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Salute To Moms from page 8

with the sadness of her father's death.
"She did her sister's and mother's 'work'
in the camps when they were too weak.
She begged an officer for a charred potato
when her sister was very ill. She went off
to find a farmer to get a chicken and veg-
etables to make chicken soup when they
were liberated and housed in a school.
Alone, after placing her mother and sister
in a hospital, she went to Prague to find
her brother. She got up at 5 a.m., took a
train and walked to all of the Red Cross
facilities, until she heard his voice and
was able to reunite her family.
"She married an American, the only
one in her family who did. He moved her
from Los Angeles to Detroit. She raised
a family with no family support that so
many of us are grateful to have had. She
saw little of her mother, sister, brother

and two cousins who had survived and
resided now in Los Angeles.
"When I divorced, she was by my side.
When, as a single mother, my daughter
went through two nine-hour surgeries
with a difficult recovery, she went with
me. She left her life in Michigan for
15 days in July of 2002 and again from
November to December 2002. First to
go to California, and then to New York,
where we were all alone. She gave my
daughter a kiss and put her hand on her
face, and said simply, See you in a while.
It will all be OK' My daughter, who had
voiced the worry that during the second
surgery she would flatline on the table,
made it like a trouper.
"My mother is older now, but still
drives, plays mahj, pan and bridge. She
bakes and, although widowed, still smiles

and takes any bitter story and makes you
feel safe after her responses. Even when
she was sick this winter, she said reassur-
ingly, `I'll get better:
"Every time there are events, she bakes
and brings over her famous (ask her
friends) Hungarian strudel, cheesecake or
lemon cake. My friends adore her and the
Holocaust Memorial Center asks for her
to be a speaker.
"My mother is my strength when life is
hard and unfair. When my children are in
need, she comes to my aide. My daughter
is in pain, always, and the emergency
visits were almost monthly at one point.
Who was there with me? My mother.
She is a mother, a friend and a positive
speaker, all in one!"

Kathy Sattler of West Bloomfield epito-
mizes the essence of Mother's Day, says Dr.

Charles Silow, director of the Program for
Holocaust Survivors and Families, a ser-
vice of Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan
Detroit.
"What's amazing about her history is
that she was with her mother and sister
from the ghetto, to Auschwitz, a death
march, Ravensbruck and Neustadt concen-
tration camps," he said. "Kathy made it her
mission to keep her mother alive through-
out. What a Mother's Day story!"
In an interview for Silow's program,
Portraits of Honor, Sattler was asked:
What do you think helped you to survive
the Holocaust?
If I was by myself I would not have sur-
vived," she answered. "But I had to make
sure my mom and my sister survived. I did
everything in my power to keep them alive.
It was very hard."

lionorable Mentiona

Lisa Gooel of West Bloomfield was
heralded by her four daughters who
wrote this tribute to their special
mom:

"Our mother is Lisa Gooel. She's
a one-of-a-kind, altruistic soul who
proves time and time again that her
family is her world.
"Growing up she taught us important
things, most of which we learned by her
example: right from wrong, to always
believe in ourselves, to do our best,
to like the kind of person we are ...

The Gooels of West Bloomfield:
(back) Jenna, 21, and Michelle, 19;
(front) Lauren, 25, Bruce, Lisa and
Stephanie, 24.

Hillel Day School
sixth-grader Maya
Wolok of Beverly
Hills honored her
mom, Miriam:

"When I look
04
into my mom's eyes
all I see is a heart
so big it has to be
folded 1,000 times.
She is the most
inspirational, color-
ful, stylish flower
in the vase of
humanity. She does
Maya Wolok and her mom, Miriam
so much for me; I
wish I could return
the favor. She never
ever throws fits of anger.
"She is so sweet sugar looks at her in awe. She is as
funny as a clown, but without scaring little kids. She
cooks like an angel, but the angels use her recipes. She
looks like a model, but the models use her products. I
love my mom, and there is no one who can beat her:'

10 May 9 • 2013

instilling within us values mothers so
often do. But our mother is no ordinary
mother, which is why we are no ordi-
nary daughters, no ordinary family.
"We grew up thinking hiding and
then seeking for Chanukah presents,
5:30 a.m. "Happy Birthday" choruses,
taking half of our Halloween candy to
the children's hospital and sleeping six
to a hotel room were how all tradition-
al, Jewish-American families partook in
family time or in celebrating holidays.
But we eventually learned they were not
traditionally American nor Jewish—
but rather traditionally Mom's ideas.
"Deeply rooted within every idea
she's ever had and every tradition she's

Mike Beck of Dearborn admires
how his mother, Lee Beck of West
Bloomfield, rebounded with strength,
bravery and adaptation after her
husband died in 2000.

ever started, is love. And through the
lens in which she sees things (which
we've learned to see through as well)
is a world that warmly welcomes that
love.
"Our mom extends every bit of her
loving, nurturing, spontaneous, creative
self to create and keep a close-knit fam-
ily, and her four daughters, wonderful
hubby and pooch Rye-Rye know it and
love her for it.
"Mom, you are the greatest woman
in this world and in our hearts, and we
love you dearly.
"Happy Mother's Day!"

— Lauren, Stephanie,
Jenna and Michelle

hand her the checkbook and let her
handle the bills herself.
"In the next two years, both my
brother and I got married. There
she was going table to table thank-
"I would have to say that I have always
ing the guests and being a great
been close with my mother. OK, maybe
host. That was never her role. My
borderline 'mama's boy: She has always
dad used to handle that. But she
done the classics. She made the meals.
showed a lot of courage and stood
She cleaned the house. She worked. She
strong by herself.
took care of us when we were sick, and
"Mom began to volunteer her
did the majority of the discipline.
time to a couple charity organiza-
As we both got older, our relationship
tions. She remains very social and
changed. We have become great friends. Mike Beck with his mother,
even opened herself up to dating
Lee Beck
But it wasn't until my father died that I
again.
realized just how strong and courageous
"Over the last few years, she has
my mother is.
had a nerve issue with her back
"In February of 2000, my father, Jack Beck, was
that at times becomes quite painful. But she marches
robbed and shot. Seven days later, he died. The entire
on and continues to be brave every time life throws her
time I remember thinking, 'How is she gonna handle
a curve.
this?' He paid the bills. He was the social one in their
"If you had asked me to describe my mom 15 years
relationship. She didn't even drive on the expressway.
ago, adjectives like strong, courageous or brave prob-
He handled most of the 'big stuff
ably wouldn't have come up. Today, they are the first
"After the funeral, I noticed she was managing to
words I think of.
hold it together. We talked and she said, 'I am not
I love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!"
gonna let myself go: A month past and she told me to