Mazel Toy!

Projects In Focus

Youth has a clear vision for mitzvah projects.

LEONARD POGER
Copy Editor

aniel Elkus knew two
years ago what he wanted
to do for his bar mitzvah proj-
ects. Born prematurely with a
condition that could have
resulted in blindness, the 13-
yen-old Bloomfield Hills youth

D

"See the Light"

NQ

bracelets to relatives,

classmates, friends

and neighbors

"allowed me to help

someone and I know

where the money is

going."

— Daniel Elkus

began raising money for a
charity group that studies and
treats retinopathy in prema-
ture infants.
In June, he completed
another mitzvah project —
taking a collection of comput-
er games, books and toys from
the Eklus household to Alyn
Hospital in Jerusalem. The
donation follows a tradition
initiated by relatives who are
major contributors to the facil-

ity-
But clearly, Daniel's pet
project was raising $400 for
the nation's first organization
"dedicated to eliminating the
problems of low vision and
blindness in children caused
by premature birth and retinal
disease." This is the mission
of the Association for
Retinopahy of Prematurity and
Related Diseases (ROPARD).
Daniel's father, David Elkus,
said his son was born 12
weeks early and benefited

Sept. 13

Lindsay (Wainer) and Ryan Dembs of
Franklin are thrilled to announce the
birth of their son, Harrison Franklin
(Efraim). Welcoming home Harrison is
big brother Dylan, 2`/2. Sharing in their
excitement are grandparents Shelley and
David Wainer and Linda Dembs of West
Bloomfield and Sandra and Dennis
Dembs of Bloomfield Hills. Ecstatic great-
grandparents are Robert Golden of West
Bloomfield and Ann and Nelson Dembs of
Florida. Harrison is named in loving
memory of his great-grandmothers
Fannie Wainer, Francis Golden and Fannie
Alfield.

Sept. 2

Julie (Frohlich) and
Thomas Song of West
Bloomfield are excited
to announce the birth
of their son, Alden
Jacob. Loving first-
time grandparents are
Song
Joan and Jerry
Frohlich of West Bloomfield and Maria
and John Song of Troy. Also sharing in

132

from an experimental proce-
dure developed and performed
by Drs. George Williams and
Michael Trese, affiliated with
Beaumont Hospital in Royal
Oak.
The procedure was the first
to correct a problem in which
an infant's optical nerves are
growing faster than they
should, a condition that in
many cases leads to a
detached retina and, eventual-
ly, blindness.
The procedure, performed
when Daniel was 3 months
old, stopped the optical nerves
from growing. The result: He
wears glasses but otherwise
has normal vision.
If Daniel had been born a
year earlier, he likely would
have gone blind, David Elkus
said.
Daniel started raising money
for ROPARD about two years
ago.
Selling glow-in-the-dark

their joy are great-grandparents Helene
and Henry Politzer and Harriet and
Arthur Frohlich and great-great-grand-
mother Celia Greenfield.

Aug. 31

Leslie (Erlich) and Brian Ziff of West
Bloomfield are thrilled to announce the
birth of their son, Noah Elliott (Chanan
Shabbtai). Welcoming Noah home with
lots of hugs and kisses is big brother
Jacob, 2. Sharing in their joy are proud
grandparents Milton and Ivajean Erlich of
Commerce Township, Barbara and Marvin
Keller of Bloomfield Hills and Stephen
and Marjorie Ziff of Franklin. Noah is also
the great-grandson of Sarah and Martin
Switzer of West Bloomfield, Geraldine and
Albert Ziff of Southfield and Helene Keller
of Bloomfield Hills. Noah is named in lov-
ing memory of his paternal great-grand-
mother Anne Metz and maternal great-
grandfather Samuel Erlich.

Aug. 27

Erin (Kaplan) Thav and Jeffrey Thav of
West Bloomfield are pleased to announce
the birth of their son, Lucas Sol (Velvil
Shalom). Lucas was welcomed home by
his grandparents Helene and Edward

Daniel Elkus donates items for children at Alyn Hospital in

Jerusalem, Accepting the idonation is Dr. Maurit Be'eri, Alyn's

chief pediatrician.

"See the Light" bracelets to
relatives, classmates, friends
and neighbors "allowed me to
help someone and I know
where the money is going," he
said.
(The $2 bracklets are avail-
able at www.ropard.org.)
Raising money for Alyn
Hospital, which specializes in
pediatric orthopedic medicine,
was also an easy selection
since Daniel's father has sev-
eral cousins who are major
contributors to the hospital.
They include Phillip and Jeanie
Elkus of Bloomfield Township,
Steve and Gail Elkus, and Ron

Kaplan of
Farmington Hills
and Marlene and
Charles Thav of
West Bloomfield as
well as great-grand-
parents Betty
Steinlauf, Morris
Thav
Kaplan and Eleanor
•Schwartz, all of West Bloomfield. Lucas
was named in loving memory of his great-
grandfathers Sol Steinlauf and William
Schwartz.

Aug. 8

Cathy (Boyer) and
Robert Ooms are
delighted to
announce the birth of
their daughter, Ariel
Dakota. Welcoming
her home are big
brothers Jared Evan,
Ooms
11; Noah Fox, 7; and
Jacob Harrison, 4. Very proud grandpar-
ents are Nancy Boyer Skae of Farmington
Hills and Andrew and Trudy Ooms of
Pine, Ariz. Also overjoyed by her arrival
are great-grandmothers Rachel Goldfine
of Farmington Hills and Maria DeHorn of

Elkus, all of Huntington
Woods.
The cousins' donations led
the hospital to name a room in
memory of Irene Elkus, Phillip
Elkus' first wife.
Accompanying Daniel to
Israel this summer were his
parents, David and Dr.
Elizabeth Elkus, and sister
Audrey.
Daniel attends Cranbrook
Boys' Middle School in
Bloomfield Hills,. He celebrated
his bar mitzvah Sept. 4 at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
West Bloomfield, B'nai Israel
Center.::

Indianapolis. Ariel Dakota is named in
blessed memory of her greatly missed
maternal grandfather David Skae and
maternal great-grandfather David
Goldfine.

July 20

Debbie (Rochen)
and Ryan Tracht of
West Bloomfield are
thrilled to
announce the birth
of their twins,
Noah Jacob (Yosef
Lev) and Emily
Noah and Emily
Lauren (Miryam
Tracht
Elisheva). Sharing in
their joy are proud first-time grandpar-
ents Phyllis and Don Rochen and Janice
and Arnie Tracht, all of West Bloomfield.
Noah is named in loving memory of his
paternal great-grandfather Joseph Tracht
and his maternal great-grandfather Louis
Been. Emily is named in loving memory
of her maternal great-grandmother Mary
Been and her paternal great-grandmother
Bettyemae Bennett.

September 29 , 2005

„TN