metro
Providing peace
Shivah coordination business helps
take the burden off families.
SHIVA
GALS
Marielle Temkin
Special to the Jewish News
L
osing a loved one is always dif-
ficult, and the processes that
follow the loss often amplify
the difficulty. There is the funeral to
consider, the customs that must be
obeyed, the family that will come into
town and, of course, planning the
shivah.
This is where Marci
Zeman, 54, of West
Bloomfield, comes in.
She started her company,
ShivaGals, in September
2013 after realizing there
was a need for such a ser-
vice in the community.
"About three years ago,
my mom passed away:
she explained, "and I was
lucky because I have a
lot of friends who were
able to take charge and help me with
the shivah. But, what I found was
that there is a difference between age
groups — my younger siblings and
their spouses didn't really know what
to do or where to begin, which was
surprising"
During the period following her
mother's passing, Zeman conducted
research in the community and found
there was a need for a shivah-coordi-
nating service. Her slogan, "During
a difficult time, have peace of mind:
conveys the exact message her com-
pany delivers.
"There's a lot of stress during this
time: she said, "which is compound-
ed by the rituals that need to be fol-
lowed and the house that needs to be
set up for company and many other
tasks that need to happen that people
just aren't aware of and don't want to
have to worry about during this time:'
Zeman's services are tailored to
each of her clients — she helps each
of her customers with whatever they
request. For each family, she sits
20
January 16 • 2014
JN
Temple Israel religious school students in Ruth Katsnelson's third-hour
Judaics class helped raise money for Blessings in a Backpack.
down with them to discuss what type
of food they want to serve, allowing
them to pick from a wide variety of
menus and caterers. Zeman explained
that she can plan the funeral for the
family if they aren't comfortable going
to the funeral homes and will run
any errands and arrange anything the
family needs at a moment's notice.
"The idea behind ShivaGals is to
make things as easy and painless as
possible. In many cases
things will pop up suddenly,
which we can take care of,
giving the family as much
peace of mind we can: she
said. Prices vary, depending
on what is required.
Currently, Zeman works
by herself but is hoping to
grow enough to "put the 's'
in gals: she laughed.
Her passion for this
work is clear, and Zeman
explained that being a caretaker has
always been a core part of who she
is. "I don't think everybody could do
this, could have the mental state to
take this job on:'
The pace of her business has been
picking up, she said, mostly through
word of mouth and through her con-
nections in the community. "I volun-
teer at the JCC and at Temple Israel
and in my kids' schools, so people in
the community know they can count
on me:' She's also on the board of the
sisterhood at Temple Israel and is a
past board member.
"I think there's a void in our com-
munity now with people who are
working two jobs; they're very busy
and they just don't have the time to
help out their friends. It's not a mat-
ter of other people not caring; it's just
the reality of society right now So, if I
can help out, I'm happy to do it:'
❑
Learn more about ShivaGals at www.
shivagals.org or by contacting Marci at
(248) 721-0215 or marci@shivagals.org .
tslessinas In
A
backpack
Temple Israel students learn about hunger
through classroom project.
I
Stacy Gittleman
Special to the Jewish News
E
ven though they are young, students
at Temple Israel's religious school can
empathize with someone who has an
empty stomach.
Educators at the West Bloomfield syna-
gogue's religious school combined that under-
standing with teaching the mitzvah of giving
tzedakah in their lessons this fall to raise
$5,000 in just eight weeks for Blessings in a
Backpack, a fledgling program that combats
childhood hunger in one of the poorest sec-
tions of Detroit.
"Children can understand that when your
stomach is grumbling, you don't feel well, and
it is very hard to concentrate in school," said
Rabbi Ariana Gordon, director of Jewish edu-
cation and lifelong learning at Temple Israel's
Tyner Religious School. The Blessings in a
Backpack program teaches children living in
insular, suburban settings that there are kids
like them just 20 miles away who face hunger
on a daily basis.
Sarah Kraft, a social worker from
Farmington Hills, is one of four self-titled
"Blessing Sisters" volunteers who brought this
project to life at Temple Israel. The Blessing
Sisters also include Debbie Lederman and
Brenda Steuer, both of Bloomfield Hills, and
Risa Brickman of West Bloomfield.
Blessings in a Backpack is a project of
Project Healthy Community (PHC), a non-
profit organization serving the poorest fami-
lies in Northwest Detroit. Additional partners
for Blessing in a Backpack include Hartford
Memorial Baptist Church, Meijer and local
Detroit grocers.
"At the core of my profession is feeding and
caring for hungry kids: Kraft said. "At the core
of Judaism is teaching tzedakah. If children
are well fed over the weekend, they can come
to school on Monday ready to learn and suc-
ceed"
For five weeks this fall, Temple Israel
teachers in each grade found relevant texts
from the Torah that teach the Jewish obliga-
tion to feed the hungry. When the teachers
reviewed these texts, and the Blessing Sisters
visited the classes and showed them the
backpacks that needed to be filled with food,
the lesson "went straight to their hearts:
Kraft said.
Ninety-five percent of the children in this
part of the city qualify for subsidized break-
fast and lunch programs during the school
week. Come the weekend, many of these
children face near-empty pantries and refrig-
erators at home. That is where the backpack
comes to the rescue.
The money raised by Temple Israel
will supply 270 children at MacDowell
Elementary School with $2.40 worth of
healthy food such as yogurt, tuna, pasta,
peanut butter and other items every weekend
between January and June. Backpacks are
filled every Thursday between noon and 2
p.m. at IPA MacDowell, 4201 W. Outer Drive,
Detroit. Volunteers who can pack backpacks
are always appreciated. To volunteer, sign up
at http://bitly/19mllgh.
"The most incredible part of this project
is that we are creating a partnership of vol-
unteerism between the suburbs and Detroit:
said Karen Sherbin, PHC program coordina-
tor. "Blessings in a Backpack is turning out to
be a wonderful, sustainable part of PHC. We
are also getting families involved in making
healthier eating decisions and preparing bet-
ter food at home:'
According to Sherbin, Blessings in a
Backpack can lead to improved test scores,
reading skills, positive behavior, and overall
health and well-being for the children who
receive food to eat over the weekend.
In the long term, Sherbin hopes that
Project Healthy Community can bring fami-
lies together to learn how to cook healthier
meals together. ❑