If your property tax is excessive, hire the experts in property tax law: • See our ad on page 9 • 248-702-6100 • hoffertlaw.com Hoffert & Associates HOFFERT & ASSOCIATES $2.00 JAN. 22-28, 2015 / 2-8 SHEVAT 5775 theJEWISHNEWS.com A JEWISH RENAISSANCE MEDIA PUBLICATION » 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