6 | JULY 23 • 2020
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n March, I was contracted
to work with Yad Ezra on
a variety of projects. What
started as a focus on social media
and marketing quickly changed
in the frenzy of the COVID-19
pandemic to a focus on client
and volunteer
communications
and logistics. The
feeling that “the
world has gone
crazy” was felt
here. Everyone
sensed that things
were out of
sorts — concerns about health,
community, economy, politics.
No one was exempted from the
sense of uncertainty and anxiety
around us.
At Yad Ezra, we responded to
the heightened needs of approx-
imately 1,250 client families, the
extra stressors put on the staff,
and we kept moving forward.
We just did what needed to be
done, understanding that food is
not optional, and that we must
do our best to make sure all our
clients are cared for.
Now, as the rhythm of that
work has evened out, I am glad
to be able to turn some of my
hours toward the broader com-
munications goals of the organi-
zation. Everything is now filtered
through a kind of COVID sen-
sitivity, and we are keenly aware
that it has affected many lives
around the world.
I was privileged to participate
in a Zoom call with Yad Ezra and
Rabbi Michael Schudrich, chief
rabbi of Poland, and his col-
leagues. Schudrich became aware
of Yad Ezra’
s work thanks to an
introduction by Roz Lullove
Cooperman, a good friend and
colleague of the rabbi and Yad
Ezra. Roz produced and directed
“Yad Ezra, We Can Learn From
You!” a dialogue with the rabbi
when he visited the food pantry
in July 2018 and became inspired
by the organization’
s model.
With the guidance of and
fundraising by Yad Ezra, the
rabbi established a kosher food
pantry in Warsaw in early 2019.
During the call, he shared their
experiences from their first year
in operation — it was a Zoom
call worth sharing.
As the chief rabbi of Poland,
Schudrich is the official interloc-
utor with both the Polish govern-
ment and the Catholic Church.
Schudrich works to connect
American Jewry with their Polish
Jewish heritage, establish philan-
thropic relationships and care for
the small Polish Jewish commu-
nity, spiritually and otherwise.
During the past year, the food
pantry in Warsaw has established
itself so that, since the spring, it
has been making approximately
80 grocery deliveries a month.
Remarkably, those deliveries
are split into two groups. One
group is to the roughly 40 Jewish
families in Warsaw. Each family
receives staples, including flour,
sugar and grains, as well as
additional items such as canned
or jarred soup or vegetables,
fish and tea biscuits. Without
refrigeration and large storage
facilities, the food pantry has
managed to find ways to deliver
supplemental food packages to
Jews in need in the Warsaw com-
munity, and it delivered Passover
food that allowed the Jewish
community to celebrate the holi-
day. The food has been delivered
throughout the COVID pan-
demic using taxis and volunteers.
Most moving was the story the
rabbi told of the second group
of needy recipients of food from
the pantry. There are approx-
imately 40 Righteous Among
the Nations, non-Jews who
helped to save Jews during the
Holocaust, who currently reside
in the Warsaw area. They are all
elderly, and the pantry provides
them a monthly food delivery.
Remarkably, the connection
Daniella
HarPaz
Mechnikov
Don’
t Paint with
Wide Brush
In his letter “Regarding the
‘
Editor’
s Note - Healing
Ourselves,
’
” (July 2, page 8)
Edward Kohl presents a con-
vincing argument of why Black
Lives Matter Foundation Inc. is
anti-Semitic. However, he offers
a troubling assertion: “We Jews
helped start the NAACP and
walked with Dr. King… When
will they finally stand with us to
support Israel?”
This is an abrupt shift from
talking about the Black Lives
Matter organization specifi-
cally to the Black community
in general. We know that one
organization no more represents
the entire Black community than
Michigan Jewish Action Council
or J Street speak for the entire
Jewish community. And we
know and appreciate that many
Black people have fought against
and continue to speak out against
anti-Semitism. Painting an entire
population with the brushstroke
of a sub-group is counterproduc-
tive to fighting racism.
— Cheryl Berlin
Farmington Hills
Physician’
s Dilemma
One of the outstanding profes-
sions today is that of a physi-
cian. They have the daunting
task to always do their best to
keep people alive and healthy.
Unfortunately, there is not a sig-
nificant financial compensation
considering the many years of
education, training and consid-
erable debt amassed, with what
amounts to a small return upon
investment.
How do I know this? My
son-in-law is the director of a
residency program and assistant
director of internal medicine. He
has mentioned to me countless
stories of physicians unable to
meet their financial obligations.
Remember the old joke about
doctors becoming plumbers for
better income? There is some
great wisdom in that old joke.
After a visit to a doctor, we
should consider sending a thank-
you note of appreciation or send-
ing a donation in tribute to your
doctor to have merit for his/her
continued success as a healing
messenger.
— Henry Friedman
Historian, Educator, Lecturer
Correction
The article “Visa Freeze” (July
16, pg. 30) reported that the
Michigan Immigrant Rights
Center helps employers obtain
immigrant visas. In fact, the
MIRC only aids low-income
workers.
LETTERS from page 5
continued on page 10
Krystyna
Wišniewska
essay
We Are Together