26 | DECEMBER 19 • 2019

Jews in the D

one of the most beloved
is Jewish Family Service’
s
Adopt-A-Family program.
Families in need give an
anonymous “wish list” to
JFS, which then shares it
with generous local families
who try to fulfill them.
Julie and Eric Rosenbaum
of Novi are one of several
families who adopt a family
with the PJ Library network
of parents. “We deliberately
seek out families with kids
the same ages as ours,
which gives us a tangible
and direct opportunity to
talk with our kids about
how, while they enjoy
holiday abundance, there
are other kids who don’
t get
to enjoy the same things.
So, we’
re making sure they
have a nice experience like
we have,” Rosenbaum said.
Though she admits her
kids Simon, 4, and Pearl, 2,
are really too young to fully
comprehend yet, she said
these discussions are surely
planting the seeds for the
future and how they want
their children to act.
“Doing this builds a
connection to a family
we don’
t know; it’
s an
opportunity to reinforce a
value we try to embody,”
she said.
Beyond sending money
and gifts, some people give
the gift of themselves. Last

year, the Fradkin family of
Farmington Hills joined
The Shul as they visited
residents at Fleischman
Residence of Jewish Senior
Life in West Bloomfield for
menorah lighting.
Dr. Anna Strumba, Yakov
Fradkin and their sons
Eliyah, 14, and Shlomo, 4,
sang while Eliyah played
the piano. Strumba said, “It
was so meaningful to see
how happy the music made
the residents and how much
they appreciated our visit.”
She said her thoughts
naturally turned to
her father-in-law, now
deceased, who at the time
was in a nursing home
in Minnesota. She hoped
families in Minnesota were
brightening his holiday just
like they were doing for the
folks at Fleischman.

continued from page 24

The Fradkin men with a Fleischman
resident last Chanukah

COURTESY FRADKIN FAMILY
COURTESY FRADKIN FAMILY

Debra Yamron Yamstein and her
children Shira, 10, and Noa, 8, play
dreidel with Bubbie.

COURTESY YAMSTEIN FAMILY

Dr. Anna Strumba, Yakov Fradkin and
their sons Eliyah, 14, and Shlomo, 4

We hope you’re hungry!

JN’s latest video series, Bubbie’s Kitchen,
features host Joshua Goldberg cooking and
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