Special Report

NEW FRIENDS

Celebrating Life from page 15

•

COME IN NOW AND

ADD NEW LIFE TO YOUR

HARDWOOD FLOORS.

DUSTLESS SAND AND

REFINISH OR

SCREEN AND COAT.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1971

HARDWOOD

REFINISHING

LAMINATE

MARBLE/GRANITE

VINYL

3021 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD

KEEGO HARBOR, MICHIGAN 48320

248.681.6460

WVVVV.HARBORFLOORS.COM

HOURS: M-F 8 AM - 6 PM, SAT. 9 AM - 5 PM

OR CALL TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

CARPET

CERAMIC

CORK

AREA RUGS

COMMERCIAL

RESIDENTIAL

0001601770

16

August 5 • 2010

their parents.
"I just want to make sure that they
know something terrible happened
to people just because they were
Jews; to know that never, never again
should there be a Holocaust, a fire
that brought people to slaughter like
cattle,' Cimmer said. "They need to
know if they notice something being
done against a Jew, to notify the high-
est authority. Through this program, I
am able to say these things. Dr. Silow
makes sure the younger generation is
with us and makes you believe very
strongly that young American kids will
remember and keep their eyes open."

experiences in schools and at other
gatherings.
In addition to Mishpoch-Chai,
Chernow and Raimi have become
involved in other parts of the Program
for Holocaust Survivors and Families,
co-chairing the Cafe Europa commit-
tee along with Dr. Charles Domstein
of West Bloomfield and bringing their
children with them to Cafe Europa
programs. "This has become my
heart;' said Chernow.
This year, she became chair of the
advisory committee of the Program
for Holocaust Survivors and Families,
taking over from Domstein.

Added Benefits
"The thing I wasn't prepared for was
how much my kids would really con-
nect with Edith on a level that had
nothing to do with the Holocaust; to
embrace her as a grandmother and
care for her:' Molly Chernow said.
Cimmer has been to the Chernow
home, sometimes for Shabbat dinner.
"And when we visit her, we have
home-baked strudel and rugelach and
we sit in her kitchen and talk the way I
would have with my own grandmoth-
ers when they were alive:' Chernow
said. "When she references her parents
and uses beautiful Jewish sayings that
she lives by, and shares and teaches
them to me, she fills a generation gap
that was missing for me. She's a lovely,
lovely woman; we love her with all of
our hearts?'
Nikki Raimi, husband Michael and
kids Drewe, 9, and Jaclyn, 6, are close
with survivor Eva Wimmer. "She has
children but no grandchildren and
all our kids' grandparents live out of
town:' said Nikki Raimi.
Michael Raimi's grandmother, a
survivor, lives in town. She is not part
of the program, but accompanies the
family to some Mishpoch-Chai events.
"I love hanging out with Eva and
other survivors:' Drewe said. "I want to
learn about their experiences. Some of
my friends just joined so I get to meet
their survivors, too. I teach Eva how to
play games and she inspires me; and
she's so beautiful. When the kids play,
all the survivors watch us. Eva's been
through such a hard life. We talk about
a lot of things?'
Sometimes, they talk about
Wimmer's past. "I'm careful what I
say to the kids:' Wimmer said. "I don't
mind talking about what I've been
through to the adults. And when the
kids are interested, as painful as it is, I
am always there."
She also has spoken about her

Lessons Learned
For Michael and Harriet Morse of
Huntington Woods, an added dimen-
sion to Mishpoch-Chai is what their
children, jillian, 10, Ella, 8, and Lexie,
2, are learning about being involved
communally and being there for
someone else.
"It is so important for the kids to
be part of something that helps other
people, and to be hands-on:' Michael
Morse said. "When we donate to Yad
Ezra [the Berkley-based kosher food
pantry], they hand the bags of food to
clients. On Mitzvah Day, they planted
flowers for a JARC home. It's one thing
for them to know Mommy and Daddy
help people and another for them to
see it and still another for them to be
part of it:'
One of the first families to sign
up, Harriet and Michael Morse each
have traveled on Federation-spon-
sored Grosfeld missions, with Michael
set to lead one in October. Through
Mishpoch-Chai, they visit with sur-
vivors Sara York and her brother
Avraham Adler, who live together in
Oak Park, and Miriam and Morris
Rubenstein of Livonia.
"The kids didn't know any survi-
vors before we became involved; they
didn't even know anybody in their 80s
before,' Morse said. "They were a little
shy at first, but slowly warmed up to
them and embraced them; and there is
a connection slowly building."
Miriam Rubenstein sensed that
evolved relationship. "At first, they
were nervous around us; now they
give us a hug:' she said. "We love those
little kids and are happy when the
Morses bring them to visit us; they are
real, real sweet. My husband and I are
both survivors and both were hidden
children. Both of us went through hell.
It is wonderful to be with the children
and for them to come to us."
The survivors who meet with the