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A Grand Evening
Andrea Wolfe honored with Jewish Hospice's first Dove Award.
p
atrons crowded into the Berman Center for the
Performing Arts in West Bloomfield May 15 to pay
tribute to Andrea "Andi" Wolfe as she became the
first recipient of the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network's
(JHCN) Dove Award.
Wolfe is founder of the organization's Grand Circle of Women
group designed to educate women about end-of-life care as well
as to increase awareness of — and financial support for — JHCN.
The evening also featured the premiere of The Embrace of
Aging: The Female Perspective of Growing Old, a film by local
filmmaker Keith Famie. Segments of the film featured Rabbi
E.B. "Bunny" Freedman, head of JHCN, as well as Dr. Eva
Feldman of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute
at the University of Michigan.
A pre-program strolling dinner also was held for members
of the Grand Circle of Women.
❑
Larry and Andi Wolfe
Grand Circle of Women Chair Dana
Burnstein, Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network Director Rabbi E.B. "Bunny"
Freedman, The Embrace of Aging
filmmaker Keith Famie and Grand Circle
of Women Founder Andi Wolfe
Event Chairs: (front row) Grand Circle of Women Chair Dana
Burnstein, honoree Andi Wolfe and Forest Wolfe; (second row) Paula
Glazier and Sandy Danto; (third row) Reva Rosen, Linda Kovan and
Terri Farber Roth; (not shown) Patti Aaron and Sue Ellen Kaufman.
Dave Donerson, Eleanor Jackier and
Ronda Ferber
Elaine Laker, Lois Pincus Cohn and Gerald
Laker
Janis and Bill Wetsman with Rabbi
David Nelson
Highest Honor
The late Dr. Maria Holecek was
awarded the title "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel.
T
he late Dr. Maria Holecek was
presented the award and title of
"Righteous Among the Nations" in
a ceremony hosted May 18 at the Holocaust
Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus in
Farmington Hills.
"Righteous Among the Nations" is presented
by the State of Israel to honor non-Jews who
risked their lives to rescue Jews during the
Holocaust. The designation is granted after
meticulous research. It is considered the highest
award honoring rescuers during the Holocaust.
Dr. Holecek, a Lithuanian dentist, was rec-
ognized for her efforts in rescuing Jews dur-
ing WWII by helping them escape as well as
arranging shelter and hiding places. She died
in 2006. She was credited with saving her den-
tal school classmate, the late Dr. Olga Horwitz,
who lived with her for a year and a half.
Her sons, Dr. Frank Holecek of Novi and
Dr. Andrew Holecek of Lafayette, Colo.,
were in attendance to accept the award
and honor. Roey Gilad, Counsel General of
Israel to the Midwest, and Z. Isaac Mekel,
American Society for Yad Vashem director of
Three generations of Dr. Maria Holecek's family are in this photo with
development, provided presentations.
Dr. Frank Holecek, Novi; Dr. William and Shelley Krieg, Franklin;
Joy Holecek, Novi; Debbie and Dr. Robert Cartwright, Grosse
Pointe Woods; and Dr. Andrew Holecek, Lafayette, Colo.
30
June 12 • 2014
❑
Israeli Consul General Roey Gilad and wife, Nitza, far right.
Nitza Gilad and her husband, Roey Gilad,
Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, with
Dr. Andrew Holecek and Dr. Frank Holecek,
sons of Dr. Maria Holecek. They hold the
certificate and medal proclaiming their
mother "Righteous Among the Nations."
Dr. Saule Dietz of
Birmingham holds
a photo of Mrs.
Gene Petrauskas,
Dr. Maria Holecek,
Dr. Olga Horwitz
and Mrs. Stefanie
Vaiciunas. Maria
and her sister,
Stefanie, and her
husband, Vincas,
lived together
when they were
hiding Olga. The
Vaiciunas family
live in Kalamazoo.