4r
, ::
11117111
Israelis Adi Levis, Adi Pereg, Blair Bean, Tomer Ben-David and Nevo
Korakin at Friday-night Shabbat services at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield
All In The
Family
O
O.
IDF orphans learn that Detroiters
care about them and about Israel.
Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
T
hirty-six. Double chai (life). How
appropriate it was that 36 young
Israeli orphans whose fathers
died defending the State of Israel came
to Detroit July 30-Aug. 1 as guests of the
Michigan Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces (FIDF).
The Israeli youngsters, all around b'nai
mitzvah age, 12 and 13, stayed the weekend
with one of 10 families in West Bloomfield,
Farmington Hills and Huntington Woods.
Most of the kids attended outdoor Friday
night services at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield and enjoyed the energetic musi-
cal performance of the Tzofim (Israeli
Scouts) Friendship Caravan.
They spent Saturday afternoon as guests
of the Jewish-owned Franklin Athletic Club
in Southfield where they had lunch, played
games and hung out with their host families.
Stacey Bean of Farmington Hills; Israelis Adi Pereg, 13, and
The eight Shabbat-observant
Adi Levis, 12; and Blair Bean, 11, Erik Bean and Ethan Bean, 9
kids, together with a boy from
Israel's Druze community,
stayed in observant homes,
attended services with Aish
them. He wants to be a paratrooper like his
tributions to the FIDF LEGACY program
HaTorah and Young Israel of
father. The oldest of three children, Tomer
that provides opportunities for thousands
Southfield, played soccer and other games
says that he and his dad were very dose,
of bereaved individuals to connect with
and went out for ice cream in Royal Oak
"always together.," especially on Saturday
peers and helps them celebrate holidays and
after Shabbat. On Sunday, all the kids and
mornings when they would watch or play
life-cycle events. The cost of this particular
their counselors spent the day at Tamarack
basketball.
project was roughly $230,000.
Camps in Ortonville.
"I like the program because you can speak
The Detroit visit followed two weeks at the
about
happened to your father," he says.
Chicago Jewish Community Center's Camp
Personal Stories
"Everyone
understands you because they've
Tomer
Ben-David
is
tall
and
lanky
and
Chi in Wisconsin and visits with the Chicago
been
in
your
situation. It makes it kind of
wants
to
be
a
basketball
player.
His
late
Jewish community. From Detroit, they went
easy
to
be
with
them:'
father,
Danny,
was
a
reservist
killed
to Niagara Falls and Hershey, Pa., before
While
the
kids
share a similar tragedy,
with
11
others
during
the
2006
Second
spending time in New York City before their
the
group
is
a
diverse
mix geographically,
Lebanon
War.
They
were
struck
by
a
flight home. The children traveled with eight
religiously
and
economically;
the program
Hezbollah-fired
Katyusha
rocket
at
Kfar
experienced staff members, two of whom
marks
the
first
time
they
have
met. For
Giladi
while
waiting
to
be
deployed.
are IDF orphans involved with the Widows
example, Tomer from central Israel became
Danny was 38.
and Orphans Foundation of the Paratrooper
fast friends with Nevo Korakin, who lives in
Tomer wears Danny's military dog tags
Unit in the IDE
around his neck in a black pouch to protect
The program was made possible by con-
All In The Family on page 28
August 19 a 2010
27