Family Focus
Kpichn On Singing
Meer choir performs for neighbors and the community.
Florence Yorke directs the Meer choir during a concert.
SheIli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
E
very Wednesday morning
two dozen residents of Meer
Apartments meet in the building's
dining room to practice something they
love. Ranging in age from 82 to 95, they
get together to sing.
"When you add up all of their ages, it
comes out to 2,000, making it the oldest
choir in the world," said Marcia Mittelman,
Meer's administrator.
She refers to the choir as "one of the
premier programs at Meer," a Jewish
Senior Life independent living commu-
nity on the Eugene & Marcia Applebaum
Jewish Community Campus in West
Bloomfield. "The only qualification for
joining the choir is that you have to love to
sing," Mittelman said.
Rose Bankler, 90, is the choir's general
manager and Gertrude Evans, 91, and
Phyllis Kahn, 86, assist. Former Meer resi-
dent, the late Seymour Okun, founded the
choir eight years ago. According to Bankler,
it started out as a "kitchen band',' with resi-
dents wearing aprons and playing kazoos.
After a year it turned into a singing choir.
In addition to twice a year concerts at
Meer, the group performs at other venues,
most recently at kick-off Census Rally this
spring sponsored by Oakland Schools and
the Area Agency on Aging 1B at Oakland
Community College in Farmington Hills.
A concert at Meer last month had an
audience of 200.
The choir is led by Florence Yorke, who
turned 85 this past week.
"Our dedicated men and women love to
sing and unfailingly attend our weekly prac-
tices in spite of any physical problems and
limitations they may have,' said Yorke, who
has been with the choir for seven years. "I
try to balance the choice of songs between
the oldies we know and love, and newer
songs we have to learn. Ifs a challenge, but it
keeps us alert and mentally alive
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