Spreading
The Light Of

IgIJZ

Bringing holiday joy to those
who may not have much to celebrate.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Contributing Writer

A

t Chanukah, Melissa and Jacob
Strome look forward to the nights
they will be receiving presents, but
also to the night they will not.
"They know that night is when boys and
girls who do not have toys like they do will
receive something we bought for them': said
their mom, Karee Strome of West Bloomfield.
For years, the Stromes have been making
a gift donation at an annual Christmas party
hosted by friends, putting a present under
their tree for Toys for Tots .
For the first time, the Stromes, including
husband, Michael, participated in the Adopt
a Family program sponsored by Jewish
Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit in
West Bloomfield (IFS). Anonymous dona-
tions provided gifts and gift cards to 726 JFS
clients of all ages in need this Chanukah.
Gifts include general items like clothing,
groceries, gas cards, books, diapers and toys,
along with requested items.
"We got the wish list for a 6-year-old boy
and his 9-year-old sister, and we bought
them each roller blades and Target gift
cards': Karee Strome said.
"I am a special education teacher in the
Detroit Public Schools; my kids see that my
students do not have a lot of things that they
have, and they know they are fortunate to
have them."
Counting the $5 in his toy bank, Jacob
Strome said he wishes he had more, so he
could "give some to those people that don't
have a lot."
Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg stressed, "The
one holiday that has a
very definite message of
volunteering to help oth-
ers is Chanukah.
`According to Halachah
(Jewish law), all other cha-
gim (holidays) require an
element of simchah, joy,
Rabbi
which includes treating
Elimelech
yourself with food, bever-
Silberberg
ages, etc. The only holiday

12

December 22 2011

where there is no obligation of simchah is
Chanukah': said the rabbi of the Sara and
Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center
in West Bloomfield."It is a holiday whose
theme is light and whose purpose is simply
to illuminate the darkness of the world."

Many Are In Need
"It feels good to be able to help others': said
Karee Strome, first vice president at Temple
Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, where social
action and tikkun olam (repairing the world)
are a priority.
In Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On
Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish
Community (Jewish Lights Publishing),
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of Rabbis
for Human Rights-North America, provides
a guidebook for involvement in social justice
work year-round.
Specific to Chanukah, Rabbis for Human
Rights encourages families to celebrate the
sixth night in a way that reflects those core
values instead of exchanging gifts, with a
hope that it will extend into a lifelong com-
mitment to helping those in need.
"We need to take at least one day of
Chanukah to recognize our responsibility to
one another and teach that to our children,"
said Rabbi Robert Dobrusin of Beth Israel
Congregation in Ann Arbor, vice chair of
Rabbis for Human Rights-
North America.
"The holiday of
Chanukah speaks about
activism and pride, and
we should be extending
that tikkun olam to bring
light to others." That light
can come in the form of a
Rabbi Robert
contribution
of funds or
Dobrusin
material items.
"This can also be a time for volunteering,
with projects available to the kids while they
are out of school. Maybe one day instead of
presents, a family can sit down together and
talk about what issues really concern them
and what they can do about it': he said.
"We don't want to take the joy out of the
holiday. On the contrary, it is the time to

Melissa and Jacob Strome with gifts they wrapped for JFS Adopt a Family recipients

spread joy to others. Chanukah was not orig-
inally our gift-giving time. It is a time when
our freedom to express religion and faith and
tradition should include gemilut chasidim
(acts of loving kindness) and tikkun olam."

Making A Difference
There is no dearth of synagogue, school and
communal programs to become involved
with during the holidays.
Jacob Strome's class at Doherty
Elementary School in West Bloomfield is
helping out a fellow student.
"They are collecting money and the
teacher and parent volunteer, along with
whichever students can go, will go shopping
at Target from that student's wish list," Karee
Strome said.
Volunteers and donors of Temple Israel's
Robert Sosnick Family Life Center's "No
Temple Family Without Chanukah" pro-
gram donate funds, wrapping paper and
Chanukah-themed items; shop for and wrap
gifts; "adopt" families and refer temple fami-
lies in need. Sponsored by the Jackie Unatin
Memorial Chanukah Fund and the Barbara
and Lawrence Millman Family Chanukah
Fund, 200 participants work to provide gifts
for 37 families.
"This program is an incredible mitzvah
and the ultimate form of tzedakah because
it is completely anonymous both ways, as
the donor families do not know who they
are buying for and our families do not know
who their gifts are from': said Kari Provizer,
Family Life Center director. "The idea is for
the children to think the gifts are from their
parents."
Community members assembled and
delivered gift packages to area seniors
through Federation's annual Tikkun Olam

Volunteer Chanukah Packages program.

Tradition,/ Tradition
Some families participate in the JFS Adopt
a Family program so their young children
can experience the feeling of giving to other
kids. Donors Michelle and Steven Marsch
and a group of friends were surprised at the
impact their involvement had on their grown
children.
The Marsches of West Bloomfield, along
with Debbie and Andy Colman and Nancy
and Eric Clark, all of Bloomfield Hills,
and Maxcine and Stuart Sherman of West
Bloomfield, "adopted" four families, pooled
their resources, combined their lists and
shopped with all the families in mind.
"We went everywhere we thought we
could buy gifts they would like, from Kohl's
and Old Navy to Target, Meijer and the mar
Michelle Marsch said. "Most of what we
bought was for the kids; for the adults we got
things like gas cards and a gift basket from
Bath and Body Works. One of our families
included a single mom who just moved here
so we bought things for their home from
Target and also included coupons for 20 per-
cent off items at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
"Being part of this gave us such pleasure':
she said. A group of their children home for
Thanksgiving were able to become part of
the experience, too, at an early Chanukah
celebration.
"At the party, each of our kids wrapped
the gifts we had purchased, decorating them
with Chanukah gelt and small dreidels on
top," Marsch said. "It was amazing to see the
joy they got from doing it. It is now our tradi-
tion, and we hope to always carry it on, being
able to keep on giving back."
Donations made by supporters of Adopt

