Co m m u ni ty

THE DETROIT PARTNERSHIP GROUP

ARTHUR HORINiZ

R.ENE ANO DAViD TECHNER

RABBI BUNNY FR ,'ECIMAN

STEVE SCiiANES

IOWA MAZOR•POZt ■ iER

.1.044, ■ •• ■ •

MARK MR.,GROM

Alyn
For The Kids

Detroit supporters of Israel rehab hospital feats the Techners.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff-Writer

D

avid Techner's connection
with the physically disabled
children of Alyn Hospital in
Jerusalem came about in a
most unlikely way.
"In the days before there were laws
requiring buildings to be handicap acces-
sible, a woman came into our building
with a remarkable request," says Techner,
a funeral director at the Ira Kaufman
Chapel in Southfield.
"Her name was Sondra Berlin, and
she was physically disabled and in a
wheelchair and probably one of the
strongest, committed and powerful advo-
cates of handicap laws in the state," he
says. Berlin, disabled by polio, was the
former head of the Michigan Civil
Rights Commission.
"She said we were in a business where
a major mark is a sense of compassion,"
says Techner. "She gave us a phone num-
ber and said if we called, our building
would be handicap accessible in a week.
I really learned a great lesson from her
and we made the changes she suggested."
A couple of years later, Techner
learned Berlin was being honored at a

8/24
2001

48

Detroit Friends of Alyn function. With
much respect for her, he attended the
event.
There, Techner and his wife Ilene
were first introduced — through words,
stories and videos — to the children of
Alyn Hospital.
After years of support and advocacy
for the hospital, Detroit Friends of Alyn
will honor the Techners and that com-
mitment at their 11th annual benefit.
The 6:30 p.m. strolling dinner will be
held Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek. A program follows at 8.

What Is Alyn?

Detroit's Partnership 2000 Mission.
Founded as a clinic in 1932, the hos-
pital is the only pediatric facility in Israel
specializing in rehabilitation of children
with physical disabilities, ranging from
traumatic injuries to congenital deformi-
ties, cancer and burns. Israeli health
insurance covers only 70 percent of costs.
The hospital has 93 beds for hospital-
ized patients, 100 beds for day care treat-
ment and an outpatient clinic receiving
between 4,000 and 5,000 patients visits a
year.
"I was blown away by some of the
things they can do there," Techner says
of the hospital whose name is an
acronym for the Hebrew Agudah Le'ezrat
Yehadim Nachim (Organization to Aid

The Techners of Birmingham were invit-
ed to be this year's honorees by Arthur
M. Horwitz of West
Bloomfield, who, with his wife
The Detroit Friends of Alyn annual dinner will
Gina, were honored by the
take place Tuesday, Sept. I1 at Congregation
organization at a May 2000
Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield. A
Alyn Hospital event.
6:30 p•xn. strolling dinner will be followed by an
In fact, the Techners' first
8 p.m. program. Minimum donation is
introduction to the children of
$150/person. Deadline for reservations is
Alyn came from Horwitz, when
Thursday, Sept. 6. For reservations call Detroit
the three were joined by a
Friends of Alyn, at (248) 559-ALYN. To send a
group of Detroiters who visited
donation or to make reservations by mail, send
the hospital last May, while
check to Detroit Friends of Alyn, PO. Box
traveling in Israel on the Jewish
250573, West Bloomfield, MI 48325. ❑
Federation of Metropolitan

Handicapped Children), and the English
"All the Love You Need."
"This is a place that helps all chil-
dren," says Gina Horwitz, Detroit
Friends of Alyn president. "It is not just
for Jewish kids, not just for Middle
Eastern kids. It is for everyone. In fact,
the first American child just finished a
stay there."
Describing the multidisciplinary sys-
tem at Alyn, she says, "They have all
types of specialists under one roof so sick
kids don't have to run from doctor's
office to doctor's office. This makes less
wear and tear on the families, too."
A respite program is available so chil-
dren with disabilities can stay at the hos-
pital while families travel in Israel. The
Detroit chapter also can make arrange-
ment for tours of the hospital for those
visiting Israel.
"The bulk of our donations come
from the United States," says Brenda
Hersh, director of public relations and
development at Alyn. "The funds raised
by our American supporters represent
the difference between standard hospital
treatment and the exemplary medical
and paramedical rehabilitation care Alyn
Hospital is able to provide."

A Tribute To Debbie

"One of the first people I thought of
when Arthur asked me was Debbie
Groner," Techner says of his longtime
friend. Groner died March 3, 2001, after
suffering since childhood from myositis
ossificans progressiva, a rare, crippling
genetic disorder that gradually turned
her muscle tissue into bone.
"How often do we see someone in a
wheelchair, like Debbie was, and say,
`There, but for the grace of God, go I?"
he asks.
"But Debbie, even given her physical

