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Robert P. Blau, M. D.
Specializing in Diabetic Eye Care and
Diseases of the Vitreous and Retina
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Wayne State University School of Medicine
Aiding Israeli Soldiers
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Sinai Hospital of Detroit
Farber Family Foundation pledges
$1.5 million for Friends of the IDF’s
education program.
Fellowships
University of Wisconsin – Vitreo-Retinal Surgery
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Michigan Eyecare Institute
LASIK, Cataract Surgery, Eyeglasses, Contacts,
Dry Eye Therapy, Diabetic Laser Therapy, Glaucoma Laser Therapy,
Eyelid Surgery, Eye Exams and Vision Testing
Mark Rubinstein, M. D.
Walter Cukrowski, M. D.
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29877 Telegraph, Ste. 100
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(248) 352-2806
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Robert P. Blau, M. D.
Livonia
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(734) 464-7800
Dearborn
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www.micheyecare.com
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Honor and Celebrate
Most Valuable Rabbi
Elliot Pachter
June 4th & 5th
Spend the weekend honoring Rabbi Elliot Pachter for his
25 years of dedication, spiritual guidance, friendship and counsel
to our congregation and within the community.
Saturday, June 4th at 9:00am
Shabbat Services & Kiddush Lunch
Guest Speaker Rabbi Eric Grossman, former
Head of School at Frankel Jewish Academy and
Rabbi Pachter’s mentor, colleague, and friend.
Sunday, June 5th at 4:00pm
Most Valuable Rabbi Celebration
“Play ball” with a look behind the scenes with
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RSVP for the June 5 Celebration by May 13.
Visit www.bnaimoshe.org for details.
To volunteer or to donate, call the synagogue offi ce
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6800 Drake Rd, West Bloomfi eld Township, MI 48322
(248) 788-0600
20 April 14 • 2016
he William and Audrey Farber
Family Foundation this year
pledged $1.5 million to support
the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
(FIDF) Formal Education Program,
which helps Israeli soldiers complete
their high school diplomas.
Currently, some 8,400 soldiers serve in
the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who have
not finished high school and another
5,000 have not passed at least three
“Bagrut” (matriculation) exams.
“FIDF’s Formal Education Program
helps to educate these soldiers at an
average cost per soldier of about $1,515,”
FIDF Midwest Executive Director Tamir
Oppenheim explained. “This means the
Farber Family Foundation’s generous
donation will help 990 soldiers complete
their diplomas over the next three years.”
FIDF, a nonprofit organization estab-
lished in 1981 by a group of Holocaust
survivors, provides and supports educa-
tional, social, cultural and recreational
programs and facilities for IDF soldiers.
“FIDF knows that Israeli soldiers have
diverse needs — and that their struggles
neither begin nor end on the battlefield,”
Oppenheim said. “We want to lighten the
burden, and make it possible for them to
pursue higher education and successful
careers.”
He also noted that FIDF’s IMPACT!
Scholarship Program provides academic
scholarships to IDF combat veterans who
cannot afford the cost of college tuition.
David Farber, spokesperson for his
family’s foundation, said he and his fam-
ily are longtime supporters of FIDF.
“When Paula Lebowitz, director
of development for FIDF’s Michigan
Chapter, came to us with this proposal,
we fell in love with the idea immediately,”
said Farber, who lives in Bloomfield Hills
and sits on the foundation’s board, along
with his wife, Nanci, and brother, Jeff.
Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel
in West Bloomfield visited the IDF’s
“Michve Alon” Education and Youth
Corps base last month near Safed. The
base offers many of the army’s educa-
tional programs, including the Hebrew
course for new olim (immigrants). Those
olim include David Farber’s son Justin, a
Lone Soldier, one who serves in the IDF
Pvt. Andrea Goldstein, originally from
Detroit, who is enrolled in the Hebrew
course at Michve Alon in Israel; Rabbi
Harold Loss of West Bloomfield; and
Pvt. Sheaf Nof, originally from Detroit
without any immediate family in Israel.
Loss, who advises the Farber family on
Jewish philanthropy, felt it was important
to do “due diligence” on the program and
see for himself how it changes the lives of
Israeli soldiers.
“I met a young woman who, prior to
joining the army, had never taken a math
or science course,” Loss said. “The army
instructors were completely dedicated
to their students. I left the base thinking
this was an amazing program that would
truly expand the post-military opportu-
nities for the soldiers.”
Returning home, Loss told the Farber
family that “supporting the FIDF Formal
Education Program would be a wonder-
ful use of funds.”
According to Farber, the William and
Audrey Farber Family Foundation was
created about two years ago when his
father, William Farber, decided to give
his estate to charity.
“Over the past 18 months, we’ve
donated some $44 million to mostly
Jewish causes,” he said. “My family has
been supporting Jewish education here
and in Israel, and this program was a no-
brainer. We had the money and we want-
ed to do something transformative that
would give Israeli soldiers opportunities
in life after they complete their military
service. We think this is an amazing
investment in Israel’s future.”
*