Spirituality

Mitzvah Of A Lifetime

Temple volunteers accompany seniors at graves of loved ones.

Fountains resident Bessie Kay is flanked by her Kever Avot volunteers Bob and Dorothy Hack at Beth Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery in Ferndale.

Amber Gilmore
Special to the Jewish News

T

he rows of headstones stand at
attention in the warm October
sun, quietly recalling the names
of departed loved ones: Sol, Morrie,
Esther, Sarah. Amidst the carefully tended
flowers, the cool slabs of granite serve as
reminders of "Rachel, beloved wife, moth-
er, grandmother" and "David, beloved
husband, father, friend:'
Kever Avot (Hebrew for Graves of our
Ancestors), a special program founded
by Temple Israel of West Bloomfield
with financial support from the Ira
Kaufman Chapel of Southfield, helps
ensure that these loved ones are not for-
gotten. Through donations and support
from local businesses and organizations,
including Breath of Spring Florist and
Fleischman-Jewish Senior Life, Kever Avot
provides area seniors, who would oth-
erwise be unable to get to the cemetery,
with an opportunity to visit the gravesites
of their loved ones.
"I used to come to the cemetery by
myself:' Meer resident Lottie Malkin of
West Bloomfield said. "But when I learned

34 October 21 • 2010

about Kever Avot, I thought, `I am an old
lady now, so I better change my methods.
This is my third year with Kever Avot and
it has been wonderful. I visit my husband,
my mother and father, and my two broth-
ers."
Other participants echo these senti-
ments."My family can't come Hechtman
resident Selma Rosman of West
Bloomfield said. "But I have to come to
visit my mother, father and husband. Just
being here brings back good memories"
Fountains resident Bessie Kay of
Southfield was able to visit the cemetery
by herself until just a few years ago. Now,
she participates in Kever Avot to visit
the graves of her mother, father, grand-
parents and uncle — and to spend time
with Dorothy and Bob Hack of West
Bloomfield, volunteers who have become
Bessie's friends over the past five years.
"Dorothy's family was my neighbor in
Detroit years ago:' Bessie said. "I knew her
when she was growing up. Now, I've lost
both of my sons, and so I've had to take
on a lot. Dorothy has helped me at the
cemetery, and she took me out to lunch.
She is very protective of me."
Dorothy explains, "It's hard for Bessie to

walk on the grass at the cemetery, so we
help her. But, she's a feisty lady and sharp
as a tack. She's amazing, and I enjoy being
able to spend time with her:'
In this, Kever Avot's 13th, or "Bar
Mitzvah" year, the program's 125 volun-
teers included not just adults, but a num-
ber of students working on their B'nai
Mitzvah projects.
"I am thrilled each year when I come
to Kever Avot, and this year, I am particu-
larly thrilled to see so many young people
doing such wonderful, wonderful work:'
Herb Kaufman of Ira Kaufman Chapel
said. "Our volunteers make such a differ-
ence. They are the hands-on part of this
very special program:'
Mitchell Watsky of Farmington Hills
will celebrate his bar mitzvah in May;
he volunteered with his father, Randy. "I
thought it would be a nice thing to do and
a nice way to help people Mitchell said.
"We helped our resident find her mother's
gravesite. Her father was a soldier, and we
are also helping her find him."
Also volunteering as part of her
Mitzvah project, Gabby Harvey of
Farmington Hills said, "It's been a fun day.
I liked learning about my senior's history.

I've heard all about her siblings and par-
ents. I feel good knowing I helped her:'
Reflecting on the program's longstand-
ing success, David Techner said, "Kever
Avot began 13 years ago with a desire to
do something during the High Holidays
for people who couldn't get to the ceme-
teries. This program provides a real com-
fort; as hard as it is for people to go to the
cemetery, this helps people feel better. It's
a privilege to help people this way"
"We'll also continue to help people who
couldn't make it here today:' Techner said.
"If there is a senior who couldn't come,
we'll make sure they still get to visit the
cemetery."
"Kever Avot is truly the mitzvah of a
lifetime Kari Provizer, director of Temple
Israel's Robert Sosnick Family Life Center,
said."We have the most wonderful, loyal,
caring, loving volunteers who have made
this program what it has become today.
"We started back in 1997 with 10
seniors and look how far we have come.
This year, we helped seniors from 11
retirement and assisted living facilities —
from Oak Park to Novi — visit loved ones
at 12 different cemeteries. What a mitzvah
it is. We thank you all."

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