Memorial candles serve as a backdrop

for the Yeshivat Akiva choir,

Siren Sounds

Local service for Israel's fallen is a solemn memorial.

Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor

A

Star of David
made up of
yizkor candles.
A dimly lit sanctuary
filled with nearly 1,000
Detroiters. A video from
Israel showing President
Shimon Peres and the
mother of a fallen Israeli
soldier lighting a memo-
rial torch at the Western
Shlomi Hamer of West Bloomfield and daughter Noa, 8,
Wall.
stand next to a photograph of his best friend, Nachmi
These were just some
Fineblatt, who was killed in 1973 in the Yom Kippur War.
of the moving images
that expressed the mood
of the May 6 corn-
munity-wide Yom HaZikaron program at
,`... and the fallen soldiers who have given
Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield.
their lives so that one day Israel can live in
The hour-long ceremony involved many
peace:'
in the community in tribute to the 22,437
Memorial candles were lit by Israeli
Israeli soldiers who have died defending
Defense Forces veterans Yosef Tzeel, William
their homeland, according to master of
Icikson, Amnon Reiter, Uri Segal, Dr. Benny
ceremonies Paul Fischer of Young Israel
Wilner, Ya'akov Davidovich, Hannan Lis, Yair
of Southfield, and the thousands of Israeli
Nadiv, Josh Berkovitz and Zelig Leibovitch,
civilians who have died at the hands of ter-
and by Ann Newman, Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld,
rorists.
Jonathan Brateman, Margery Klausner,
"We stand in solidarity with our family in Leah Ann Kleinfeldt, Linda Klein, Peter
Israel: said Nancy Grosfeld, president of the Alter, Jason Zimmerman, Jordan Glass and
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Amanda Fischer. Moderators were Clara

rialized in a video
produced by the
Philadelphia federa-
tion. Naftali Fridman,
a member of Kollel
Torah Mitzion who
teaches at Akiva,
served in Levine's
unit in 2006 and paid
tribute to his fallen
comrade.
Rabbi Bezalel Safra
of Kollel Torah Mitzion
reminded the audi-
Jordan Glass of West Bloomfield lights a candle for IDF
ence of the sacrifice of
Missing In Action.
three Israeli soldiers
held by terrorists and
of the people of Sderot
who live with daily
rocket attacks. He said sadness can lead to
Gaba and Susan Krakoff.
weakness but, just as pruning a tree makes
"El Molei Rachamim" was sung by
it strong, "those who have fallen give us
Shaarey Zedek's Cantor Meir Finkelstein
strength. If they had the strength, than we
and the Yizkor prayer was led by Dani Saar
and Karen Alpiner.
can too ...
Two student choirs added to the occasion.
"We are a strong nation:' the rabbi said.
"We will prevail and peace will come to the
Yeshivat Akiva students sang "Little Leaf"
and Temple Shir Shalom students sang "Eili, land"
Sponsors of the program included
EEC
Akiva, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces,
The only Israeli American soldier
IsraelSixty, the Federation, Michigan Board
who died in the Lebanon action against
of Rabbis, Torah Mitzion and the Young
Hezbollah in 2006, 22-year-old Michael
Israel Council of Metropolitan Detroit.
Levine from Philadelphia, was memo-

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May 15 • 2008

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