A Special Ride

Wish-A-Mile cyclists remember Justin Rochkind, too.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

Staff Writer

A

mong the 420 participants in
this year's Wish-A-Mile 300
Bicycle Tour were 27 riders,
wearing the words, "Remembering
Justin,' on their sleeves.
During their sixth annual ride in
memory of West Bloomfield's Alex
Graham, who died at age 17 in 1999,
Team Alex also wanted honor the mem-
ory of Justin Rochkind, who died of
cancer July 10 at age 18.
The July 29-Aug. 1, 300-mile bike
ride from Milford to Cheboygan is an
annual event in support of the Make-A-
Wish Foundation of Michigan.
. Beth Brandvain of Farmington Hills
was honored by the organization with a
newly instituted award, recognizing
individuals who have raised $50,000 or
more during their Make-A-Wish riding
years. As a team, this year Team Alex
raised $56,000 in donations.
In addition to the riders' tribute to
Justin, a memorial service will be held in
his honor from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.
17, at Temple Kol Ami, where Justin's
stepfather Rabbi Norman T. Roman is
the rabbi. Justin's father is Sandy
Rochkind of Oak Park; his mother is

Homeless Are Housed

From Aug. 8 to 15, Adat Shalom
Synagogue will partner with the South
Oakland Shelter to house 30 homeless
individuals.
All clients must be working to
improve their situations and must sign
guest contracts agreeing to a long list of
rules. All are drug and alcohol free.
Through the efforts of the syna-
gogue's social action committee, volun-
teers are recruited to oversee registration,
food preparation, transportation, laun-
dry, hospitality, overnight arrangements
and more.
Chairing this year's Housing the
Homeless Week at Adat Shalom are
Celia Lubetsky and Laurie Leeb.

League Trains Officers

The Michigan Branch of Women's
League for Conservative Judaism will

Lynne Roman of West Bloomfield.
While many of Justin's friends who
were on Israel trips when he died will
attend the service, some also were able
to honor his memory in Israel.
His cousin, Zack Bello, was on a
United Synagogue Youth Pilgrimage in
Israel. David Techner, funeral director at
Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield,
arranged for Zack to listen to the
memorial service in the Jerusalem apart-
ment of Rabbi Stephen Weiss, a former
rabbi at Congregation Shan rey Zedek,
who now is a rabbi in Cleveland.
"The kids and the rabbis on
Federation's 2004 Teen Mission held a
service in the Negev at 10 p.m. the
night of Justin's funeral," said Jeff Chutz
of Bloomfield Hills. "That was 3 p.m.
our time and was the time we were all at
the funeral here."
Chutz's son Zack, a close friend of
Justin's, was on the trip. "A few kids
spoke about Justin as the sun set-over
the desert," Jeff Chutz said. "During the
subsequent few days, 50 or 60 kids from
the mission — many of whom had
never even met Justin — wrote messages
of love and support to the Rochkind
and Roman families."
A notebook filled with the messages
was presented to Justin's family by

hold a leadership training seminar for all
Michigan branch officers, board of
directors and sisterhood presidents 3
p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18; at
Congregation Beth Shalom.
The seminar, "New Horizons for
Michigan Branch 2004-2006," will be
conducted by WLCJ national trainer
Carol Gopman of Wilmette, Ill.
Gopman served as president of her sis-
terhood and Central Branch and is a
national board member.
For reservations, call Marcia
Tanzman, (248) 737-0644.

Chaye Olam Celebrates

Congregation Chaye Olam will host
two community events the weekend of
Aug. 20.
On Friday, Aug. 20, to celebrate its
first anniversary in its Bloomfield
Township home at Maple and Inkster

Beth Brandvain of Farmington Hills and Dee Dee Robinson of Franklin get ready
to ride in their Team Alex-Remembering - Justin T-shirts.

Temple Shir Shalom Rabbi Michael
Moskowitz, who had been with the
teens on the mission:
Speakers at the Aug. 17 memorial
service for Justin will include Rabbi
Norman J. Cohen, provost and profes-
sor of Midrash at the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion in
New York, and Jeffrey Zaslow, syndicat-
ed columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Minchah (afternoon services) will be
conducted by a member of the North
American Federation of Temple Youth-
Michigan (NFTY).
Donations to Make-A-Wish may be

roads, the congregation will host the last
in a summer series of family Shabbat
services and barbecue dinners.
Kabbalat Shabbat will begin at 6:30
p.m. followed by dinner (chicken and
beef hot dogs) at 7:30 p.m. The pro-
gram will include songs by Chaye Olam
college students.
Cost is $5 per person. Each family is
asked to bring a parve side dish that
serves at least 10. For reservations, by
Wednesday, Aug. 18, call Lynda. Koby,
(248) 477-5677.
On Sunday, Aug. 22, Chaye Olam
will host an ice cream social open house
from noon to 3 p.m., featuring games,
moonwalk, face painting and free kosher
ice cream courtesy of the new Carve'
franchise in West Bloomfield, and
strolling musical entertainment by the
Sunnyside Barbershop Quartet. The
event is free and an opportunity to meet
synagogue staff For information, call

made payable to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Michigan, and sent to:
Team Alex, do Beth Brandvain, 28697
Apple Blossom Lane, Farmington Hills,
MI 48331.
Contributions to the Justin Rochkind
Chesed Fund at Temple Kol Ami, sup-
porting families with critically ill chil-
dren, may be mailed to: Temple Kol
Ami, 5085 Walnut Lake Road, West
Bloomfield, MI 48322. ❑

For more on the Wish-A-Mile 300
Bicycle Tour, see Danny Raskin's column,
page 50.

Cantor Stephen Dubov or Cindy
Bolokofsky, (248) 851-7485.

AJC Plans Tour

The American Jewish Committee
Metropolitan Detroit Chapter will kick
off its celebration and commemoration
of 350 years of Jewish settlement in
North America with a special two-hour
tour of historic Jewish Detroit Sunday,
Aug. 22. "Settlers to Citizens: A 21st
Century Tour of Historic Jewish
Detroit" is open to the general commu-
nity.
Participants will meet at the newly
opened Sweet Lorraine's Cafe and Bar in
the Courtyard Marriott across from the
Renaissance Center in downtown
Detroit at 9:45 a.m. The tour includes a
sightseeing bus and informative materi-

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