Special Report

From The
Ashes

Hechtman II rededication
recalls the compassion
of our community.

Above: The main entrance to Hechtman II just after the April
2008 fire; right, the main entrance today with its new
portico and landscaping

Keri Guten Cohen

Story Development Editor

First of two parts

T

wo years after a fluke boiler room
fire at Hechtman II Apartments
in West Bloomfield left 93 elderly
residents temporarily homeless, their
home has been made whole again.
The first of 10 residents who returned
to the building moved back into her apart-
ment exactly two years to the day of the
fire.
On June 15, as part of Jewish Senior Life
of Metropolitan Detroit's annual meet-
ing, Hechtman II on the Eugene & Marcia
Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
was rededicated amid a sense of emotion
and communal accomplishment.
Thanks to a dedicated staff and skilled
firefighters, all 93 residents — with an

12

July 1 • 2010

average age of 89 — made it out of the
burning building without injury. Staff also
made sure those residents were calmed,
fed, in touch with their sponsors and had
a bed to sleep in that night.
"The wonderful staff was exemplary in
organization and preparedness — it made
our job a lot smoother — and I attribute
the saving of lives to their participation:'
said West Bloomfield Fire Department
(WBFD) Chief Jay Wiseman, whose
department arrived first on the scene
and evacuated residents the staff had not
already moved out.
Before the fire was extinguished, fire and
police departments from nine surrounding
communities also had responded.
The Hechtman II fire not only made the
local news, but CNN picked up the story
and sent it nationwide.
As soon as word spread, the Jewish and
non-Jewish communities began to mobi-

lize to help the residents and the agency
(then Jewish Apartments & Services) that
supported them. Individuals and groups
brought food, water, clothing, money and
toiletries for the displaced seniors. By
nightfall, medication left behind in the
quick departure was replaced.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit and other Jewish communal agen-
cies also played roles in fundraising or
assisting with residents.
Eventually, all residents were settled into
temporary lodging — some with relatives,
many at other senior residences in the
surrounding area. It was unclear how long
the reconstruction of Hechtman II would
take, but in the interim, the displaced resi-
dents visited monthly for reunions with
their friends from Hechtman I to lessen
their anxiety of being away from "home."
Although the "footprint" of the build-
ing would remain the same, rebuilding

allowed internal improvements to be made
to the aging three-story, three-winged,
84,000-square-foot building.
All units are one-bedroom apart-
ments. Some were made barrier-free.
All have walk-in showers rather than
tubs. Thermostats have large numbers
to be seen easier. Kitchens now have
dishwashers and microwaves. Internal
safety measures, in consultation with West
Bloomfield fire marshals, were added, too.
New communal features include a fit-
ness center on the third floor, an activities
center on the second floor and lounges
with a big-screen TV, chairs and tables
on both upper floors. The whole building
exudes a fresh, up-to-date look that's invit-
ing and geared perfectly toward seniors.
At the June 15 rededication, with sev-
eral hundred onlookers, members of the
Jewish Senior Life (JSL) Auxiliary affixed
a mezuzah made by local Holocaust survi-