obituaries

Accomplishing The Impossible

Harry Kirsbaum
Contributing
Writer
I

N

o one grabbed the passion for life better than
Emery Klein.
With his warm smile, his heart of gold, his
love of family and an inner-strength forged by his early
years, Emery is best described as a mentsh.
He was a master of fundraising for causes dear to his
heart — the Jewish community, Israel, education, the
Democratic Party and helping those less fortunate.
Mr. Klein, 85, of Southfield, died Aug. 28, 2013.
Rabbi Joseph Krakoff spoke at his funeral, held at
the Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield.
"Perpetually moving forward, he made an indelible
impact and impression on everything he toucher said
the rabbi. "There were two words that were not part of
his vocabulary; those words were 'no' and 'impossible:"

Early Years

Born in Humenne, Czechoslovakia, in 1928 to a large,
close-knit family, young Emery survived Auschwitz-
Birkenau, the Gleiwitz work camp and a death march
along with his father and brother. His mother and sis-
ter perished.
After the war, they returned to their hometown,
where Emery was diagnosed with tuberculosis and
spent six months in a body cast. His father met and
married a widow with a young son.
Because of continuing anti-Semitism, the family need-
ed to leave Humenne. Emery's father wanted to immi-
grate to Detroit where his sister lived; but Emery and his
brother Bernard, both ardent Zionists, convinced him
that they should go to Israel. There, they tried to grow
corn and raise chickens but without success.
After a year, they decided to go to the United States,
but quotas kept them out. They spent nine months in
Rome before settling in Montreal in 1950. In 1957, the
family immigrated to Detroit.
"They made a pact to always stay together:' said son,
Jeff. "You can imagine how important family was after
all they had gone through:'
In 1959, with just $500 and a typewriter, Emery and
Bernard started an import/export electronics busi-
ness called Alaron in their father's basement. Alaron
became a major importer and distributor of home
entertainment products sold internationally.
In 1965, through a mutual friend, Emery met Diane,
the love of his life, and they were married two years
later.
They raised two children, Jeff and Barbara.
"My dad and I had a very special relationship,"
Jeff said. "He was the best man at my wedding; and I
would call him three or four times a week, even for a
minute, just to check up on him. He was my greatest
supporter. Although he was a workaholic, when we
were growing up he made it a point to come home so
we could have dinner as a family — even though he
had hours of work in front of him:'
His daughter, Barbara Zaltz, agreed.
"Nothing was more important than family:' she said.
"He never took anything for granted and counted his
blessings every day. The values he believed in and
lived by included getting an excellent education, being
involved in your community, living a Jewish life, being

78

a good person, doing the right thing, making the world
better, helping people in need, working hard and tak-
ing care of your family.
"He instilled these values in Jeff and me; and we, in
turn, are instilling them in our children:'

Community Activist

Emery served on numerous boards including the board
of directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He
was on the Hebrew Free Loan board since 1974 and
served as president from 1986-1987.
He also served on the Yad Ezra advisory board and,
in 2009, Yad Ezra renamed its warehouse the Diane
and Emery Klein Food Distribution Center in the
couple's honor.
At the dedication ceremony, Ken Bernard, then-Yad
Ezra's president, said, "Diane and Emery understand
and appreciate our collective responsibility to ensure
that all of our Jewish neighbors have enough food to
eat, and they work hard to make it so."
Yad Ezra's "Diane and Emery Klein Volunteer of the
Year" award is presented annually.
Emery was also heavily involved in AIPAC, serving
on its national executive committee.
"Unique is a word that's overused, but not in this
case," said former AIPAC national president David
Victor.
"Emery Klein was, in fact, one of a kind. He was
known on a first-name basis by national figures
throughout the country. For his total commitment to
AIPAC and its mission, he will remain among the very
small handful of individuals who created the AIPAC
in our community as we know it today, considered
nationally to be the gold standard:'
Emery was actively involved in the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit, serving on the board of gover-
nors since 1982 and receiving a lifetime appointment.
He was the Annual Campaign chairman in 1987; and
in 2006, he and Diane received Federation's Fred M.
Butzel Memorial Award, the Detroit Jewish commu-
nity's highest leadership honor.

Fundraiser Extraordinaire

Emery gave — but he was a legendary fundraiser, too.
He liked to tell the story of walking into a drugstore
one night and running into somebody he knew. Emery
— who was raising money for eight different organi-
zations at the time — saw this as an opportunity and
pitched all eight to the friend.
The friend had no choice but to say yes. When the
friend received a thank-you call from Emery the next
day with another pitch for another worthy cause, he
said, "OK, but I'm never going into that store again:'
Robert Aronson, former Federation chief executive
officer, called Emery an extraordinary man.
"No one could ask for money like Emery, and
nobody could make you feel better when you were
done than Emery," he said. "We always knew why
Emery was calling, and we were always happy to take
the call:'
Longtime friend and former Federation president
Robert Naftaly called Emery's death the end of an era.
"Emery was all about the Jewish people Naftaly
said. "There will be nobody like Emery. If there
was any Jewish organization that concerned Israel,

Emery Klein

Emery was there. We shared a lot of great memories
together — missions to Israel, fundraising for Bar-Ilan
University [in Ramat Gan, Israel], for [Southfield-
based] Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, for Federation:'
Emery solicited funds for Jewish organizations
too numerous to mention and also raised money for
Democratic candidates. In 1986, with the late David
Hermelin and the late David Mondry, he formed
MOPAC, a local political action committee supporting
Democratic candidates for Congress.

Passion And Persistence

"No one combined passion and persistence more
than Emery Klein:' said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin
(D-Roseville). "Essentially, he not only lived every day,
but was determined to make the most of it.
"It was unique. He believed there had to be a pur-
pose in life; and it was kind of a gift out of tragedy,
which he didn't dwell on, but no doubt shaped him:'
Emery Klein is survived by his wife of 45 years,
Diane Klein; son and daughter-in-law, Jeffrey and
Cara Klein of New York City; daughter and son-in-law,
Barbara and Ira Zaltz of Huntington Woods; grand-
children, Spencer and Griffin Klein, Zoe and Isabel
Zaltz; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Rhoda and
Dan Glickman, and Mark and Wendy Yura; stepsister,
Rene Mandel. He is also survived by nieces and neph-
ews, Ronnie and Stacy Klein, Susie and Howard Bruch;
many other loving nieces, nephews, cousins and a
world of friends.
Mr. Klein was the devoted son of the late Ervin and
the late Helen Klein; stepson of the late Frida Klein. He
was the cherished brother of the late Bernard (the late
Agnes) Klein and the late Judith Klein; and stepbrother
of the late Tommy Mandel.
Interment was at Oakview Cemetery. Contributions
may be made to the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, Klein Excellence in Education
Fund, 6735 Telegraph, Bloomfield Hills 48301, (248)
642-4260, www.jewishdetroit.org ; Hebrew Free
Loan, 6735 Telegraph, Suite 300, Bloomfield Hills
48301, (248) 723-8184, www.hfldetroit.org; Yad
Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile, Berkley 48072, (248) 548-
3663, www.yadezra.org ; or a charity of one's choice.
Arrangements were by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

❑

Obituaries on page 81

September 5 • 2013

iN

Obituaries