Mazel Toy!
Medical Mitzvah
Boy takes part in program to boost
Caribbean villagers' health.
Leonard Poger
Copy Editor
ax Kendler has received an early
- lesson on how to organize a
health care program. He partici-
pated in a medical team's visit to a village
in the Dominican Republic. The 13-year-
old accompanied his parents, Steven and
Dr. Debra Kendler of Farmington Hills, on
a fall mission directed by a Miami doctor
who is a long-time family friend.
Max's involvement in the program last
September served as his mitzvah project
for his Jan. 21 bar mitzvah at Temple Kol
M
Jan. 28
Carol and Richard Blumenstein of
Bloomfield Hills welcome with much love
the birth of their son, Reuben Eli (Reuben
Shai). He also welcomed home by big
brothers Benjamin and Jacob and big sis-
ters Alana and Julia. Sharing in their joy
are grandparents Penny and Harold
Blumenstein of Bloomfield Hills and
Lucille and Sam Stein of Singer Island,
Fla., and great-grandparents Lee and
Gerson Bernstein. Reuben is named in
loving memory of his paternal great-
grandmother Sonia Blumenstein.
Jan. 24
Stacy (Moss) and Daniel Schwartz of
Ypsilanti are thrilled to announce the
birth of their daughter,
Amanda Marie. Excited
grandparents are Gary
Moss of Laguna Woods,
Calif., Shelly and Richard
Brooks of White Lake,
Judy and David Schwartz
Schwartz
of West Bloomfield.
Thrilled great-grandmoth-
er is Dorothy Moss of Southfield. Amanda
Marie is named in loving memory of her
maternal great-grandmother Mary Zipper.
Jan. 20
Marjie (Friedman) and Jordan Field of
Berkley welcome with love the birth of
their son, Logan Eli (Eliezer Asher).
Sharing in their joy are proud grandpar-
ents Annette Friedman of
West Bloomfield and
Ellyce and Stephen Field,
also of West Bloomfield.
Happy great-grandparents
are Belle and Chuck Ruben
of Farmington Hills and
Field
Ami in West Bloomfield.
The trip brought a full range of medical
care to a small village near Santo Domingo.
Eight doctors and nine nurses were on the
mission. Dr. Jose Centurion, a Miami cardi-
ologist, runs the program through his
church three to four times a year.
Debra Kendler, a dentist in private prac-
tice in Sterling Heights; and one of her den-
tal assistants provided dental services to the
villagers.
Max, a seventh-grader at Dunckel Middle
School in Farmington Hills, helped his
father in the mission's pharmacy. The doc-
tors saw 1,500 patients from the village and
Frieda Field of Livonia. Logan is named in
loving memory of his maternal.grandfa-
ther Lee Friedman and paternal great-
grandfather Elliott Field.
Jan. 6
Greg Bernhardt, with his heart in Oak
Park, and Jodi (Gordon) Bernhardt of New
York City with much thanks and great joy
announce the birth of their son, Hunter
Michael (Moshe Chaim). His big sister is
Justine Sarah. Paternal
grandparents are Jackie
Bernhardt and the late
Mortimer Bernhardt.*
Maternal grandparents
are Ronald and Beverly
Gordon of New York City.
Hunter is named in loving memory of his
paternal grandfather Mortimer and his
maternal great- grandfather Herman.
Dec. 19
Geula (Tron) and Stanford Rapp of West
Bloomfield are thrilled to announce the
birth of their daughter, Nicole Jordan (Perl
Yardenit). Sharing in their joy are proud
grandparents Samuel and Doris Tron of
Oak Park and Dr. and Mrs. Seymour Rapp
of Bloomfield Hills. Nicole is named in lov-
ing memory of her maternal great-grand-
mother Perl Breindel Barahal.
Max Kendler worked in the mission pharmacy.
the surrounding countryside and dispensed
medicines.
Program participants paid their own
expenses. For the Kendlers, the cost was
about $2,000 plus airfare from Detroit to
Miami. They lived in single-family huts in
the village.
