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found three Jewish bodies. A man
pulled from an old-age home was given
a funeral by the rabbis; the others were
sent to a morgue prior to burial.
The teams also rescued people from
rooftops and offered medical assistant
to those in need.

Torahs Rescued

Rabbi Druk and his colleagues also
rescued Torahs from damaged syna-
gogues in New Orleans.
"We went to three different syna-
gogues," Rabbi Druk said. "One
Chabad synagogue was near campus,
another was in Metairie and the last
was a two-story Sephardic shul where
the synagogue was on.the second floor.
"We put the Torahs in my truck and
drove them back to Baton Rouge.
Then I took them to Houston and
gave them to the rabbi of Chabad of
New Orleans. It was a very emotional
moment."
Isaac Leider of New York, a member
of the Israeli-based ZAKA rescue and
recovery organization, rescued other
Torahs. He waded through waist-deep

toxic floodwaters with six Torah scrolls
from Congregation Beth Israel, an
Orthodox synagogue in New Orleans.
A few of the Torah scrolls are believed
to be more than 250 years old.
"Out of six, only two are possibly
restorable," Leider said. "I'm glad we
did this, but I'm terribly saddened.
It's hard to see them in this condi-
tion." The scrolls are blackened from
the toxic water and severely dam-
aged.
Though Leider worked independ-
ently to rescue Torahs and aid in the
recovery of Jewish bodies, he was a fre-
quent diner at Rabbi Druk's apart-
ment, where kosher food was abun-
dant.
Rabbi Druk returned to New York
on Sept. 15, but memories of his last
Shabbat in Baton Rouge linger.
"It was one of the most inspiring,"
Rabbi Druk said. "A few Jewish doc-
tors from FEMA, a few rescued people
and a few others were there. We sang
together until the wee hours of the
morning."

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Isaac Leider, a volunteer with the Israeli-based ZAKA rescue and recovery
organization, saves a Torah from waist-high floodwaters in New Orleans.

Relief Efforts

Local synagogues, organizations and
businesses offer these opportunities for
contributing to victims of Hurricane
Katrina:

The Shul in West Bloomfield will
host Rabbi Yossi and Chanie Nemes
and their seven children of the
Chabad synagogue in Metairie, La.,
which was ravaged by Hurricane
Katrina. They will speak about
"Surviving the Storm" at 6 p.m.
Friday evening at the Shul, 6890 W.
Maple, followed by dinner. $25. Must
call for reservations. (248) 788-4000.

Nurses on duty 24 hours a day
Dementia care
Gourmet dining
Therapeutic recreation

Family support
Respite care
Hospice

The rabbi also will speak about
"Going Forward" at 9:30 a.m. during
Shabbat morning services.
Contributions for Katrina relief are
being accepted through the Shul at
the above number.

Over the next several weeks,
SoccerZone, 41559 Grand River in
Novi, will institute a number of initia-
tives to assist those displaced by the
hurricane.
• A portion of sales through Sept.
24 will be donated to the Red Cross.
• Items donated at any SoccerZone
location will be given to the Governor's
Relief Fund for distribution.

RELIEF EFFORTS on page 32

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Orchard Lake Rd. South of Lone Pine Rd.,West Bloomfield, MI

9/22
2005

31