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by Gabriella Ring
English or=
or Francais?
,
Tamarack counselor discovers cousin from France.
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4,14er.
Sisters: Rachael, Isabel and Hannah Bradley at Hannah's bat mitzvah party
R
ewind to the summer of 2009.
Chelsey Eichler, then 17 and go-
ing into her senior year at Walled
Lake Western High School, was working
as a counselor in Fishman Village at Tam-
arack Camps in Ortonville. There she met
camper Lea Siegel, 9, of Lyon, France.
Throughout the session, Chelsey and
Lea felt a close bond greater than the aver-
age counselor-camper relationship. They
found out only after Lea hopped off that
green Tamarack bus after camp that the
two were distantly related.
At the bus stop, Chelsey met Lea's
grandmother, Joyce Siegel of Huntington Chelsey Eichler rediscovered her cousin
Woods. Chelsey asked Joyce if she knew Lea Siegel of France at Tamarack.
her grandmother, Faye Damraur of West
Bloomfield, who worked at Temple Eman-
uel-El in Oak Park. She did and the family connection emerged. It turns out
Chelsey's grandfather, Louis Damraur, and Lea's grandfather, Robert Siegel,
are cousins.
"I was so excited," Chelsey said. "She was one of my favorite campers."
Her mom, Jodi Eichler, shared Chelsey's feelings of excitement because
she knew of the relationship when she was younger.
Lea's father Eric Siegel, originally from Huntington Woods, moved to
France before Lea was born. He attended Tamarack as a kid.
Chelsey, now 18, and an incoming freshman at Michigan State University
in East Lansing, worked as a counselor in Shifman Village this summer where
she does not have Lea as a camper.
"I still saw her everyday and she came and hugged me," Chelsey said.
In May, Lea's grandmother, Joyce Siegel, passed away and the family came
to Michigan. Jodi Eichler had not seen her cousins in more
than 48 years.
Chelsey hopes to some day visit Lea in France. For now,
the girls can still see each other in person during summers
at Tamarack. ( }
Pearl Dorman, Hannah Bradley, Lauren Weinberger, Alexa Dresner and Hershel
Dorman
Gabriella Ring, 17, is a senior at Berkley High School.
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