obituaries

Courageous Survivor

Ronelle Grier

Contributing Writer

A

lexander "Alex" Karp was a
devoted husband, father and
grandfather whose indomi-
table spirit survived the horrors of the
Holocaust and carried into every aspect
of his life.
Alex, who lived in West Bloomfield,
died Sept. 8, 2014, at age 89.
Alex was born in Hungary in 1925,
where he lived with his parents, his
younger sister, Martha, and a large
extended family. When the Germans
occupied Hungary in 1944, Alex and his
family were captured and placed in a
cattle car to Birkenau death camp, where
they were greeted for screening by the
infamous murderer Dr. Josef Mengele.
Most of Alex's family, including his moth-
er and sister, were killed.
At Birkenau, Alex showed remarkable
courage and resourcefulness by signing
up to be a tool-and-die maker, an avoca-
tion he knew nothing about, because he
hoped that having a useful skill might
spare him from immediate death. Before
the war ended, he was imprisoned in
five different camps where he endured
unimaginable horrors; he was beaten and
shot at, coming close to death on more
than one occasion. But at war's end, Alex
and his father, who had also miraculously
survived, were finally reunited.
After the war, Alex lived in Canada,
until he met Gabriella, or "Gaby," as he
called her, during a visit to Detroit. It was
love at first sight for both of them, and he
wasted no time moving across the border
and becoming a United States citizen.

CHARLES BENNETT, 77, of Oak Park,
died Sept. 6, 2014.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years,
Marcia Bennett; son, Moshe Yitzchok
of Oak Park; daughters and son-in-law,
Denise Bennett, Shayna Hinda and
Pinchas "Peter" Bentley of Brooklyn,
N.Y.; sister, Phyllis Bennett of Del Ray
Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law and brother-in-
law, Shelley and Ed Kohl; grandchildren,
Gershon Widroff, Mordechai and Esther
Widroff, Tali Bentley, Ariel Bentley,
Sorah and Mordy Rosenbloom, Mariasha
Bennett, Shlomi Bennett, Mendy Bennett,
Perele Bennett, Shoshana Bennett, Rivka
Bennett, Chaya Bennett, Elimelech
Bennett, Nechama Bennett, Atara Bennett;
great-grandchildren, Maya Rosenbloom,
Dovid Asher Rosenbloom, Sarel Widroff.
Mr. Bennett was the loving son of the
late George and the late Sadie Bennett;
dear brother of the late Howard Bennett.
Contributions may be made to Chabad

148

September 18 • 2014

fig

The couple married in 1959, and their
partnership was filled with undying love,
mutual respect and devotion to their two
sons, Gary and David, and later, their
daughters-in-law and six grandchildren.
Alex praised Gaby's home-cooked
meals, which she provided every night
despite her own busy schedule. He espe-
cially loved Friday nights, when the whole
family gathered
together for
dinner.
In 1969, with
his business
partner and
close friend,
Earl Ishbia,
he started
the company
now known as
Sherwood Food
Distributors,
Alex Karp
which has
become one of
the largest independent distributors in
the meat and food industry. His employ-
ees were like family, calling him by his
first name and enjoying his frequent visits
to kibitz with office staff and warehouse
workers, always with a smile on his face
and a sparkle in his blue eyes.
He loved to banter with his customers,
who respected his integrity and business
acumen. He was a shrewd investor who
enjoyed playing the stock market.
His son David described him as a
"complex giant of a man," wise and
insightful despite his limited formal
schooling. Although he worked long
hours every day, his sons always greeted
him with hugs and kisses when he came

home. He made sure the boys had formal
Jewish education and understood the tra-
ditions, and he helped them put things in
perspective with the oft-repeated phrase,
"That should be your biggest problem."
He wanted the best for his family, but
never let his success get in the way of
his humility. "The more successful Dad
became, the more humble he was," said
Gary.
Alex unconditionally
adored all of his six
grandchildren, want-
ing to hear about their
schools, friends, trav-
els and how their lives
were progressing. He
also loved socializing
with his many friends,
attending their special
occasions and shmooz-
ing until the wee hours
of the night.