Medicines were 'donated by pharmaceuti-
cal companies and Miami pharmacies, and
Temple Kol Ami members contributed over-
the-counter health supplements.
Max was happy to help and wants to go
on future medical missions. He is scheduled
Carrollton, Texas. Also sharing in their joy
are great-grandparents Earl and Betty
Shipper of Farmington Hills, Molly Moss of
Silver Springs, Md., and Bob and Ann Lynch
of Memphis, Tenn. Drew is named in loving
memory of his maternal great-grandfather
Jack Moss and maternal great- great-grand-
mother Sadie Hoberman.
Nov. 12
Carly (Shaevitz) and Aaron Gitler of
Deerfieled, Ill., joyfully announce the birth
of their daughter, Tori
Mark. Welcoming her
home is big sister Jordyn,
3. Very proud grandparents
are Nancy and Michael
Shaevitz of Highland Park,
Ill., Lois and Richard
Gitler
Wonboy of Novi and Mel
Gitler of Waterford. Proud great-grandpar-
ents are Bea and Sam Leaderman of Delray
Beach, Fla., Rose Gitler of Waterford,
Florence and Label Shaevitz of Highland
Park, Ill. Tori Mark is named in loving
memory of close friend Mark Herman.
Nov. 8
°Laura (Gennick) and Jeffrey Sobel of
Birmingham are thrilled
to announce the birth of
their son, Ethan Daniel.
Very proud grandparents -
are Carole and Sam Sobel
Nov. 26
of Roca Raton, Fla., and
Keri (Moss) and Steven Lynch of
Aura
and Stephen
Farmington Hills are thrilled to announce
Sobel
Gennick
of Troy. Also
the birth of their son,
sharing
in
their
excitement.are
great-
Andrew Jacob (Yaakov
grandparents
Belle
Sapstein
and
Laura
Simchah). Very excited
Meyers,
both
of
Boca
Raton,
and
Grace
grandparents are Teri
Shipper of West Bloomfield, and Dan Gotham of St. Clair Shores. Ethan
is named in loving memory of his pater-
Gary Moss of Novi and
nal uncle Daniel Barry Sobel.
John and Sandy Lynch of
Lynch
to return in March. The villagers are happy
to see the volunteers on subsequent trips.
When visiting a Dominican mountain vil-
lage, Steve Kendler was warmly greeted by a
mother with her three sons, including a
baby born since his previous trip.
Max Kendler has other volunteer activi-
ties. He regularly helps clients at the Yad
Ezra kosher food bank in Berkley. He began
that activity a year ago. But he will continue
to take part in the Caribbean campaign
with his next trip scheduled for late
March. ID
Oct. 16
Julie and David Grand of Ann Arbor
announce with joy the birth of their
daughter, Madeline
Chloe (Chana Meira).
Proud grandparents are
Myrna and Joe Grand of
West Bloomfield and
Ellen and Mark Berson of
Greenfield, Mass.
Madeline is also wel-
corned with love by her four great-grand-
mothers, Freda Grand of Southfield, Etta
Schiller of Lincolnwood, Ill., Sadye Berson
of Longmeadow, Mass., and Shirley
Gordon of Morristown, N.J. Madeline was
named in loving memory of her great-
grandfathers Meyer Newton "Husk"
Schiller and Charles Gordon.
Sam Berke (Yahoshua) of West
Bloomfield celebrated his bar mitzvah at
Congregation
Shaarey Zedek .
Southfield Saturday,
Feb. 18. Proud par-
ents are Libby and
Matt Berke. His sister
is Emily Rose, 7.
Grandparents are
Nadine and Ken
Berke
Berke of Phoenix,
Ariz., and Pamela
Dennison of Virden, Ill.
Sam is in seventh grade at Orchard Lake
Middle School in West Bloomfield. He has
volunteered every Monday evening for the
past year at the Friendship Circle in West
Bloomfield, working one-on-one with his
special friend Nicholas.
B'nai Mitzvah on page 74
February 23 • 2006
73