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» Saving JPM Grassroots group holds its own
meeting to discuss ways to help keep the Oak Park JCC
open. See page 16.

» Marriage Ruling Judge orders Michigan to respect
legal marriages of 300 same-sex couples. See page 14.

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Community builder Leor Barak

>> cover story

Cou rtesy Bet Chaverim

metro

» Meet Leor Barak Building community and
enterprise in the D. See page 29.

Claims
Conference

JFS gains funds to expand budget
for Holocaust survivor services.

Shari S. Cohen I Special to the Jewish News

G

C0MPU

Bet Chaverim in Canton marks 20 years
as a committed Jewish outpost.

Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer

W

hen Sarah Liberatore, 13, her sister, Reagan, 16, and Tamar Nemeth,
17, all of Canton, took to the ice last month for a holiday skating
exhibition at the town's famed Arctic Edge Ice Arena where 2009
Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White train, they took their
Jewish identity with them.
In the only performance not set to Christmas music, the three girls showed
off their Jewish pride by skating to Chanukah melodies and designing costumes
complete with turquoise kippot and white prayer shawls. Their confidence in

Above: Children partici-
pate in Bet Chaverim's
annual students'
Shabbat service last
year. Rabbi Peter Gluck
stands in the back on
the right.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

JN

1942 - 2015

Covering and
Connecting
Jewish Detroit
Eve y Week

etting older is challenging enough for many
individuals, but for the dwindling number of
Holocaust survivors, the aging process can be
especially difficult. Survivors are more likely to be finan-
cially needy and often have few family members to help
them. While their numbers dwindle each year, their needs
often increase as they become frailer.
Fortunately, Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan
Detroit (JFS) has received a 106 percent increase in funds
to help Holocaust survivors from the Conference on Jewish
Material Claims Against Germany, known as the Claims
Conference.
The $2.5 million allocation, compared with $1.2 million
allocated to JFS for 2014, will be used primarily for home
care including housekeeping, cooking, dressing and bath-
ing assistance for survivors.
In 2014, according to JFS CEO Perry Ohren, approxi-
mately 500 local Holocaust survivors received services
including case management, emergency financial aid,
transportation and home care. Ohren said the additional
Claims Conference funds should cover services for 15 sur-
vivors now on a waiting list as well as expand services for
those individuals who now need more help.
"The oldest survivor being helped by JFS is 101 and the
youngest are child survivors in their early 70s," he said.
"Our case managers make sure that they have the govern-
ment or community benefits they are entitled to:'
Risa Berris, director of geriatric case management, was
hired by JFS in 1997 to help Holocaust survivors.
"We want to keep them in their homes to avoid re-
traumatization that they may experience in an institutional
setting," she said. "The Claims Conference payment will
help cover home care, extra medical expenses, supplement
their food budget and combat isolation."

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12