Center of North Oak Park, 15401 W 10
Mile Road, Oak Park, MI 48237; Yeshiva
Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box 2044, Southfield,
MI 48037; JARC, 30301 Northwestern
Hwy., Farmington Hills, MI 48334; or to a
charity of one's choice. Interment was held
at Workmen's Circle-Turover Cemetery
in Clinton Township. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

and Terry Shapiro, Yonatan Lieblich,
Yaakov Lieblich, Aaron Lieblich, Tamar
Lieblich, Naomi and Yehonathan Buskila,
Elana Greenbaum, Avi Greenbaum; great-
grandchildren, Lailie, Matthew, Sam.
Mr. Greenbaum was the dear brother of
the late Herschel Greenbaum.
Contributions may be made to Akiva
Hebrew Day School, 21100 W 12 Mile,
Southfield, MI 48076; or Young Israel of
Southfield, 27705 Lahser, Southfield, MI
48034. Interment was held at Hebrew
Memorial Park in Clinton Township.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

DAVID GREENBAUM, 82, of Southfield,
died Sept. 12, 2014.
He is survived by his wife, Fayga
Greenbaum; sons and daughters-in-
law, Michael and Marla Greenbaum of
Southfield, Joseph and Jill Greenbaum
of Southfield; daughter and son-in-law,
Dena and Ken Lieblich of Edison, N.J.;
sister-in-law, Gilda Greenbaum; grand-
children, Daniel and Gillian Greenbaum,
Adam and Ilana Greenbaum, Rachel
and Aaron Loterstein, Noam and Haviva
Greenbaum, Benjamin Lieblich, Michal

Obituaries

'Heart Of Gold'

Alex was known for his heart of gold
and extraordinary generosity toward his
family and friends. He was a benefac-
tor to numerous community organiza-
tions, including Henry Ford Hospital. He
helped found and support the Holocaust
Memorial Center because he understood
the importance of memorializing the
experience for future generations.
According to Gary, Steven Spielberg's
Shoah Foundation inspired Alex to
record his life story in the mid-1990s.
His history and experience are part of
Portraits of Honor, an electronic interac-
tive educational exhibit housed at the
Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman

Greenberg

JOHN L. GREENBERG,
84, formerly of Detroit,
died Sept. 4, 2014, in
Palm Beach Gardens,
Fla.
Together with his
father, Sam, and broth-
er, Ron, Mr. Greenberg

Family Campus. His story is also included
in the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor
Oral History Archive at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn.
Alex Karp is survived by his beloved
wife of 56 years, Gabriella; sons, Gary
(Brenda Wayne) Karp and David (Judy)
Karp; grandchildren, Jaime, Allison,
Adam, Lindsey, Danielle and Jaynie Karp;
brother-in-law, Thomas (Agnes) Lugosi;
sister-in-law, Dianne Burger. He is also
survived by Beth Karp, loving in-laws,
many adoring nieces, nephews, cousins,
friends, devoted caregivers, and business
partner of 45 years, Earl (Renee) Ishbia.
He was the devoted son of the late
Ignacz and Mariska Karp; loving brother
of the late Martha Karp, the late Roszi
(the late Moshe) Moss, and the late David
Z. Burger; dear son-in-law of the late
Zoltan and the late Borbala Lugosi.
Interment was at Hebrew Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made
to Holocaust Memorial Center, the
Alexander Karp Memorial Fund, 28123
Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills,
MI 48334, (248) 553-2400, www.
holocaustcenter.org ; Magen David Adom,
23215 Commerce Park Road, Suite 306,
Beachwood, OH 44122, (877) 405-3913,
www.afmda.org; Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces, Michigan Chapter, P.O.
Box 999, Walled Lake, MI 48390, (248)
926-4110, www.fidf.org ; JARC, 30301
Northwestern Highway, Suite 100,
Farmington Hills, MI 48334, (248) 538-
6611, www.jarc.org; or Friendship Circle
of Michigan, 6892 W. Maple Road, West
Bloomfield, MI, 48322, (248) 788-7878,
www.friendshipcircle.org . Arrangements
by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

❑

practiced law and was actively involved
in many Detroit Jewish organizations. He
was a veteran of the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his loving wife of
20 years, Toby Greenberg; sons, Stephen
(Debbie) Greenberg, Stuart (Ilene)
Kreitzer, and Michael Kreitzer; sister-
in-law, Tenny Greenberg; many devoted
grandchildren.
Mr. Greenberg was preceded in death
by his brother, Ronald L. Greenberg;
parents, Samuel S. Greenberg and Sylvia
Simon Greenberg, in whose memory
the Sylvia Simon Greenberg Award was
established.
Services were held in Florida.
Contributions may be made to the
Sylvia Simon Greenberg Fund of Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Hospice of Palm Beach County or a char-
ity of one's choice.