obituaries
A Triumph Of Faith
David Sachs
Senior Copy Editor
A
fter seeing the depiction of
Plaszow concentration camp in
the 1993 film Schindler's List,
Schaja Kleinberg of Oak Park, one of the
Jews rescued from the camp by Oskar
Schindler, said, "I can't believe I actually
went through this!"
He told his daughter, Malka Blumenfeld
of Oak Park, that things were actually
much worse than in the movie — which
depicted the sadistic camp commandant
Amon Goeth randomly shooting prison-
ers with a rifle from the balcony of his
house.
Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's
movie shows how German businessman
Schindler was able to save some 1,200
Jews by removing them from the concen-
tration camp to work in his tinware fac-
tory in nearby Krakow.
Although 60 of his family members
died in the Holocaust, Mr. Kleinberg sur-
vived and began a family of two children,
nine grandchildren and many great-
Aaron
CAROLE AARON, 80,
of Bloomfield Hills,
died Dec. 7, 2013.
She was a past presi-
dent of Hadassah and a
volunteer with Jewish
Home for the Aged,
(Jewish Senor Life). She
was also a member of
the National Council of
Jewish Women.
Mrs. Aaron is survived by her hus-
band of 58 years, Stanley Aaron;
children, Michael and Einya Aaron of
Montclair, N.J., Burton Aaron of Ann
Arbor, Lisa and Danny Kurzmann of
West Bloomfield, Neil and Mindy Aaron
of Scottsdale, Ariz.; sister, Rita Folbe
of West Bloomfield; grandchildren,
Elisheva Aaron, Abigail Aaron, Nicole
Aaron, Amanda Aaron, Bryan Aaron,
David and Katie Kurzmann, Matthew
Kurzmann, Ari Kurzmann, Isaac
Kurzman, Molly Aaron, Max Aaron,
Madeline Aaron.
Mrs. Aaron was the dear sister-in-law
of the late Eliott Folbe.
Contributions may be made to
Hadassah, 5030 Orchard Lake Road,
West Bloomfield, MI 48323; Jewish
Senior Life, 6710 W. Maple Road, West
Bloomfield, MI 48322; or Hillel Day
School, 32200 Middlebelt, Farmington
Hills, MI 48334. Interment was held
at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in
Birmingham. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
grandchildren. He died on Dec. 4, 2013,
at age 93.
Mr. Kleinberg was born in Bochnia,
Poland, about 20 miles east of Krakow.
When the Germans occupied the town
during World War II, he was forced to
work in a munitions factory. His expe-
rience there
later led to his
being taken out
of Plaszow by
Schindler to
work for him in
Krakow. Later,
he moved with
Schindler to a fac-
tory in Brunnlitz,
Czechoslovakia, to Schaja Kleinberg
be liberated by the
Soviets in 1945.
After the war, Mr. Kleinberg wound up
in Foehrenwald displaced persons camp
in Germany. He married Matilda Essig,
the sister of two fellow Schindler Jews,
and they had a son, Oskar, and daughter,
Malka. According to Malka, the family
had accepted humanitarian aid from a
Communist organization and, as a result,
were unjustly barred from entering the
United States.
The family, instead, settled in Munich,
Germany. Mr. Kleinberg, who sang in his
synagogue choir as a youth, served for
four decades as Munich's cantor and with
the Chevra Kadisha
(burial society). In
1989, he and Matilda
moved to Oak Park
where Malka now
lives. Matilda died in
1994.
Upon leaving
CRUST
Munich,
he brought
IVOR
with him two
Torah scrolls that
had survived the
Kristalnacht pogroms
in 1938; one was restored and is in use
today in northern Israel.
Unlike many Holocaust survivors,
from the beginning, Mr. Kleinberg freely
spoke of his experiences in the camps,
said his daughter. He later served as a
docent at the Holocaust Memorial Center
EDWIN BIERMAN, 84
of Tamarac, Fla., died
Dec. 5, 2013.
He is survived by his
wife, Rosalie Bierman;
son and daughter-in-
law, Howard and Marla
Bierman; daughters,
Bierman
Kim Klar and Stephanie
Paz; beloved grand-
children, Adam, Max and Ross Klar, and
Hailey Paz; brothers-in-law and sisters-
in-law, Sol and Marion Stein, and Carol
and Irving Berg; many nieces, nephews
and friends.
Mr. Bierman was the father-in-law of
the late Dennis Klar; brother of the late
Elenore (Marcus) Sugarman, Frances
(Harvey) Goldberg, Gilbert (Dorthy)
Bierman; brother-in-law of the late
Mildred and the late Harold Singer,
the late Evelyn and the late Isadore
Silverman. He was the son of the late
Harry and the late Sarah Bierman.
