Leonid Erlich of Southfield, who entered the
Soviet army at the very beginning of the war,
chats with a friend. Erlich came from Odessa
where many of his relatives died in the camps
during the German occupation.

.racob Siegal of Southfield, as a Soviet
Mier, escaped from _a•German POW camp
rid then led a partisan.unit for most of the
(it The medal he grasp3-4.41r "Partisans
atriotic War."

'

Left; Lev Kuperstein of Southfield addresses the ceremony in Russian. As a
soldier, he worked in the headquarters of Red Army leader Marshal
Georgy Zhukov. Kuperstein is an active member of the Detroit
Association of World War H Jewish Veterans, which will celebrate its 25th
anniversary in August. Seated behind him are State Sen. Gilda Jacobs,
Oak Park Mayor Gerald Naftaly and JCC President Hannan Lis.

Kuperstein, a member of the Russian
veterans' association since its founding
in August 1980. As a soldier, he
worked in the headquarters of Soviet
Army leader Marshal Georgy Zhukov.

Heroic Destinies

Abraham Reznik of Oak Park took
part in the fiercest battles for
Stalingrad and was heavily wounded.
Alexander Kalish of Southfield
began his military service in Finland
two years before the war with
Germany broke out. Later, he took
part in the battles in Hungary,
Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. He
came home from the army in 1948.
Mira Rozova of Southfield volun-
teered in the army in 1942 was wound-
ed in action. Presently, she is an active
member of the veterans' association.
From the first days of the war,
Lyuba Sherman of Southfield was an
inmate of a ghetto in the Ukraine. It
took tremendous will and courage to
escape and, after much hardship, find
her way to a partisan unit. She
became a scout and bravely fought
against the fascists until the war's
end, as did her future husband,
Leonid Sherman.
I could continue this list. Every vet-
eran had his own destiny, but all of

them were united by the urgent will
and desire to liberate their country.
That was the source of their heroism.

Jews Remember

Among all the oppressed peoples of
World War II, there was only one peo-
ple that the fascists tried to extinguish.
That is why we, as Jews, must never
forget the importance of this victory,
which led to another historic victory
of the Jewish people — the founding
of Israel, the Jewish homeland, on
May 14, 1948.
The idea for the local monument
originated among the leaders of the
Russian veterans' association, which
collected money for it. It became pos-
sible due to the initiative of the associ-
ation's leader, Anatoliy Granovsky of
Southfield.
It also became possible thanks to
the active assistance of many people,
including the managing director of
the JCC in Oak Park, Leslee
Magidson; the director of the
Russian program of the JCC, Maria
Bruell; Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit property man-
ager Randy LeCompte; and the vet-
erans' association members and
board including Vladimir Kapitulsky
of Southfield, who was responsible

for the preparation of the technical
documentation for the monument.
Among the dignitaries at the cere-
mony not previously mentioned were
Peter Alter, president of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit;
State Sen. Gilda Z. Jacobs, D-
Huntington Woods; Oak Park Mayor
Gerald Naftaly; JCC President
Hannan Lis; translator Ida Kogan; and
veterans association member Leonid
Berkovich of Oak Park.
On May 10, about 220 members of
the Russian Jewish community, friends
and relatives held a festive celebration
of the 60th anniversary of Victory
Day at Congregation Beth Shalom in
Oak Park. Steve Weiss, the synagogue's
executive director helped facilitate the
event.

❑

Lev Peransky of Berkley volunteered in
the Soviet army before the war at age
16. He wanted to be a pilot, but
became a paratrooper. He served in an
elite group that was subordinated to the
high command and took part in the
war in Byelorussia. After the war, he
served in the Soviet occupation group in
Germany, working in the building
where the German High Command
signed the Act of Unconditional
Surrender in May 1945.

Listening to an entertainment program
after the monument dedication are,
from right, Dimitri Ressin of Southfield,
a military driver during the war;
Lyusya Kuperstein of Southfield; and
veteran Lev and Larissa Peransky of
Berkley.

Posing in front of the monument are -
Lyuba Sherman and Zelda Selector,
both of Southfield, who survived the
900-day siege of Leningrad. 012 the
right is Zelda's husband, Lazar
Selector, a Russian navy veteran.

giN

5/19

2005

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