aikrat2C
metro
How can Israel
survive without a
secure blood supply?
Awash from page 10
estimator with Absolute Services, who
said they had an overwhelming influx
of calls and a wait list of customers
that goes into the hundreds. "Just
this morning, when I checked our
answering machine we had 28 calls
overnight:'
Financial Aid
MDA blood center staffworking in underground bomb shelter during Operation Protective Edge.
Sh e can't! Whenever rockets are aimed at Tel Aviv,
Magen David Adom's National Blood Center, Israel's only
blood bank for her people and the Israel Defense Forces, must
move into cramped, underground bomb shelters.
Please join us on September 11th to hear Prof. Eilat Shinar,
M.D. discuss the challenges facing the current blood bank
and why it is vital to move the operations to a permanent and
secure underground facility.
Thursday, September 11, 2014 5:30 p.m.
at Congregation Beth Ahm, West Bloomfield
Featuring Guest Speaker — Dr. Eilat Shinar, M.D.
Director of MDAs Blood Bank
R.S.V.P. by Thursday, September 4, 2014 by calling
877.405.3913 or at www.afinda.org/mames-gala
Ad journal deadline extended to Tuesday, August 26, 2014.
Proceeds will be used to sponsor an ambulance in Israel
in honor of our chapter's founders and supply MDA
with much needed medical equipment and supplies.
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF
MAGEN DAVID ADOM
12 August 21 • 2014
Bat Mitzvah Plans
Overall, flood victims maintained
a cheery outlook that "things could
always be worse:' They know personal
belongings they lost are "just stuff," but
they still are in a state of mourning for
sentimental and priceless possessions
that money cannot replace.
Daniella HarPaz Mechnikov of
Huntington Woods was one week
away from celebrating the bat mitz-
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JFS is seeking donations to help
families recover from the flood-
ing. To donate, go to http://www.
ifsdetroit.org/support-jfs . Donors
can indicate they want to support
flood relief in the comment box.
Nechama is looking for donations
as well as local volunteers. Call
(763) 732-0610 or sign up to vol-
unteer at www.nechama.org and
click on the Detroit Area Flood
Response link.
Taking The Plunge from page 8
Celebration of Life Gala
Dr. John J. Mames Chapter — Michigan Region
Cari Margulis Immerman, Director
Manny Charach, Chair
23215 Commerce Park Road, Suite 306
Beachwood, OH 44122
Toll-Free: 877.405.3913 • central@afmda.org
wwwafmda.org
David Contorer, executive director
of Hebrew Free Loan in Bloomfield
Township, said his agency is here to
help people get through "wrinkles that
life throws our way."
"In our 119 years in operation, we
have never seen such an unprecedented
disaster as this flood in Detroit,"
Contorer said. "But Hebrew Free Loan
is here to provide interest-free loans
up to $7,500 to members of the Jewish
community, whether you have lost your
car or wish to refmish your basement:'
Those interested in applying for
a loan can call Hebrew Free Loan
at (248) 723-8184 Monday through
Thursday or begin the application pro-
cess online at www.hfldetroit.org.
vah of her daughter, Pelli, when raw
sewage water seeped into her family's
basement and rose to nearly 3 feet.
In addition to furniture, photos and
other mementoes stored in the base-
ment were the new shoes she and her
daughter were supposed to wear for
the simchah.
"You know what was also floating
around in the basement? My rain boots,"
Mechnikov said. "I'm lucky my neighbor
let me borrow his big fishing boots so I
can get down there and clean:'
Though she has a rider on her
homeowner's insurance policy for
sewer water damage that should cover
the cost to replace her furnace and
appliances, Mechnikov is uncertain
when the family will have the money
to restore their finished basement.
"Still, you just have to take a deep
breath and put things in perspective,"
Mechnikov said. "After all, I have a
brother in Tel Aviv who has been run-
ning to a shelter for cover all summer.
It could be worse:'
Co-sponsored by:
DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS
The flooded highways threw cold
water on everyone's plans. One
friend coming from Toronto ended
up getting caught on 1-696 and
spent a total of 14 hours in his car.
Another friend drove with water up
to his ankles, until the car stalled.
A relative from St. Louis was in
his car for eight hours before pull-
ing over to buy something to feed
his kids because they never did end
up getting the wedding dinner. Then
they headed back to the Oak Park
house they were staying in, only to
find that the basement had flooded
and all their possessions had been
wrecked under a foot of sewage.
Friends and neighbors were
forced to give up mid-drive and find
a place to spend the night in their
wedding clothes because the way
home was blocked. Some slept in
their cars in the Lowe's parking lot
in Warren.
Ten friends of the groom were
"unstoppable," Hurvitz says. When
these guys came up against the
flooding, they parked, headed to
Walmart to purchase bathing suits...
and then swam in 6 feet of water
to the wedding, where they literally
made a splash.
"A bathing suit is still a suit,"
Hurvitz jokes.
Hurvitz says it was a little disap-
pointing to not have the wedding
they'd planned and dreamed of, but
it's water under the bridge for this
positive-minded family.
"We were warm and dry, we had
food, drink, music, and we are filled
with tremendous appreciation for
all the time people put into trying
to get there," Hurvitz says.
However, unlike most other wed-
dings when families sometimes
second-guess themselves and
worry about the hurt feelings of
people who weren't invited, Hurvitz
says, "This time around, people
who we didn't invite are going to
thank us."
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