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Jewish Youths' Hero And Mentor
i or as much as David Bittker did
in life, he shunned the spot-
light.
He was a partner in the National
Lumber Company in Warren, a mem-
ber of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit Board of
Governors, founding chairman of
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life, vice-chairman of the
national board of BBYO — and he was
a family man.
Mr. Bittker, 73, of Orchard Lake,
died Feb 27, 2005.
"He was amazing, warm person," said
Arline Bittker, his wife of 48 years. "His
focus was not on himself — his focus
was on getting the job done whatever
the job was, and it didn't matter if he
got credit for it or not."
Robert Aronson, chief executive offi-
cer of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, praised Mr.
Bittker's quiet style.
"He never sought recognition, but the
had a huge impact with high- school
and college-aged youth," said Aronson.
"He cared deeply about young people
and helping them discover the joys of
being Jewish."
Aronson cited Mr. Bittker's role as
national president of Hillel and the
"driving force" behind the construction
of the Hillels at the University of
Michigan and Michigan State and for
his support of Hillel of Metro Detroit.
Born and raised in Wyandotte, Mr.
Bittker graduated from Roosevelt High
School there in 1949 and earned a
bachelor's degree in business administra-
tion from U-M in 1953.
Mr. Bittker did a stint in the army
from 1953 to 1955, becoming a private
first class, at Fort Belvar, Va. Late in
1955, he returned to Detroit, entered
the real estate field and met his wife,
Arline. They married in 1956.
"He was always busy with work, but
he also spent a lot of time with the fam-
ily," she said. "He would come home,
sit down and you could just watch his
shoulders relax and work went away;
and he'd be ours totally. He always
made time when the kids were little."
She remembered their eldest son,
Alan, then 5 years old, waiting for his
father to come home at the entrance to
the subdivision four
homes away. Mr.
Bittker would stop and
let Alan jump in his
lap; then Alan would
help his dad steer the
rest of the way home.
In 1967, Mr. Bittker
began a career at
National Lumber
Company in Warren,
where he worked until
recently as partner and
treasurer.
He became involved
David Bittker
in the Jewish commu-
nity in the late 1950s,
when he joined a local B'nai B'rith
chapter with some fraternity brothers.
By 1988, he was B'nai B'rith's nation-
al fund-raising chairman. Locally, he
chaired a committee to raise $3.3 mil-
lion for a Hillel house at Michigan State
University.
Mr. Bittker, one of the architects of
the revitalized Hillel, was a B'nai B'rith
leader who, in 1994, helped Hillel gain
independence from the international
Jewish fraternal organization that had
sustained it for 70 years.
He served as the first chairman of the
board of directors of the newly inde-
pendent Hillel.
Avraham Infeld, president of Hillel
International, said Mr. Bittker had the
trust of "every element of the Hillel
leadership, whether student, profession-
al or lay person."
Due to B'nai B'rith's financial situa-
tion, it was very important to become
an independent student organization,
Infeld said. "It was David's unique lead-
ership that managed to make this hap-
pen. Both organizations were truly
enriched by his leadership."
David and Arline Bittker created
Hillel's first fellowship, the Bittker
Fellow, which enables recent college
graduates to work in Hillel's
Schusterman International
Center to help develop stu-
dent leaders. Many Bittker
fellows have gone on to
work with Hillel and else-
where in Jewish profession-
al leadership. The Bittkers
also have been an impor-
tant presence at Hillel
events and have helped
recruit other lay leaders to
aid Hillel.
"David had a deep and
sincere commitment to
young people and the per-
petuation of the Jewish
community," Infeld said.
"He gave of his time, his counsel and
his resources straight from the heart,
and it showed. He was a mentor, a role
model and a powerful force for Jewish
renaissance."
Mr. Bittker became BBYO vice chair-
man in 2001 and played an instrumen-
tal leadership role during critical times,
said Matt Grossman, executive director
of BBYO.
"To many, David's defining quality
was the humble wisdom he shared with
those around him, whether it was at a
board meeting with his peers or an inti-
mate conversation with teens,"
Grossman said. "His presence will
always be felt in the goodness that
Jewish young people bring to the
world."
Philanthropist and co-chairman of
Hillel Michael Steinhardt lauded Mr.
Bittker as "a very solid guy."
"He was a guy whose judgment was
taken seriously by the [Hillel] president
and prior administration," Steinhardt
said. "And he was really an old timer at
Hillel, and he was respected and liked.
He was a person that was viewed as of
being of great quality and reliability and
a real mentsch."
Four generations of the Bittker family
have been members at Adat Shalom,
said Rabbi Herbert Yoskowitz.
The last conversation he had with
Mr. Bittker was poignant.
"He told me, 'My family not only
loves me, they admired me. I am
happy,"' Rabbi Yoskowitz said. "He was
a very strong-willed man and a very fair
man. Everything he did emphasized
`team' not individuality. And he did that
with his family, in the workplace and
with his volunteer work."
Mr. Bittker is survived by his wife,
Arline Zaft Bittker; sons and daughters-
in-law, Alan and Sandy Bittker of
Franklin, Ron and Caryn Bittker of
West Bloomfield; daughter and son-in-
law, Jodi and Keith Tobin of West
Bloomfield; grandchildren, Daniel, J. J.
and Bradley Bittker, Rayna and Ethan
Tobin, Halide and Shoshana Bittker; sis-
ter and brother-in-law, Lorraine and
Arnold Fisher; sisters-in-law and broth-
ers-in-law, Wilma and Arnie Fellman,
Madelon and Terry Yarows.
Interment was at Machpelah
Cemetery. Contributions may be made
to Hillel of Metro Detroit, 667 Charles
Grosberg Center, Detroit, MI 48202;
Michigan State University Hillel, 360
Charles Street, East Lansing, MI 48823;
University of Michigan Hillel, 1429
Hill Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104;
B'nai Kith Youth Organization, 6600
W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322;
B'nai B'rith Great Lakes Region, 6735
Telegraph, Suite 304, Bloomfield Hills,
MI 48301. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel. ❑
SHIRLEY ANSTANDIG, 96, of
Farmington Hills, died Feb. 26, 2005.
She is survived by her grandchil-
dren, Jeffrey and Kathy Hecker,
Barbara Torango, Harlyn and Peter
Gosling, Jordon and Jo Hecker and
Elise Anderson; seven great-grandchil-
dren; daughters-in-law, Betty Gilbert
and Adrienne Hecker. She was the
beloved wife of the late Samuel
Anstandig, the late George Hecker
and the late Joe Circle; loving mother
of the late Victor Hecker and the late
Ronald Hecker.
Interment at Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to a char-
ity of one's choice. Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.
Tamara Baskin of Russia; sister, Zina
Babushkin of Canada; grandchildren,
Irina Baskin and Vadim Gorelik, Steve
and Marina Baskin, Gallina Baskin;
great-grandchildren, Brian, Rosanna,
Laura.
Interment at Hebrew Memorial
HARRY MRS BAUM
StaffWriter
r
YAKOV BASKIN, 98, of Southfield,
died Feb. 27, 2005.
He is survived by his sons and
daughters-in-law, Igor and Larisa
Baskin of Southfield, Gregory and
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