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Back Home Again

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Evacuees thrilled to return
to Israeli town they love.

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DR. MAX &OTTE-SRA AN

R. MICHAEL WE-KI-4AOS

OPTORAETRIsT's

CORAPREWENSIVE EXAMS • MEDICAL TREATRAENT

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Staff Writer

T

1

his past month has been a
tough, but touching lesson
for former Detroiters Katie
and Michael Marcus, who learned the
hard way how welcoming and caring
their fellow Israelis can be.
Earlier this month, the family found
their town of Karmiel, northeast of
Haifa, barraged with rockets and
danger.
After moving from one temporary
shelter to another with their daughters
Honey, 31/2, and Israeli-born Nili, 1,
and staying with family and friends

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PAGE 33

18

August 31 - 2006

Farmington Hills and Ruth and David
Marcus of Southfield — enrolled
Honey in a daycare program so she
would have kids to play with.
"Because we were from the north,
they didn't charge us," Katie said.
"Most of our friends in Karmiel
fled: she said. "Keeping kids in the
shelters all day and night was just
devastating!'

Trying Times
Many businesses, including banks,
grocery stores and daycare centers
had closed.
"A lot of my co-workers were called
up for reserve duty," Katie said. "It
felt like our whole
beautiful commu-
nity — the won-
derful city with
the kindest people
— had just been
shattered. We felt
more angry than
afraid!'
Back home in
Karmiel again
after a month,
Katie said,
"Everything seems
Katie Marcus with her daughters, Nili and Honey
perfectly normal,
which is weird. My
somewhat removed from the peril
company opened its offices again, but
— the explosions (and 13 trips to a
my co-workers who were drafted are
bomb shelter in a single day) prompt-
still in Lebanon.
ed them to leave the area.
"Some of them had near-misses
For help, they called Nefesh
with rockets; some of their homes
B'Nefesh, the agency that facilitated
were hit."
their aliyah in December 2004.
But the talk now isn't of what hap-
"They found us a host family with-
pened.
in an hour:' Katie Marcus said.
"Everyone is just talking about the
They spent the next several weeks
future," she said. "D-o they need a place
living in Rehovot (south of Tel Aviv)
with an indoor shelter or an outdoor
with the Shames family, who made
community shelter; when will school
aliyah from Pittsburgh 10 years ago.
open again?"
"They opened their home to us," she
Michael added, "There isn't a ques-
said. "There were over 300 families
tion of moving from -Karmiel. We love
from the north residing in Rehovot
it here. Our lives are here. When the
with families and at a local yeshivah."
terrorists attacked, our routine came
The Shameses loaned Katie and
to a halt. We spent the whole war long-
Michael a laptop computer so they
ing to go back to our life and routine.
could continue to fulfill job require-
"There isn't any thought of leaving:'
ments from the family's kitchen table.
he said. "We're focused on returning
Both are in marketing.
to and living our lives as they were
The Marcuses — whose par-
before this happened." fl
ents are Retta and Mark London of