obituaries
Obituaries from page 49
LOIS ZAHLER, 94, of
Tamarac, Fla., died Dec.
27, 2013.
She is survived by
her son and daughter-
in-law, Stephen and Dr.
Zahler
Janet Carpman of Ann
Arbor; daughter and
son-in-law, Cidnie and
Dr. Arthur Herold of Tamarac, Fla.; grand-
children, Andrew and Gillian Herold, Dr.
Bradley and Dr. Deborah Herold, Erin
and Marc Young, Rachel Carpman, David
Carpman; great-grandchildren, Kayla, Sari,
Addison, Ari and Levi Herold, Dylan and
Ella Young; loving nieces and nephews,
Cheri Paul, Stuart and Fran Paul, Ed and
Michelle Paul, Brian Paul, John and Sarah
McNamee, Scott Paul.
Mrs. Zahler was the beloved wife of the
late Aaron Carpman and the late Joseph
Rich and the late Louis Zahler; dear sister
of the late Alvin Paul, the late Jacqueline
McNamee and the late Howard Paul.
Contributions may be made to a char-
ity of one's choice. Interment was held at
Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Services
were held at the Machpelah Chapel.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial
Chapel.
Rabbis Make Tribute
To 'Superman Sam'
JTA
I
n March, dozens of rabbis will
shave their heads at the Reform
movement's Central Conference
of American Rabbis conference in
Chicago. But the 8-year-old boy whose
struggle with cancer inspired the rabbis'
campaign will not be there to witness
their act of solidarity.
Samuel Asher Sommer, the son of
Rabbis Phyllis and Michael Sommer,
died mid-December in his Chicago-area
home after an 18-month battle against
refractory acute myeloid leukemia.
His funeral was held at Am Shalom,
where Phyllis Sommer is an associate
rabbi. Sommer had created "Superman
Sam," a blog that documented her son's
struggle. Along with a fellow Reform
rabbi, she came up with the idea for
the "36 Rabbis Shave for the Brave" in
"YOU MADE EVERYTHING
SO EASY FOR US AND
WERE SENSITIVE TO ALL
OF OUR NEEDS...IN A
KIND AND CARING WAY."
WE APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK WE
RECEIVE FROM THE FAMILIES WE SERVE.
THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL
18325 W. 9 Mile Rd Southfield, MI 48075 • 248.569.0020 • I raKaufman.com
50 January 9 • 2014
Obituaries
order to raise money for pediatric can-
cer research and show solidarity with
Sam, who lost his hair due to chemo-
therapy.
In the days since Samuel's death,
rabbis have continued to join the cam-
paign.
Fifty-one rabbis, most affiliated with
the Reform movement, have pledged to
lose their locks. Another 11 have volun-
teered to help in other ways.
According to the "36 Rabbis Shave
For The Brave" Web page, the campaign
has raised $122,808 for the St. Baldrick's
Foundation, a 13-year-old nonprofit
that raises money for pediatric cancer
research.
Rabbi Charles Briskin, one of the rab-
bis who has pledged to shave his head
and raised $4,339, said he signed on
because he is friends with the Sommers
and "felt propelled by the cause:'
"Following Sammy's death, there's
just greater resolve to get more people
on board to prevent more [families]
from having to endure this," he said.
"Our goal is to keep the momentum
going as we make our way to Chicago:'
The shaving is to show solidarity
with children undergoing chemothera-
py and to raise awareness.
The organizers felt it important to
educate people about the lack of fund-
ing for pediatric cancer research. The
rabbis feel they have power they can
leverage when they see a need in soci-
ety.
According to the St. Baldrick's
Foundation website, just 4 percent of
money earmarked for cancer research
in the United States focuses on pediat-
ric cancers.
As a result, the foundation said,
physicians must struggle to apply to
children protocols that have been
developed for adult patients. Treatment
that works for adults can be toxic for
children because they are so much
smaller.
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