C o m m uni ty

ROBERT A. SKLAR

Editor

T

he weather was cool, with sunshine
only peeking through, but 55 seniors
were at peace visiting the graves of
loved ones — inspiring their volunteer
chaperones in the process.
"This is a gift for us to do," said Liz Fellows
of West Bloomfield, one of 125 volunteers who
gave up a morning to brighten the memories,
and lives, of older adults on the Sunday between
the High Holidays.
"The immediate positive feedback — my
companion, Vivian Beresh kept saying, 'Thank
you, thank you' — was just so gratifying,"
Fellows said.
Many of the seniors told stories of good peo-
ple and good times past. Others stood quietly.
Some hadn't been to the cemetery in the last
year, either because they have no family or no
way to get around. Tears flowed freely amid the
comfort and solace.
Everyone, seniors and volunteers alike, were
uplifted. Coming so close to the terrorist attack
on America, the general mood among all seemed
to be, "You have no idea how much this means

*a A

9/28

2001

52

Spirituality

to me.
For the fourth
year in a row,
Temple Israel's
Family Life Center
and Ira Kaufman
Chapel in
Southfield teamed
up to sponsor Kever
Avot, Hebrew for
"Graves of Our
Ancestors." Eight
buses loaded with
volunteers left the
synagogue at 9 a.m.
to pick up ambula-
tory residents of
assisted living and
apartment complexes
throughout the Jewish community. The final
destination: 12 cemeteries in the tri-county area.
The synagogue volunteers, including youth
group members, helped their elderly compan-
ions spiritually touch the soul of a loved one
through a graveside visit and the recitation of
Kaddish. Ira Kaufman Chapel furnished the
deluxe buses and graveside prayer sheets.

"

Three days before, temple teens marked the
graves to be visited with yellow Kever Avot flags.

Morning To Remember

David Techner of Birmingham, a funeral direc-
tor with Ira Kaufman Chapel, said the event
"gets larger and better every year."
It started in 1998 with 20 seniors and 50