

PHYLLIS
SCHWARTZ

DAVID M.
TECHNER

Facing Mortality
With Love

Aiding Families
At Death

I am 13 years old, excluded
from the details of my
beloved father’s death,
burial and shivah. Early on,
I learned the certainty of
mortality.
As a social worker at
Jewish Family Service for
more than 20 years and
now as I volunteer at Jewish
Hospice and Chaplaincy
Network, I learn from our
patients as they move from
independence to depen-
dence, with resilience,
adaptability and dignity.
I observe during the last
weeks and sometimes years
of a patient’s life how mor-
tality is faced with the wis-
dom and wish to not burden
but to offer love and grati-
tude to loved ones.
If we are fortunate enough
to make decisions regard-
ing our last days, we must
think about our quality of
life. Disease may take that
decision-making power from
us, which is all the more
reason to plan end-of-life-
issues with our loved ones.
Hopefully, this will protect
our dignity and provide sup-
port for our need to adapt
and remain resilient. On
Yom Kippur, I will read in
the machzor: “Life is but
a passing shadow.” The
blessing of visiting hospice
patients reminds me of this
truth. It is a treasured gift.

A question I am asked daily:
“How do you do this every day
— it must be so depressing?”
As a funeral director for
45 years, there is sadness, no
doubt, but my goal with each
funeral is to celebrate life
and, along the way, I have
come to love and appreciate
the gifts of Judaism in life
and death.
I grew up in a secular
home. I had a bar mitzvah,
but little else was Jewish.
Then, at 14, one of my great-
est blessings was to meet
Ilene, my wife of 45 years,
while she was walking her
dogs. This meeting also led
her father to hire me, at 14,
on a busy Sunday, to work
at the Ira Kaufman Chapel.
Talk about fate!
My job there gave me a
sense of faith that has shaped
my life today as a prideful
member of this wonderful
Jewish community.
I cherish the opportunity
to teach families the beauty
and wisdom of what takes
place from the time of death
until burial is completed.
My career has been a
blessing, giving me the faith
and passion Judaism pro-
vides to me, my family and
hopefully the community I
am blessed to serve.

Phyllis Schwartz of West
Bloomfield is a retired JFS
social worker and now a vol-
unteer at JHCN and Jewish
Senior Life.

David Techner of
Birmingham is a funeral
director at Ira Kaufman
Chapel, president of
the Jewish Hospice and
Chaplaincy Network and
author of A Candle for
Grandpa about Jewish funeral
practices.

 O T E


November 6 th

2018

Amy WechslerZDVERUQDQGUDLVHGLQWKH:HVW%ORRPÀHOG-HZLVK
Community. She has been an Attorney for over 18 years, and is a
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cate for our citizens with opioid and other addictions. She is cur-
rently helping to spread the lifesaving treatment program, Hope
Not Handcuffs, across Oakland County. She is a strong supporter
of Drug/Sobriety Treatment Court programs for non-violent offenders,
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relapse and unemployment rates. Treatment Programs are both State
and Federal grant eligible, thereby saving the taxpayers money as
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)RUDFRPSOHWHOLVWDQGKHUIXOOELRJUDSK\SOHDVHvisit
www.electamyforjudge.com.

Vote Amy Wechsler for 48th District Judge
in the Non Partisan section on the back of
the ballot on November 6th!

jn

September 6 • 2018

15