Albert "Abby" Mogul; sister-in-law of the
late Alan Pall.
Contributions may be made to the
Fleischman Residence Third Floor
Memory Care Unit at Jewish Senior Life,
the Alzheimer's Association or to Temple
Kol Ami. Interment was at Wellwood
Cemetery in New York. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.
VIOLET "VI" COOPER, 90, of West
Bloomfield, died Nov. 29, 2013.
She is survived by her daughter and
son-in-law, Meryl and David Hirschland
of West Bloomfield; grandchildren,
Hannah Deborah Hirschland and Joshua
Cooper Hirschland; sister, Esther Pall;
niece, Emily (Ken) Spelke; sister-in-law,
Arlene Mogul.
Violet was the beloved wife of the late
Harold "Hal" Cooper; the mother of the
late Deborah Cooper; sister of the late
DR. DAVID DRASNIN, 51, of Oak Park,
died Dec. 4, 2013.
He is survived by his wife, Joann
Drasnin; sons, Akiva Yosef Drasnin,
Yehoshua Aryeh Drasnin; daughter,
Chana Rochel Drasnin; sister, Yona Kahn
of Huntington Woods; nieces, Sarah
Kahn, Natalie Kahn.
Contributions may be made to Kids
Kicking Cancer, 27600 Northwestern
Hwy., Ste 220, Southfield, MI 48034;
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box
2044, Southfield, MI 48037; Yeshivas
Darchei Torah, 21550 W. 12 Mile Road,
Southfield, MI 48076; Machon L' Torah
Ramat Bais Shemesh, 18877 W. 10 Mile
Road, #S.250G, Southfield, MI 48075; or
Yeshiva of South Bend, 3207 High St.,
South Bend, IN 46614. Interment was
held at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in
Birmingham. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
CHARLES EARL EDER, 88, of Southfield,
died Dec. 6, 2013.
He was a World War II veteran, a first
class tank crewman. He had his tank
Obituaries
in Farmington Hills.
"He had a lot of emunah — faith,"
said his son-in-law, Aaron Blumenfeld.
"When he sang and prayed, he did it with
his whole heart.
"His faith never wavered. He prayed
every day."
Schaja Kleinberg is survived by
his son and daughter-in-law, Oskar
and Audrey Kleinberg of Thornhill,
Ontario; daughter and son-in-law,
Malka and Aaron Blumenfeld of Oak
Park; grandchildren, Avrohom Shimon
and Lauren Blumenfeld, Leora and Ben
Carlson, Aliza and Dov Chodoff, Michal
Blumenfeld, Ahuvah and Daniel Fried,
Eli Chaim and Mameleh Kleinberg,
Benjy and Chaya Kleinberg, Ari
Kleinberg and fiancee Chani, Michael
and Shaindy Kleinberg; many loving
great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to Kollel
Institute, 15230 W Lincoln, Oak Park,
MI 48237. Services and interment were
held on Har HaZeitin (Mount of Olives)
in Israel. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
❑
blown up during a battle,
and he received the
Purple Heart.
In 1951, Mr. Eder
founded and then
owned United Good
Housekeeper.
Mr. Eder is survived
Eder
by his wife and best
friend of 68 years, Beatrice Eder; daughter
and son-in-law, Roberta and Stuart Pinsky
of Farmington Hills; sons and daughters-
in-law, Howard and Gale Eder of West
Bloomfield, Dr. Jeffrey and Dr. Nadine Eder
of Canton; grandchildren, Dr. Ben Pinsky
and Dr. Thuy Doan, Marla Pinsky, Bryan
and Wendy Eder, Kimberly and Chris
Kwant, Steven Eder and Wendy Frink Eder,
Matthew and Kristine Eder, Kevin Eder and
Molly Barackman-Eder; great-grandchil-
dren, Hannah Ashley Kwant, Carter Avery
Kwant, Alyssa Eder, Jenna Eder; other lov-
ing family members and friends.
He was the dear brother and brother-in-
law of the late Helen and the late Harry M.
Gallup.
Contributions may be made to Crohn's
& Colitis Foundation, 31313 Northwestern
Hwy., Ste 204, Farmington Hills, MI
48334; Jewish Dental Clinic, 25511
Southfield Road, Southfield, MI 48075; or
Alzheimer's Association, 25200 Telegraph,
Suite 100, Southfield, MI 48033. Interment
was held at Beth Abraham Cemetery
in Ferndale. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
Obituaries on page 62
JN
December 12 • 2013
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