` ..VCW,V,VgarrenMPANI • house was sunken into the ground up to our knees and it was empty, except for a few chairs, an old oven and some shelves. Vita barely knew how to speak." It was Vita's grandmother, a member of the well-known European Jewish family named Soloveitchik, who initially contacted the local Jewish community for help. Some children come to Beit Yeladim via Russian orphanages, which vary in the quality of their care. Two brothers, Daniel and Ilya, sent from an orphanage in Chechnya, were beaten by their drunken father. Both of the children, who had never seen a piece of fruit before coming to Moscow, are steadily recovering from years of malnourish- ment. "The children who come from the orphanages have very serous problems. You could fill a book," Belyak said. The children rarely speak about their own lives outside of Beit Yeladim. Instead they talk of studying, watching movies and taking long walks, but their body language at certain times commu- nicates other feelings. Yakov, a hand- some 10-year-old boy with olive skin and large brown eyes, said he was look- ing forward to celebrating his first Passover seder. When asked about Jewish holidays during previous years, he lowers his head into the crook of his small arm resting on the table. Most of the children are ineligible for adoption because they either have living parents seeking to reclaim custody or are considered too old by baby brokers. Rather than finding new families for the children, Belyak and his wife con- centrate on making the youth facility feel like a home. The term "orphanage" is avoided here and the youths substitute its use with "pension" or "home." "Each child idealizes their parents," he said. "But here, I am their father and my wife is their mother." Rabbi Berkowitz insists that the Jewish lifestyle promoted there gives the children a common identity to help them bond to another. He also main- tains that in many cases spirituality fills a void in the lives of troubled youths who would otherwise form a pocket for rage or depression. "We're giving them both a spiritual life and a physical life," Rabbi Berkowitz said. When you're dealing with kids who have so many problems it helps to bring them up with spirituality to fill a void so they won't blame their parents." Belyak takes a more metaphysical approach toward the subject. "It helps because it's on the level of the soul," he said. "It's medicine that I don't see because it's on the inside." 0 You worry about builders not building, You stress about permits not permitting. You fret about the intricacy of the new Venetian blinds. You do not, however, worry about the banking. Imagine if everything that could go wrong didn't. That's the advantage you enjoy with Standard Federal Commercial Real Estate and our 100 years of worry-reducing expertise. Whether you're building or expanding, we're with you every step of the way and in every phase of the business cycle — with a product line that's as deep as our experience. Moreover, our local decision-making provides the funds you need, when you need them. So discover what's possible with Michigan's most accomplished real estate team. Call Steve Luedecker at (248) 637-5005. standardfederalbank.com Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. ©2004 Standard Federal Bank N.A . LEASE PULL AHEAD IS BACK If your lease expires between June 1st, 2004 & March 31st, 2005 • Call for details! 2004 PARK AVENUE 0% APR for 60 mo. + $2000 rebate Prestige package, transmitter, compass ,,#‘ 142302 SALE $ 29,539** ,,,‹-zzZ‘7:‘'' MO. LEASE $ 388/mo. 36 \`' • V4W' ....oRmem.$1011, — Plus tax, title, destination, plates. S1,995 down. Must qualify for GMS pricing and GM Retiree Certificate. All rebates to 11 - 11 I dealer. Plus tax, title, plate. Must qualify for GMS pricing and THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN STYLE' GM loyalty. Sale ends on 05-21-04. CHARLIE WARSHAW TaffilaRCIFF B U I C K www.tamaroff.com 248-353- 1 300 28585 Telegraph 5/14 South of 12 Mile • Southfield 2004 53