20 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2019
Dr. Harry Maisel to match $25,000 in
donations at Lighthouse dancing event.
T
he men, women, chil-
dren and families who
walk through the doors
of South Oakland Shelter
(SOS) in Lathrup Village are
often facing dark times. The
emergency shelter program,
which merged with Pontiac-
based Lighthouse earlier this
year, provides housing and
support services to those
who are homeless — in part,
through a network of local
congregations that host the
shelter each week.
Just inside the entrance to
SOS, there is a bright image
— a donor wall in the shape
of the sun, in memory of
Dr. Harry Maisel’
s late wife,
Rachel, and late son, Hillel.
Maisel of West Bloomfield
is the former chair of the
Department of Anatomy and
Cell Biology at Wayne State
University and was a faculty
member there for more than
50 years.
“Dr. Maisel reached out
looking to make an impact-
ful gift to support our work
and memorialize his wife
and son. Rachel Maisel was
a longstanding volunteer
at Adat Shalom supporting
our SOS rotating emergency
shelter program. Hillel was
also involved in community
work,
” said Ryan Hertz, CEO
of Lighthouse.
“We decided to place the
donor wall inside SOS so
their memories would inspire
others.
”
Now, Maisel is increasing
his support and encouraging
others to do the same. He
will match up to $25,000 in
donations at Lighthouse’
s
Dancing With the Detroit
Stars event Saturday, Nov.
16, at the Townsend Hotel in
Birmingham.
“Through my Jewish
upbringing, rabbis have taught
that feeding the hungry and
sheltering people in need is an
essential part of Jewish life,
”
Maisel said. “My wife would
have wanted me to continue to
help and I have the means to
do it, so why not?”
Rachel was born in England
and was a child in the 1940s
during the Nazi Blitz in
London. She was evacuated
to safe havens to escape the
German bombing campaign.
The kindness that strangers
showed her as a child stayed
with her and led to her desire
to help others. She passed
away in 2014.
“Every human being is born
with a light,
” said Adat Shalom
rabbi and event participant
Rachel Shere. “Each time
people donate to Lighthouse
or purchase a ray for the
memorial wall, Rachel’
s light
endures.
”
To contribute to Dr. Harry Maisel’
s
match, visit lighthousemi.org.
ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D
Meaningful Match
Ryan Hertz, Dr. Harry Maisel and Rabbi Rachel Shere
24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110
Southfield, MI 48034
1-248-945-1111
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