CLOCKWISE: Lawn signs celebrate the happy couple; Carol and Martin wave to their parade; the Lowenbergs’
1960 wedding photo; one of the parade “floats.”
MAY 21 • 2020 | 17
W
ith smiles and waves, honking
horns and shouts of “Mazel Tov,”
dozens of family members and
friends, congregants from Young Israel of
Southfield and even total strangers helped
Holocaust survivor Martin Lowenberg, 92,
and his wife, Carol, 87, celebrate their 60th
wedding anniversary in the midst of the
coronavirus pandemic.
The 32-car parade May 12 in front of
the couple’
s Southfield home was all a big
surprise coordinated by Young Israel Rabbi
Yechiel Morris and the Lowenbergs’
oldest
daughter, Cheryl Jerusalem. Family mem-
bers also decorated the lawn with “Happy
Anniversary” signs and pictures of the cou-
ple’
s three children, 14 grandchildren and 14
great-grandchildren. (Two more babies are
due in June.)
“Thank you, thank you,” Mr. Lowenberg
said as he stood in his driveway waving at
the cars and grinning from ear to ear. Carol
sat on a lawn chair beside him.
“Look how popular you are,” shouted one
of the drivers passing by.
A municipal tree trimming truck and
another city vehicle were even spotted
among the procession. Car parades are a
new tradition helping people to celebrate
special occasions while maintaining a safe
distance to avoid spreading the virus.
“It was just amazing, seeing them so
happy and seeing how much their com-
munity means to them,” Jerusalem said. “It
touched all of our hearts.”
Mr. Lowenberg was born in Germany
and spent his teenage years in five different
concentration camps. His parents and twin
brothers were killed during the Holocaust;
only he and his sister survived. He often
talks to groups about his life experiences
and the healing power of love.
“Quarantine is not [a] strange word to
me,” he said. “
After I was liberated from the
concentration camp to Sweden, I was in
quarantine for more than a month.”
Martin met Carol, the love of his life,
through mutual friends six decades ago.
They moved to Detroit in 1965 and raised
their three daughters Cheryl, Anita and
Sandra, all of whom are married with
families of their own. Before COVID-19,
Mr. Lowenberg attended Young Israel of
Southfield three times a day.
“They’
ve been very careful during the
pandemic,” Cheryl explained. “We have
frequent FaceTime calls, but they miss
being with their community and with fam-
ily.”
That’
s one more reason the anniversary
surprise was so special. May 12 was also
Lag b’
Omer, celebrated on the 33 day of the
Counting of the Omer between Passover
and Shavuot. For decades, the occasion has
been marked with — you guessed it — fes-
tive parades.
“[The car parade] was really something,”
Mr. Lowenberg said. “It was quite a surprise
to my wife and myself. I was completely
overcome. It was a wonderful happening.”
Elana Miodownik was among those rid-
ing by to help the Lowenbergs celebrate.
“The ability to come together as a com-
munity to honor and celebrate these special
people brought everyone so much joy,” she
said. “Despite these difficult times, when
we are in many ways disconnected, we
were able to sit back, smile and share in the
sweetness of living life to the fullest.”
ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Anniversary Surprise
Community helps Holocaust survivor and his
wife mark a milestone in quarantine
COURTESY OF LOWENBERG FAMILY