18 | JANUARY 30 • 2020 Jews in the D to be identified as Esther. “None of my family are near the fires,” Esther said, “but there’ s a lot of emotional attachment hearing about the destruction. I hear about burned areas and I think, ‘ That’ s where I hiked as a teen,’ and now that entire area is gone. Or ‘ I went horseback riding over there,’ and I hear that all the horses in those regions died.” According to Esther, life continues mostly unaffected for her parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, all who live in Melbourne. “My sister went on a holiday to Sydney and drove four hours through complete fog from the smoke,” Esther said. It is hard when something so painful happens to your hometown and you’ re far away, powerless to help in any significant way. “I keep watching and rewatching bush fire videos on YouTube and crying every time I see them,” she said. “I wish I could just hop on a plane to help somehow — especially with rehabilitating all those animals. If I had unlimited funds and real life didn’ t get in my way, I would do it in a heartbeat.” Rabbi Yerachmiel Rabin, director of Spiritual Care at Danto Family Healthcare Center in West Bloomfield, is from Sydney and has lived in Oak Park for more than 20 years. His mother and sister still live in Sydney; he has cousins in Melbourne and an aunt in Brisbane. “My family’ s out of the danger zone, but they told me the sky over Sydney is clouded with heavy smoke,” Rabin said. “I speak to my mother every day — she has Alzheimer’ s and is sensitive to the smoke so she can’ t even go outside, for weeks now.” Even though his family isn’ t otherwise directly affected, thinking about the many Australians who are is hugely upsetting. “It’ s so sad, all those hundreds of people, their belongings, livelihoods,” he said. “I can’ t imagine how it must feel being in the line of fire, knowing my home is going to burn down with everything I’ ve owned in the past 50 years and there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it … all that farmland, wildlife … it is huge, mindboggling.” Rabin couldn’ t help but compare how life continues in Detroit while this massive national disaster is occurring. “Here we sit in comfortable Detroit suburbia; we don’ t get hurricanes or any major scrapes. Life just goes on as normal. It’ s really just so hard to imagine.” Rabbi Yerachmiel Rabin continued from page 17 T he man accused of killing a 54-year-old Jewish Waterford res- ident has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Adonis Drey Wilson, 35, was arraigned Jan. 24 in the Oakland County Circuit Court in front of Judge Jeffery Matis. Authorities have charged him with open-murder and second-de- gree arson in the Aug. 27, 2019 death of Stefanie Kroot Steinberg. Wilson stood mute and composed while Judge Matis read his plea of not guilty. He will appear back in court on April 17 for a pre-trial, with his trial beginning May 26. Wilson is represented by attorney Mitchell Ribitwer. The Oakland Press report- ed that during Wilson’ s pre- liminary exam on Jan. 15, his ex-girlfriend testified that Wilson confided in her about stabbing Steinberg in the neck and eye before starting the house fire. Capt. John Thebus, fire marshal for the Waterford Regional Fire Department, was also called on as a wit- ness during the preliminary exam. He testified that he discovered Steinberg’ s body on her dining room floor with a blade lodged in the back of her neck. After listening to witness testimony and examining the autopsy reports, Judge Todd Fox determined the evidence was sufficient to advance Wilson’ s case to the higher court. Wilson has also been charged with mutilation of a dead body due to the fire, and second-degree cruelty to an animal since Steinberg’ s dog, Casper, sustained inju- ries during the fire. Casper was rescued and received veterinary care. He was taken to Home Fur-Ever Rescue where Steinberg initially adopted him. Waterford Murder Suspect Arraigned Man accused of killing Stefanie Kroot Steinberg enters not guilty plea. CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER