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in
the

Honor
Heroism

Local family goes to
Poland For Yad
Vashem presentation.

Walk4Friendship
Set For Sept. 2

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

his summer, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust
memorial center in Jerusalem, conducted a
special ceremony in Munich to posthumously
honor the life of a German woman who hid two
Jewish brothers in her barn as a Righteous Among
the Nations.
Four fateful weeks in 1945 forever linked the fate of
two families — the Slaims of Metro Detroit and the
Zeitlers of Germany — for generations to come.
Escaping from a death march, Josef and his brother
Shlomo Szlamkiewicz (their last name was changed
to Slaim after they immigrated to the United States)
were hidden in a barn in the German countryside by
Anna Zeitler — even though three of her four sons
were serving in the German army and knowledge of
the hidden Jews would endanger her life as well as
the lives of her husband and youngest son.
Because of her heroism, the brothers would sur-
vive, emigrate to America and raise families of their
own.
In late June, Josef ’s son John Slaim and his wife,
Cheryl, of Farmington Hills, and more than a dozen
family members ranging in age from 9 to 73, traveled
to Munich to attend the ceremony. Yad Vashem chose
the city because it was the closest to the hometown
of Zeitler’s youngest son, who is still alive but too frail
to travel to Israel. Along with the dignitaries in atten-
dance, Zeitler’s grandson, his family and dozens of
German schoolchildren came to see the presentation
of the award.
“Because of this heroic and humanitarian act sav-
ing my father and uncle, there are now children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren that owe
their existence to this lady,” said Slaim, who, with his
brother, Abe, are family physician practitioners in
Taylor. “Through the act of saving one life, you save
the world.”
Slaim said he believed his father, Josef, survived

George Zeitler, grandson
because of his strength and
of Anna Zeitler, holds
training as a soldier in the
the certificate naming
Polish army. Their story was
her a Righteous Among
fully documented in a story
the Nations for saving
that appeared in the Jan. 24
two Jewish brothers
issue of the Detroit Jewish
during the Holocaust.
News.
From left to right: Abe
Over the decades, the
Slaim, his cousin Bella
Slaim and Zeitler families
Szlamkowicz Weberman,
reconnected and the Slaims
whose father was also
visited the family in 1995
hidden in the barn,
and in 2012, when they
Petra Zeitler, George
were guests at the wedding
Zeitler, John Slaim
of Zeitler’s great-grand-
and his cousin Issac
daughter. The property is
Szlamkowicz.
still owned by the Zeitlers,
and the barn where Slaim’s
father and uncle hid remains untouched by time.
This trip was a chance to give the younger gen-
erations tangible experiences of what their family
endured to now live a free life in the United States,
Slaim said.
In Krakow, the Slaims went on a fact-finding mis-
sion to uncover more of their family history. They vis-
ited a Jewish cemetery where extended family mem-
bers were buried and found birth records of Slaim’s
father and uncle and other family members, who
were from a small village just outside of Krakow.
“I do not think the youngest in the group under-
stood what was going on, but the trip had a power-
ful impact on my older grandchildren who are in
their 20s,” Slaim said. “Walking through these places
brought us to experience indescribable feelings as
we tried to imagine the horrors, pain and suffering
that occurred here, knowing that my grandparents,
uncles, aunts and cousins may have spent their last
moments of life here. It was an incredibly emotional
time and a trip of a lifetime for our family.” •

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W

alnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield will once
again become a “sea of purple” as thousands
of families, teams and individuals wearing
Friendship Circle T-shirts take part in the 13th annual
Walk4Friendship on Sunday, Sept. 2. The community
event raises crucial funds and awareness for Friendship
Circle and individuals with special needs.
Friendship Circle is a West Bloomfield-based non-
profit organization that provides assistance and support
to 3,000 individuals with special needs and their families
across Metro Detroit. This year’s Walk4Friendship slo-
gan is “Be the Light.”
“When we see thousands of people from across Metro
Detroit walking together as one for a common cause,
it is truly inspiring. We want each individual person to
know they have the power to ‘be the light’ and make a
positive difference,” said Bassie Shemtov, director and
co-founder of Friendship Circle. “We are looking forward
to another amazing turnout and event this year. We are
so grateful for the community’s support.”
The opening ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. at West
Bloomfield Town Hall (4550 Walnut Lake Road) fol-
lowed by a 1.4-mile walk along Walnut Lake Road to
Friendship Circle’s Farber Center (5586 Drake Road)
with family-friendly activities including bounce houses,
complimentary hot dogs and beverages, popcorn, cot-
ton candy, face painting and more, through 3 p.m.
New this year: The New York-based, all-male a cap-
pella singing group the Maccabeats will perform a full
concert for participants. The Maccabeats have built a
large fan base worldwide, including more than 20 mil-
lion views on YouTube.
Also new, an interactive, inflatable game called
“Hippo Chow Down” will keep children entertained.
Renowned Ann Arbor-based chalk artist David Zinn
will be on hand, creating amazing 3-D street art before
people’s eyes along with talented Soul Studio artists
with special needs. There will be a variety of other crafts,
games, food and activities for all to enjoy.
To learn more, register, donate or support a team, visit
walk4friendship.com. •

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