HEALTH & FITNESS
involvement
Eight Over Eighty
JAS annual event salutes seniors who've made a difference.
Pete Wurdock
his involvement has
Special to the Jewish News
had a marked impact
on many individuals
and groups around
Those who know Ann
Newman describe
his most endearing quality has been his
commitment to his family. Mary is the
kind of person who has always put the
greater Detroit. His
business acumen has
her as a superstar in
Jewish communal life.
needs of others above his through his
frequent and random acts of kindness,
helped spearhead the
growth of the hospi-
Merle Harris
tal and continues to
ensure its vitality through his leadership.
As a business profes-
yet does so quietly and without fanfare.
Talan appreciates and savors the pass-
ing of time; in fact, you could say he's
mastered the art.
0
n Sunday, May 17, Jewish
.1
Apartments & Services (JAS)
will present its 16th annual
Eight Over Eighty/Tikkun
Olam Award ceremony and fundraiser.
Senior adults 80 or older throughout
and share Shabbat dinners.
sional philanthropist,
mother, grandmother,
great-grandmother,
the community are nominated by family
members, friends and community agen-
cies and eight are chosen by a panel of
Merle and his wife Shirley's commitment
to Farmington Hills-based JARC has
judges to receive this honor.
enabled the organization to expand their
The event raises money for the West
Bloomfield-based JAS Quality of Life
Fund and provides items not covered in
already great mission of helping children
and young adults with disabilities and
forgotten her Jewish roots. Carol
Rosenberg, executive director of Jewish
Home and Aging Services, says: "Ann's
provide something greater than support
devotion to everything she cares about
a resident's basic rent, such as activities,
special transportation, Jewish cultural
programming, Butzel camp and more.
and opportunities; their involvement pro-
vided much-needed hope, and it contin-
ues to shine.
and the lives she touches manifests
itself in each commitment that she
These eight people have come into
their commitment of tikkun olam, repair
of the world, honestly and naturally, while
Ann Newman
nizations in innumerable ways. However,
aunt, friend and free-
dom fighter for Israel, she has never
undertakes." Ann will also be the grand
Milton Zussman
is still a busy and
active man on the go.
Numerous organiza-
tions are indebted to
Milton
Zussman
him for his generosity
over the years and
have benefited from
Herb Kaufman began
working with his father
marshal for the annual Walk of Ages
sponsored by the Auxiliary for JHAS that
will be held just before Eight Over Eighty
not only his philanthro-
py, but his commit-
ment to dealing with social issues that
over the years they have all occupied an
inimitable place in people's hearts and in
our community. Their exemplary leader-
in the family busi-
ness in 1956 at the
at the Fleishman Residence/Blumberg
Plaza in West Bloomfield.
many are reluctant to discuss. He was
instrumental in the founding of Kadima,
a Southfield organization known and
ship in their professional and personal
lives has had a marked impact on the
Detroit Jewish community and beyond.
Southfield. He's been
part of Jewish com-
munal life in Metro
Ira Kaufman Chapel,
Herb Kaufman
Warren J. Coville's
interest in photography
prompted him to buy
a darkroom set-up
from a good friend
as he was graduating
from high school. His
Rabbi A. Irving
Detroit for decades
and has been quoted
on many occasions as saying: "Life has
been good to me, and it's so important
to give something back to life." The
long list of his many community-service
Rabbi
Schnipper
suffering with mental illness. The Lois
nity are deep, and he's
enthusiastically thrown
himself into almost
and Milt Zussman Activity Center at
Kadima provides programs for the men-
tally ill, along with an opportunity for
every imaginable area
of Jewish organization-
socialization in an atmosphere wrapped
in dignity and acceptance.
al life, helping sustain
accomplishments attests to the depth
of his commitment to tikkun olam. He
and his wife Babs started the "Listen In
the Jewish community
and ensuring and Jewish future. He
chemicals and watch-
ing images appear during the developing
to Shabbat" program at Temple Beth El
in Bloomfield Township, Congregation
process was the start of what would be
Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County and
his "retirement" in 1996, but since that
time he has done anything but have a
sedentary lifestyle. His work with West
a career that changed the way America
created their family photo albums by
offering overnight processing.
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield that
allows congregants who may be ill or on
vacation to "phone in" and hear all or
Bloomfield-based Jewish Hospice and
Chaplaincy Network and Berkley-based
Yad Ezra has been tireless, and other
After his military service, he eventu-
ally formed ABC Photo. The business
was successful beyond all expectations
part of the service.
community groups benefiting from his
energy, humor and enthusiasm are far too
many to mention. Schnipper is a conduit
Warren Coville
fascination with mixing
Irving Laker's philan-
and it wasn't long before the commu-
nity that brought him success was on
thropy reaches into
every corner of the
Jewish community and
the receiving end of his generosity. His
benevolence has not let up. The Coville
Assisted Living Apartments at JAS is
for good will and great works, and his
service to both the Jewish and secular
communities has been exemplary.
Man/ Talan has served
as an integral part of
comfortable home they may not other-
wise have been able to afford.
and social schedule
and, as the patriarch of
his extended family, he treasures every
the board of direc-
tors of JAS for more
than 20 years and was
Merle Harris joined the Commerce-
based Huron Valley Sinai Hospital board
moment of it. Through Shaarey Zedek,
Irving and his wife Beverly established
an Educational and Youth Center in
given lifetime direc-
tor status in 2006. His
can-do attitude, warm
in 1997 and has been its chairman
since 2002. His length of service to the
Detroit Jewish community and depth of
West Bloomfield. They also opened a
JARC home in honor of his parents and
enjoyed going to visit with the residents
A44
April 30 2009
Pete Wurdock is marketing director of JAS.
served at the pulpit for 45 years before
community at large. He
still maintains an active
business, community
just one example of a meaningful pro-
gram that helps the frail elderly live in a
respected for providing support services
and educational components for adults
Schnipper's roots in
the Jewish commu-
Irving Laker
Mary Talan
personality and abil-
ity to think outside the box have helped
JAS and so many other communal orga-
Want To Go?
Eight Over Eighty is Sunday, May
17, at the Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield. Brunch starts
at 11 a.m.; reserved seating is $75.
Reservations will only be taken as
seats remain available. The Senior
Adult Jewish Hall of Fame induction
ceremony follows the brunch; seating
is not reserved and not guaranteed.
Eight Over Eighty is sponsored
locally by the Detroit Jewish News,
Hospice of Michigan, Huron Valley
Sinai Hospital, Henry Ford Health
System, Matt Prentice Restaurant
Corp. and Morrison Senior Dining.
Emcees are Sherry Margolis
from WJBK-TV/Fox 2 News and
Alan Muskovitz from WOMC-FM.
For information or to be part of the
commemorative ad journal, call JAS
Marketing Director Pete Wurdock at
(248) 592-1101 or e-mail Pwurdock®
Jasmi.org .