JEWISH SEN OR LIFE
Marc
Rothenberg;
4, Tal Barak, 4ndi
LT- 'Rothenberg;
-
Dudik Avirbach
and Ben
of Me ropolitan Detroit
-
Rothenberg,
community 1„,.
for their pport of older
adults and wishesyou a
happy, healthy and sweet
New Year, 5773
Tamarack staffers enjoy time spent
with a Michigan family.
Nancy Siegel Heinrich
President
Rochelle Upfal
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Carol Rosenberg
hief Executive Officer
Contributing Writer
Director, JSL Foundation
y
Officers Sr Board of Directors
A. Alfred Taubman
Jewish Community Campus
1540• West Ten Mile Road
Oak Pk, Ml 48237
Eugene & Marcia Appleb
Jewish Community C
6710 West M
West Bloomfield,
JEWISH SENIOR LIFE
Programs Residences • Services
248.661.1836 • www.jslmi.org
1777340
SHOLEM ALEICHEM
INSTITUTE
,
invite you to join them at their
411.011 . HOLIDAY A.,.
to be held at
C. ARD LAKE MIDDLE SCNO
6000 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield
ROSH HASHANA:
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 1 2011(9:30 AM - 12 NOON
KOL NIDRE:
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 (8 PM - 10:00 PM)
Featuring an Assembly of Readings and Music
YOM KIPPUR:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 (9:30 AM - 12 NOON)
As Always No Ticket Required
m.ripiq r tries welcome. Call Institute Office (248) 423-4406
52
September 13 2012
ear-round Andi and Marc
Rothenberg have two kids:
Kari, 24, and Ben, 22. But
come summer, the West Bloomfield
family expands with a trio of
Tamarack Camps staffers Andi refers
to as "my boys."
They've been inviting friends who've
worked with Ben at the Ortonville
camp into their home since 2008.
For two years, Tom Sinclair of
Manchester, England, along with
Israelis Dudik Avirbach and Tal Barak,
have spent time at the house before and
after camp and on days off. "Sometimes
we come home and they're here, even
when Ben isn't," Andi said.
"We want to give them whatever
they need; drive them around, go to
dinner ... We do everything for them
as we would do for our own children.
And it is very sad when we take them
back; it feels like we are taking one of
our kids," she said.
"The boys" say the rapport goes far
beyond a place to sleep.
"The relationship I have with
the Rothenbergs is precious:' said
Avirbach, 25, a Technion Israel
Institute of Technology student, who
lives in Adi, outside Haifa.
"They are my family in Michigan,
and I love them very much. They treat
me so well; I feel so very welcome at
their house. Andi's always taking my
laundry — and doing it with pleasure.
We always talk to them, sitting in the
living room and sharing about my
summer and life:"
Ben said, "We do regular things. We
have barbecues, go to the movies or
the mall, hang out with friends. We all
spent Father's Day together."
For the past three years, Sinclair,
21, has worked in the camp's water ski
area. "The Rothenbergs always invited
me 'round and made me feel welcome
he said.
Avirbach, who staffed a Tamarack
Western Trip this summer, learned
about Tamarack when he was a camp-
er in 2002, among the first group of
Israeli kids sent from the partnership
region, he said, of the Israeli Camper
Program, a partnership of Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Tamarack Camps and the Detroit
Partnership 2GETHER Region of the
Central Galilee in Israel.
Now that camp has ended, the guys
have been exploring Michigan and
other parts of the country.
Sinclair spent last week in Chicago
and New York.
"Every year after camp I always stay
for a little bit:' Avirbach said. "Last
year, Tal and I did a coast-to-coast
trip for a month, which was amaz-
ing. This year I stayed a little bit at
the Rothenbergs and then helped Ben
move to East Lansing (he is a senior at
Michigan State University) and stayed
there for the weekend."
The boys would like to host their
American "family" in their homes, too.
Ben hopes to spend time visiting and
touring Israel following graduation.
"The Rothenbergs have become like
a family to me Sinclair said. "We have
a lot of fun together, and I would love
them to come and stay with me in
England as a way to return the favor."
In the meantime, they all stay con-
nected online.
"We talk on Facebook or video chat
all the time said Ben, who spent six
summers working at camp and was
a Tamarack camper for seven years
before that. "You spend so much time
with them during the summer and
become very close."
When Ben participated on Taglit-
Birthright Israel in May 2011, both
Barak, 24, and Avirbach made sure they
saw him. Last summer, Sinclair visited
Kari, who lives in Chicago, after camp
ended.
"There will definitely be a void at
the Rothenberg home when they all go
back," Andi said. "We will truly miss
each one. They are more than visitors
when they are here. They became part
of our family." ❑