard a
speech about DVI at a dental frater-
nity dinner.
The action is keeping in character.
Millstone, 69, once was the only den-
tist for 4,000 American Sioux Indians
on a 7,200 square-mile Indian reser-
vation in South Dakota. He retired
from his West Bloomfield private
practice in 1996, and immediately
volunteered at DVI.

The U.N. Security Council adopt-
ed a resolution criticizing Israel for
deporting from the Gaza Strip four
Palestinians, who were responsible
for instigating violence.
Dimitri Solovay, concert pianist,
made his American debut at the
Birmingham Community House.
Faith Tam joined Congregation
Beth Shalom staff as youth-educa-
don-family program coordinator.

Joyce Blum was installed as presi-
dent of the Congregation Shaarey
Zedek Sisterhood.
Avery Goldstein of Oak Park was
invested as an Eagle Scout at Best
Junior High in Oak Park.

1971

Dr. Sam Millstone treats an Israeli child of Ethiopian ancestry at the Jerusalem
dental clinic.

"I wasn't prepared for how good it
made me feel," he said. "I didn't retire
wealthy. I cannot sit down and write
out a great big check, but I can give
in a bigger way by doing what I'm
doing. "
The volunteers pay their way to
Israel, but stay for free in simply fur-
nished apartments. DVI hands out
some free concert tickets, and volun-
teers always get dinner invitations
from the locals, he said.

Violence Intrudes

This year's violence had Millstone a
bit concerned, but he shrugged it off
"I recruit for DVI, and if I tell
other guys that it's OK to go, then I
have a responsibility to be a leader,"
he said. "In the Israeli army, officers
don't say, 'OK, charge that hill.' They
say, 'Follow me.' In a broad sense,

this is the same thing."
In the past, Jerusalem felt safe, he
said, but "the two weeks I was there
were probably the worst two weeks
they've had. I heard gunfire one
night, and many sonic booms from
jet aircraft — sometimes you couldn't
tell if it was gunfire or a sonic boom."
Millstone noticed Israelis dealing
with the violence in different ways.
"There is a segment of the population
who are scared, and some of those
people do nothing but just go to
work, come home after work, and
stay home except to buy food or do
necessary chores. They avoid crowds,"
he said. "But some refuse to let the
violence change their life. They won't
be intimidated."
Millstone's wife was very worried
about his trip this year.
"I sent him off happily, but with
INSIGHT on page 34

Detroiter Henry S. Baum, assistant
principal of Central High School,
was presented with an honorary
diploma recognizing his contribu-
tions to Central.
Arthur Kollin was named president
of Temple Beth Jacob in Pontiac.
Rhoda Weiss of Livonia gave the
valedictory address at Michigan
State University commencement.

Sixteen young men from the Congo
arrived in Geneva to begin training at
the ORT Teachers Training Institute.
Charles H. Gershenson was
elected president of the Jewish
Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Detroiter Dan I. Slobin was selected
to accompany Language Research Inc.
of Harvard University on a project in
an Israeli school for the summer.

Vitt
Detroiter Dr. B. Benedict Glazer
was elected for a life tenure as rabbi
of Temple Beth El.
Detroiter Jon Sobeloff won first
prize in the Michigan Federation of
Labor scholarship essay contest.
Emma Butzel of Detroit, promi-
nent clubwoman, died at age 82.

—Compiled by Sy Manello,
editorial assistant why

6/8
2001

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