tell the families this is a program they have
to commit to time-wise and with an emo-
tional tie Raimi said."The survivors rely
on the families to contact them and even to
create family relationships if they don't have
family here. We really stress the importance
of reaching out and being at events. If the
families are not at events and the survivors
are, it doesn't work."
Slow also meets with participants.
"What the survivors talk to the kids
about depends on the kids' age level': he
said. "We always stress the importance
of parents talking to their children about
the Holocaust at an age-appropriate level.
Should they see that their children are up-
set, they can contact me to talk about it
further.
"The older children have more of an
understanding of the Holocaust. For some,
the survivors may just tell them that they
had a very hard life, but that they're here.
"We talk with families about survivors
who have passed away; some are frail and
elderly and have dropped out. We speak
with the families about lose
As a group, Mishpoch-Chai participants
meet four times yearly at programs that
this year include a "Coffee Talk" for the
adults, a Rosh Hashanah basket program, a
Chanukah party and a summer barbecue.
The events are organized by volunteers,
Slow and Sharon Silver Teweles, JSL special
projects coordinator who also-helps other
programs of the Program for Holocaust
Survivors and Families run smoothly.
"When we hold family programs, there is
Making Matches
always
an activity for the kids, like a magi-
"All Mishpoch-Chai families are paired with
cian
or
another fun program:' Slow said.
one or very few survivors to make the con-
"We
don't
want this to be heavy or sad; and
nection an intimate relationship that really
the
survivors
enjoy watching the children
flourishes': Raimi said.
get
balloons
or
dress up in Purim costumes
Before the survivors and families meet,
and
dance
each group undergoes an orientation. "We

"First, we contacted members of the
mission who had expressed interest; oth-
ers just followed': Raimi said.
The women also met with JSL's Carol
Rosenberg. "She [and an early Mishpoch-
Chai organizer, Ellen Cogen Lipton of
Huntington Woods} helped us come up
with the name Raimi said."Mishpoch
from the Hebrew word mishpochah, mean-
ing family, and chai, which means life and
stands for the number 18, the amount of
pairs of families and survivors we started
with:'
For most families, involVement with
Mishpoch-Chai is their first connection
with survivors. Typically, participant fami-
lies have kids younger than preteen age.
"They make nice, long-lasting relation-
ships': Slow said. And the group has
grown, by reputation, to 28 families and
28 survivors:'
Rosenberg said the opportunity to
increase the numbers is the result of gifts
made to the program, which is underwrit-
ten by an anonymous donor.
"Families also contribute $180 when
they start out, but many chip in more to
cover the costs of programming and to be
able to include more survivors;' she said.
Funds raised for the program also
provide a bus for survivors to go between
the West Bloomfield and Oak Park Jewish
community campuses, where many sur-
vivors live and where their programs are
held.

Survivor Alex Greenberger, Molly Chernow, survivor Hertsel Lenchner, Nikki Raimi

and survivor Otto Herczeg at a late July Cafe Europa program

Memories
Mishpoch-Chai is very much a program of
reciprocating benefits, impacting both the
families and the survivors.
"Both groups can't do enough for one
another; Slow said."The survivors feel
a sense that people are interested in the
Holocaust and are interested in them as
people. We encourage as much socializa-
tion as possible, like a call on Fridays to say
Shabbat shalom or a visit just to see how
they are; it all adds up to a special, mean-
ingful relationship:'
And through the relationships come
memories.
"The kids will grow up and will remem-
ber that when they were young, they had
a very special connection with a survivor
with numbers on their arm who made proj-
ects with them and came over on Shabbat,"
Slow said.
Sometimes, the memories are more
recent and simpler. "One child told us of the
home of a survivor she visited who later
passed away',' Slow said. "She said of the
woman's '60s-style home: `It had silver and
pink wallpaper and green carpet; my survi-
vor lived in a Barbie house"

Connecting Families
Through Mishpoch-Chai, Molly Chernow,
husband Aaron and children, Sophie, 10,
Annie, 8, and Ethan, 6, have built a relation-
ship with survivor Edith Cimmer of Oak
Park. Molly also spends time with six of
Cimmer's friends, also survivors, and has
a special connection with survivor Otto
Herczeg of West Bloomfield.
Annie Chernow never met a survivor
before Cimmer. But after having spent
much time with her, she said, "What I know
about her is that she survived stuff that
happened to her during the war:'
Her sister Sophie said,"I read The Diary
of Anne Frank when I was in second grade
so I had background and knew about
survivors for a long time. But when I'm
with Edith, we talk about normal things; I
tell her about school and my friends. I'm
excited for when we see her. She's almost
like another grandmother:'
Cimmer feels a familial connection as
well. "Molly is like a daughter to me; I love
her family with all my heart:' she said.
"They are angels to be part of this program.
I told Molly the story of my life, about the
ghettos and the concentration camps and
what I have seen, what I can't forget. I talk
about when I was liberated and I was 18
and barefoot and hungry and slept in a
barn at night. But for her children, ifs all
right that I just hug and kiss them and that
I don't talk about it right now:'
Cimmer knows her story will be told to
the children in time, either by her or by

Celebrating Life on page 16

Expand Your
Involvement

Beyond Mishpoch-Chai, the
Program for Holocaust Survivors
and Families offers:
• Dr. Charles Silow, program direc-
tor, provides private counseling for
survivors and their families as well
as weekly support groups at the
Oak Park JCC and JSL residences
in Oak Park and West Bloomfield.
• Cafe Europa, a monthly musical
and social program at the JCC
in Oak Park.
• Ruth Kent Memorial Jewish-
Yiddish Film Series runs rarely
screened films.
• Portraits of Honor displays
photos and brief biographies of
more than 300 Metro Detroit
survivors. It will be housed as a
permanent electronic exhibit at
the Holocaust Memorial Center
in Farmington Hills and will be
Internet accessible next year.
• 3Gs and 4Gs (third- and fourth-
generation) group brings teens
ages 13-18 together at social
events that educate about the
Holocaust.
• Yad B`Yad, a service of the pro-
gram and JFS, provides trained
volunteers for visits to isolated
Holocaust survivors.
• In-services for health care pro-
viders are conducted regard-
ing the psychological needs of
Holocaust survivors in their care
and their families.
• The program serves as a liaison
with agencies, including JFS,
Shaarit Haplaytah-Survivors
of 1945, United Social Club,
C.H.A.I.M., Hidden Children-Child
Survivors of Michigan, Claims
Conference, Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan Detroit
and private donors.

Dr. Charles Silow helps Allan
Morse and Jadyn Raimi decorate

flower pots.

August 5 • 2010

15