obituaries
Obituaries from page 73
' .ife Of Courage
Bata "Agi" Rubin went through
the horrors of the Holocaust
but survived to marry another
Holocaust survivor, raise a family and
eventually teach the younger gen-
eration about her life. Mrs. Rubin, of
Farmington Hills, died Feb. 22, 2013, at
age 84.
A native of Czechoslovakia, Agi
Katz spent the years of World War II
imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and
Ravensbruck concentration camps. In
1948, she came to America and settled
in Southfield.
In the 1950s, Zoltan Rubin saw Agi
outside Hudson's in Detroit and decided
she would be his wife. They celebrated
their 60th anniversary on Aug. 18, 2011.
In her book Reflections: Auschwitz,
Memory and a Life Recreated (written
with Henry Greenspan, Paragon Books,
2006), she wrote about sorting the
clothes of those who had been gassed
and killed. Her story was reported in
a Detroit Jewish News article on Aug.
18, 2011. This excerpt from the story
gave a brief glimpse into the horror she
endured:
DEAN FINE, 78, longtime Detroit resi-
dent, passed away Jan. 31, 2013.
He is survived by his brother and sister-
in-law, Sidney and Ruth Fine; brother-
in-law, Bernie Anklowitz; children, Lori
(James) Ryan, and Alan and Joel Fine;
grandchildren, Noah and Gabrielle, who
spent fun-filled summers in Michigan
with Grandpa. He is also survived by Iris
Czajkowski and other friends.
He was the son of the late Harry and the
late Celia Fine; brother of the late Alicia
Anklowitz
A memorial service is planned for the
spring.
KENNETH HERMAN, 66, of Southfield,
died Feb. 19, 2013.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years,
Fran Herman; sons and daughters-in-law,
AMERICAN
Imagine recognizing your aunt's jacket
in the leftover clothes and knowing that
someone you love has just been extermi-
nated a few feet away. Imagine sorting
the jewelry, shoes, hair and clothing and
realizing this was all that was left of your
brother and mother.
Agi wrote about
Birkenau in the
summer of 1944: "I
will never forget the
sounds. There was
singing, Ani Maanim'
(I believe in the com-
ing of the Messiah).
There were shouts of
Agi Rubin
farewell — parents
saying goodbye to
children, old people saying goodbye to
their families, a whole community say-
ing goodbye to life. The Shema, (Hear, 0
Israel). The end of the Shema. The end of
everything. Silence screaming just as loud.
"I will never forget these sounds. They
will always haunt me."
Agi's father survived the Holocaust, but
her mother did not. And so Agi ended her
book, remembering her mother as she
looked across the mud and the agony, try-
ing to get my attention, trying to imagine
a future, trying to invoke hope, trying to
bestow the only blessing that, in the end,
this world allows: 'Go, my child, go."'
David and Edna Herman of Southfield,
Randy Herman of Southfield, Zachary
and Amy Herman of Indianapolis, Ind.,
Michael and Sarah Herman of Oak Park;
sister, Arlene Salter; grandchildren,
Devorah, Daniel, Esther, Shimon, Sonia,
Elizer, Yonatan, Taliah; nieces and neph-
ews, Howard and Elaine Salter, Jonathan
and Jennifer Salter; other loving relatives
and friends.
Mr. Herman was the dear brother-in-law
of the late Harold Salter.
Contributions may be made to
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box 2044,
Southfield, MI 48037; or Hasten Hebrew
Academy of Indianapolis, 6602 Hoover
Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260. Interment
was held at Hebrew Memorial Park.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial
Chapel.
DORIS BERNICE KASHTAN, 88, of West
Bloomfield, died Feb. 18, 2013.
She is survived by her sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Dr. Jack and Emilie Kashtan,
and Dr. Clifford and Dr. Judith Kashtan;
grandchildren, Harris Kashtan, Mark
Kashtan, Aaron Kashtan, Paula Kashtan
and Sarah Kashtan.
Mrs. Kashtan was the beloved wife of
the late Dr. Harry Aaron Kashtan; the lov-
ing mother of the late Marshall Kashtan;
the dear sister of the late Milton Roberts,
the late Ruth Mendelson and the late
Shirley Klein.
Contributions may be made to Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation, 24359 Northwestern
Hwy., Suite 225, Southfield, MI 48075,
www.jdrf.org. Interment was at Adat
Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
GERALD KATZ, 79, of
West Bloomfield, died
Feb. 18, 2013.
He is survived by his
wife of 54 years, Janice
Katz; daughters and
sons-in-law, Marcie and
Eric
Lipsitt of Franklin,
Katz
and Lori and Kenneth
Cantor of West Bloomfield; son and
daughter-in-law, Michael and Victoria
Katz of Nevada; grandchildren, Andrew
Lipsitt, Logan Katz, Teddi, Spencer and
Zachary Cantor; brother-in-law and sister-
in-law, Fred and Martha Fuerst.
Mr. Katz was the dear brother of the late
Herbert Katz; the devoted son of the late
Jack and the late Mildred Katz.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be made
Monument Center Inc
Certified Kosher
Gourmet
Despite such memories,
she persevered without bit-
terness and anger and man-
aged to shape a full life.
After being approached
by her friend John Mames
in the 1980s, Agi was
encouraged to share her
experiences and this
led her to University of
Michigan-Dearborn Professor Sidney
Bolkosky, who was preparing an oral his-
tory program about World War II to be
used in schools nationwide.
Agi's oral history video can be accessed
through the website http://holocaust.umd.
umich.edu.
"Being silent for so many years, it felt
good:' she said.
She spoke at many schools throughout
Michigan, telling of her life during the
war. She has many letters of thanks from
students who heard her and felt that she
made a difference to their understanding
of a devastating period in world history.
Last year, Agi participated in the Women
of Ravensbruck exhibit at the Holocaust
Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.
In her book, she wrote:
"We survivors are bundles of contradic-
tions. We push away the past, and we are
constantly drawn back to it. When we are
here, we are also there. And when we are
there, we are also here"
Agata Rubin is survived by her husband,
Zoltan "Zoli" Rubin; son, Randy Rubin of
Walled Lake; daughters and son-in-law,
Amy Weber, Vicki and Ben Waxenberg
of Oak Park; grandchildren, Rivky and
Boruch Rothenberg, Shmuel, Moshe,
Devorah, Miriam, Justin, Jeremy.
Interment was held at Oakview
Cemetery in Royal Oak. Contributions
may be made to Holocaust Memorial
Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road,
Farmington Hills, MI 48334; Congregation
B'nai Moshe, 6800 Drake Road, West
Bloomfield, MI 48322; or a Jewish charity
of one's choice. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel. ❑
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ebruary 28 • 2013
Obituaries