15 . ble'' iNN Oft° -coo' of' With Al Taubman, center, at the FIDF Michigan Chapter 2008 dinner in Southfield are Alon FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES Kaufman, chap- ter chair; Gary Shiffman, chapter president; and retired IDF officers Brig. Gen. Yechiel Gozal, Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Gershon and Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. Strong Friend Of Israel Taubman's support rooted in a decades-long journey. H is wife, Judy, was Miss Israel 1962 and his son-in-law, Michael Kalisman, served in the Israel Defense Forces, but A. Alfred Taubman showed a love for Israel that ran deeper than family bonds. The Detroit-based shop- ping mall pioneer and philanthropic colossus, who died April 17 at age 91 at his Bloomfield Hills home, supported the Jewish state nobly via his leadership with Federation's Annual Robert Campaign and through spe- Contrib cific projects. Edit He was a frequent visitor to Israel and preached its impenetrable ties to the Jewish people. His Zionist commitment never wavered despite the tug of business and benefactor matters back in the U.S. He left an indelible mark on Israel's character, helping build a park, bring new investment and elevate medical research, among other efforts. IDF Champion An enduring cause for Taubman was Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), which works on behalf of military enlistees, aids families of fallen soldiers and assists underprivileged youth. His son- in-law Michael, a New York medical doctor married to Gayle Taubman Kalisman, is an FIDF national board member. When the FIDF Michigan Chapter honored him at its November 2008 din- ner in Southfield, Taubman, a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, movingly talked about being "inspired by the young soldiers who are the first line of defense against the forces bent on destroying Israel. "They put their lives on the line every day for freedom, democracy and human dignity," he said. I always sensed his admiration for their supreme responsibility was burrowed in his soul. Taubman was a dear friend of retired Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, who served as the IDF's 20th chief of the general staff from 2011 until this February. Gantz not only attended the Southfield dinner, but also earlier that year hosted Taubman during a Negev visit following an IDF live armored drill there. Reminiscing about Taubman's FIDF support, Tamir Oppenheim, FIDF's Midwest executive director, told the IN: "He had the vision and the understanding and the concern for the young men and women who protect our Jewish ancestral homeland:" In partnership with FIDF, Taubman also funded a recreation center for Israel defense agency personnel located on a top- secret base in the center of the country. More Connections The Detroit Jewish News archive spotlights examples of Taubman's other Israel involve- ment. In 1960, just before breaking ground on his first large mall, Arborland in Ann Arbor, the up-and-coming entrepreneur chaired the Detroit advisory committee for the new Israel Investment Authority, intended to spur local investment in the 12-year-old Jewish state. In 1981, Taubman was there to dedicate the Max M. Fisher-A. Alfred Taubman Community Center in Ramla, one of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's two Project Renewal cities in Israel before the Partnership2Gether/Michigan-Central Galilee people-to-people program emerged in 1994. Fisher, a Detroit industrialist and financier, gave Taubman a business break in the 1950s by hiring him to build two Speedway gas stations; the men became business partners as their friendship grew. In 1992, Taubman and Fisher teamed with Kathleen Duross Ford in sponsoring Henry Ford II Park, then the second park in Yavne, Detroit Jewry's other Project Renewal city, to memorialize her husband and their friend, who generously sup- ported Israel in contrast to the anti-Jewish vitriol of Hank the Deuce's grandfather before World War II. Taubman built a remarkable trans- Atlantic humanitarian bridge with his $300,000 gift in 2010 to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The grant was meant to enhance collaborative stem cell research with the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan. Since 2009, the collaborative efforts led by Dr. Benjamin Reubinoff, the Sidney and Judy Swartz Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research director at Hadassah Medical Center, and Dr. Eva Feldman, the Ann Arbor-based Taubman Institute director, have sought breakthrough treat- ment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neuro- degenerative disease that killed U.S. Sen. Jacob Javits, a close friend of Taubman. Hadassah is a partner in the Taubman Institute-Israel Initiative, which encour- ages collaborations between medical researchers in Michigan and Israel. The Initiative sprang from a 2008 trip to Israeli medical research facilities by Taubman, his daughter Gayle (the Institute's Leadership Advisory Board co-chair) and Feldman. At the time of his major gift, Taubman announced: "We are fortunate to have a climate in Michigan that welcomes and encourages embryonic stem cell research. And the powerful combination of Reubinoff's and Feldman's medical minds, backed by the prestige of the Hadassah Medical Center and the University of Michigan, has the potential to seriously impact medical history:' His stateside philanthropy is better known, but Israel also is richer because of Al Taubman. ❑ I'm starting to worry about my friend Josh. We've been close since first grade, but lately he's changed. I noticed it in the fall, right after school started. Last year, we hung out a lot after school; he usually came over to my house, or sometimes I went to his. Lately though, whenever I ask him to do something, he always has an excuse. He says he has too much homework, or that his parents want him to spend more time at home. But I don't believe him. Something doesn't feel right. Last year he had the lead in the school play; this year he wouldn't even try out. He said it took up too much time, but, from what I can see, he's not doing much else. He used to talk about wanting to try out for the tennis team, but he doesn't even play anymore. When I saw him at the library Sunday, I asked him if anything was bothering him, but he brushed me off. He said talking to him would be a waste of my time, and that I'd be better off if I just forgot about him. I told him that wasn't true, that I missed hanging out together. He said he just wanted to be left alone, and that soon nobody would have to worry about him. That really upset me. What if he's planning to hurt himself? I want to talk to my mom, but what if she calls his parents, and then he gets mad at me? I'd feel horrible if something bad happens and I didn't say anything. I feel like I should do something, but I don't know what. The bad call is the one you awl make. An initiative of the Schulman Fund SUPPORT & FRIENDSHIP FOR ALL 248-788-8888 rabbiyarden@friendshipcircle.org thefriendshiphouse.org 1991400 April 23 • 2015 15