Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Young Adult Division
2010-2011 Board of Director's Slate
President
President elect
Harm Liss
Joshua Levine
-
Advisor to Executive Committee
David Kramer
Still Defiant
Officers:
Rabbi Leiby Burnham Jeremy Crane
Michele Rosenblum Rachel Wright
Torah Center dinner features a talk
by the son of a Holocaust hero.
Executive Board:
Mandy Friedenberg
Steve Migliore
Lindsey Maddin
Adam Orley
General Board:
Evan Colton
Gina Erpardo
Lenny Feller
Lauren Gibbs
Jenny Glass
Dani Gillman Glickfeld
Greg Glickfeld
Jeff Aronoff
Emily Barnett
Jodi Beals
Leah Bold
Jason Brooks
Kate Bush
Shirley Cetner
Ben Chutz
The Bielski family and friends in the forest during World War II
SheIli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
A
s a child, Zvi Bielski heard
stories of how his father
and uncles protected and
saved 1,250 Jews who hid in the forest
during World War II. As an adult, he
was able to see their actions depicted
on the big screen in the feature film,
Defiance.
Bielski will share their story at the
36th anniversary dinner of the Sara
and Morris Tugman Bais Chabad
Torah Center at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 16,
at Young Israel of Oak Park.
During the event, the Crown of
Distinction Award will be presented to
Dr. Aaron and Rochelle Lupovitch and
the Defiance Award to Yossel (Joseph)
Mermelstein.
The dinner, chaired by Dr. Jeffrey
Lupovitch and Paul Draznin, marks the
first anniversary of the arrival of Rabbi
Shneur and Zeesy Silberberg, who head
the West Bloomfield synagogue's Sonya
and Hyman Blumenstein Outreach
Center. The rabbi also is active on the
campuses of University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor and Michigan State
University in East Lansing.
The Torah Center's Rabbi Elimelech
Silberberg refers to the Bielski broth-
ers as Jewish heroes.
"My dad and his brothers are a
story of courage against all odds:'
Bielski said of his father, Zus, and his
uncles, Tuvia, and Asael.
Born in what is now Belarus, they
escaped into the forest after their par-
ents were killed during the 1941 Nazi
invasion of their town.
"Soon they were joined by more
men and together they fought off
the Nazis:' said Bielski, who lives
in Brooklyn. "But there were others
— more than 1,200 of them, young,
old, unarmed — who couldn't fight, so
they took them to a safe area to hide
and feed and shelter them."
Among them was the woman who
would become Bielski's mother.
"They saved what amounts to
20,000 Jewish people because there
are descendents:' Bielski said.
"Growing up, there were always
people in our house. I thought they
were relatives; but they were people
who had been saved.
"One night a few months before my
father died [in 1995], he grabs my
hand and my wrist like a bear and
says to me, `I'm going to depend on
you to tell the world about what me
and my brothers did:" Bielski said.
So when director Edward Zwick
contacted the family after reading
a New York Times article about Zus
Bielski, they knew it was time. Actor
Liev Schreiber was cast as Zus in the
2008 film.
Eager to continue sharing the story
of his family, Bielski said, "Millions of
Jews died in the Holocaust, but this
happened, too. That's why the movie
is so important, so people can see that
there were some who were able to
fight back." CI
To purchase tickets to the anniversary dinner, call (248) 855-6170 or
access the website at www.baischabad.com . To contact Zvi Bielski, call
(718) 252-7813.
Bonnie Globerman
Jared Goldman
Jay Hack
Jason Hittleman
Jennifer Kroll
Rachel Lachover
Ryan Liabenow
Marty Maddin
Julie Marx
Brandon Pomish
Emily Reetz
Abby Reiss
Hy Safran
Mallory Seide
Aaron Scheinfield
Alexis Schostak
Jessica Sterling
Jaimee Wine
Marla Young
The election and installation of new officers and board members will occur on
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Marcie & Rob Orley
Presentation of the Mark Family Young Leadership Award to Joshua Levine
RSVP by June 2 to Jennifer Levine at (248) 203-1471,
jlevine@jfmd.org or online at jewishdetroit.org/YAD
IC Jewish
Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit
YOUNG ADULT DIVISION
1591480
Call 248-374-0502
weicotme Cioirrie L44!,
to one of the area's most respected primary care teams.
■ AVIre proud -to
Dr. Leff is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. With an emphasis on preventive care,
she provides compassionate medical care for the whole family. Dr. Leff also has a special interest in
women's health, from adolescence through menopause, and provides routine in-office gynecological
care. For your convenience, Dr. Leff offers same day and Saturday appointments.
Novi internal Medicine
& Pediatrics, PLLC
39475 Lewis Drive
Suite 130
Novi, MI, 48377
248-374-0502
vvww.novidocs.com
A
SfjOHN
PROVIDENCE PROVIDENCE PARK HOSPITAL
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A PASSION 1 r HEALING
May 13 • 2010
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