Mazel Toy!

HMC Volunteer

A school trip becomes a passion for 13-year-old.

Leonard Poger

Copy Editor

itchell Krieger was
only 11 1/2 when he
asked his mother to
visit the Holocaust Memorial
Center in Farmington Hills. The
request came after Mitchell
completed a short tour of the
HMC with a youth group from
Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield.
During the next year, he
pestered his mother, Lisa
Krieger, to return for a longer
visit. She was apprehensive
because of his age, but fmally
relented.
This year, in preparation for
his Nov. 19 bar mitzvah at

M

Temple Israel, Mitchell decided
to volunteer at the HMC. Since
August, he has been working an
average of 16 hours a month in
the HMC office, making folders
for teachers who were preparing
for a Holocaust class, stuffing
envelopes and handling other
office duties.
While the Krieger family had
no relatives who died in World
War II or survived the
Holocaust, Mitchell feels a con-
nection. He wants to continue to
volunteer at the HMC and possi-
bly do something with the
Holocaust as an adult.
When Mitchell visited the
HMC, he learned more than just
what happened during Nazi

Dec. 13
Stacy (Aronoff) and Brian Mingus of
Pleasant Ridge are thrilled to announce
the birth of their daughter, Bailey Ann.
Sharing in their joy are proud graridpar-
ents Sheila and Mery Aronoff of West
Bloomfield and Regina Mingus and Jon
Young of Adrian. Bailey is named in lov-
ing memory of her maternal great-grand-
ma Bessie Aronoff. Bailey shares her mid-
dle name, Ann, with her paternal grand-
ma, great-grandma and aunt.

Dec. 1
Amy (Gantz) and Todd Gers of Walled
Lake are happy to announce the birth of
their son, Jacob David (Shimon Lior).
Jacob is the first-born
grandson of Toby and
Mark Gantz of Waterford
and Carol and Jerry Gers
of West Bloomfield. He is
the first great-grandson
of Ruth Fuller of
Gers
Farmington Hills, Edith
and George Gantz of
Orlando, Fla.; Jerry and Sue Bearman of
Palm Springs, Calif.; Jean Gers of St.
Louis, Mo.; and Cliff Mora of Chicago.
Jacob is named in loving memory of his
maternal great-grandfather Sidney Fuller
and his paternal great-grandmother
Shirley Mora.

period in Germany and Eastern
Europe. "I learned about Jewish
life before and afterwards',' he
said.
He compares the Holocaust
with the genocide currently tak-
ing place in Africa.
Mitchell, 13, of Welt
Bloomfield, is an eighth-grader
with a 4.0 grade point average at
Orchard Lake Middle School in
West Bloomfield. He plays trum-
pet in the school's jazz band,
competes on the wrestling team
and takes martial arts classes.
Mitchell is the son of Lisa and
Douglas Krieger, the brother of
Madeline and Olivia, and the
grandson of Marvin Chaben and
Joanne Barker.. ❑

Oct. 30
Sara and Jeffrey Weinberger are thrilled to
announce the birth of their first child,
Charles Ryan Weinberger (Aryeh
Mordechai). Proud
grandparents are Nancy
Sergeant and Kaye and
Allen Weinberger, all of
West Bloomfield. Also
sharing in the joy are
great-grandparents Gita
Weinberger of West
Bloomfield and Ethel
and Seymour Shapiro of West Bloomfield.
Charlie is named in loving memory of his
maternal grandfather Roger Sergeant and
paternal great-grandfather Leonard
Weinberger (Aryeh).

Jordana Rebecca Hoffman, daughter of
Jacqueline Fox and
Frank H. Hoffman, will
celebrate her bat mitz-
vah Saturday, Dec. 31, at
Temple Israel. She is the
sister of Anna, Jonah
and Seth and the grand-
child of Mickey Rottner.
Hoffman
She is also the grand-
child of the late Lucille
and Stanley Fox, the late Gertrude Rottner
and the late William Hoffman. Her great-
grandparents are the late Anna and Louis

Mitchell Krieger volunteers at the
Holocaust Memorial Center office.

Hoffman, the late Jeanette and Jacob Wolf,
the late Mamie and Lawrence McCollom,
and the late Rose and Solomon Fox.
Jordana is a student at Warner Middle
School in Farmington Hills. Her most
meaningful mitzvah project involved
twice growing her hair, cutting it and
donating it to Locks of Love.

Ava Rose Jacobs, daughter of Lisa and
Bill Jacobs, read from
the Torah as she cele-
brated her bat mitzvah
at Temple Israel
Saturday, Dec. 17. She is
the sister of Reid and
the grandchild of Rosie
and Si Gliner, Joan and
Jacobs
Ben Stein and Theresa
and Martin Wunder.
She is also the grandchild of the late
Sidney Jacobs.
Ava is a student at O.E. Dunckel Middle
School in Farmington Hills. She volun-
teered at Farmington Hills-based JARC

several times as part of her mitzvah proj-
ects and felt the time was especially
meaningful.

Max Louis Olender will be called to the
Torah as a bar mitzvah Saturday, Dec. 31,
at Adat Shalom
Synagogue. He is the
son of Amy and Allen
and brother of Teddie.
His proud grandparents
are Diana and Morton
Tobin of Boca Raton,
Fla., and Lillian Olender
of West Bloomfied. He is
Olender
also the grandson of the
late Theodore Olender.
Max attends Detroit Country Day School
in Beverly Hills. His mitzvah work
involved his earning his Ner Tamid
Religious Emblem as an Eagle Scout by
performing a full year of service to com-
munity and synagogue, among other
requirements.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

In an attempt to keep the notices that mark youth on their path to maturity mean-
ingful yet brief, we have decided to change the items to include.
We have eliminated the reference to the school "honor" rankings because it differs
from school to school. Since mitzvah projects have increased, we ask that only one
be selectd to be representative of tzedakah.
Thank you for your adherence to these changes.

Jig

December 29* 2005

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