18 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 

continued from page 16

COURTESY OF JSL

Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two 
musicians from the DSO will 
play concerts from parking lots 
or courtyards. Residents will 
enjoy the music in comfort and 
safety through open windows 
in their apartments or on their 
personal balconies.

SOUND OF THE SHOFAR
Music from the DSO will not 
be the only melodic sounds 
emanating from outdoors on 
the campuses. Volunteer shofar 
blowers from congregations 
will be on site including 17-year 
old Temple Israel member and 
Bloomfield Hills High School 
senior Joshua Balan. He’
ll blow 
the shofar on Rosh Hashanah 
on Sunday, Sept. 20. He’
s in his 
fifth year of blowing the shofar 
for the temple.
I met up with Joshua sev-
eral days ago for a shofar 
dress rehearsal outside of the 
Fleischman residence. His 
tune-up for the High Holidays 
included one 27-second held 
note on the shofar, which I’
m 
certain will be part of his Rosh 
Hashanah repertoire.
Several Fleischman residents 
shared their thoughts about the 
different ways JSL was planning 
on making holiday traditions 
available to them. Ileene Zate, 
83, says she will be in touch 
with her family by phone and 
FaceTime but is grateful to JSL 
for the on-site programming. 
“They really are looking out for 
us, to protect us,
” she said. “I’
m 
adapting to these changes and 
would love to be at services, but 
I’
m going to Plan B.
” 
The same positive attitude 
was shared by Judy Martin, 91. 
“I never missed going to my 
synagogue during the High 
Holidays. Now we can’
t, but I 
think it’
s wonderful they found 
a solution.
” 
“Complaining can’
t fix it,
” 

said Laurette Levadi, 89, adding, 
“Really, I thank God I’
m alive.
” 
Anita Lampcov, 81, will take 
advantage of watching services 
on closed circuit TV
. “I’
m sad 
I cannot go. I know we have a 
pandemic, and I just handle it. I 
go with the flow.
”
The reality is, while all these 
efforts will make the holidays 
in isolation more palatable, it’
s 
far from a panacea. Despite best 
efforts, there are many High 
Holiday observers in our Jewish 
and other senior communities, 
living independently or with 
assistance, who are not fairing 
as well. 
Rabbi Yerachmiel Rabin 
from the Marvin & Betty Danto 
Health Care Center on the cam-
pus of the JCC sees every day 
the impact lack of visitors has 
on his patients and residents. 
“Residents need the comfort 
and reinforcement that personal 
family visits bring,
” he said. 
That reality only makes the 
rabbi want to work harder on 
behalf of the Danto community 
during the High Holidays.
Pre-virus, Danto provided 
unique services designed for its 
community, including specially 
prepared Machzor in large print 
with translation, stories and pic-
tures. This year, the rabbi hopes 
to be able to have a few seniors 

socially distance and gather in 
the cafe during the holiday to 
hear shofar blowing by volun-
teers from The Shul outside the 
cafe windows. 

REACHING OUT TO ALL
Other non-Jewish senior prop-
erties throughout the tri-county 
area are supporting their Jewish 
residents’
 needs during the Days 
of Awe.
The Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit (JFMD) 
and the Jewish Community 
Chaplaincy and Outreach 
Program of JSL didn’
t need a 
pandemic to embrace outlying 
senior communities with Jewish 
residents; they’
ve been doing it 
for years.
The two organizations are 
working in concert in the 
preparation of care packages 
with holiday-themed items 
among the gifts, including 
applesauce, honey, battery- 
operated holiday candles and a 
greeting card, to name a few. 
“Our Women’
s Philanthropy 
TOV volunteers (Tikkun Olam 
Volunteers) are decorating bags 
and cards,
” said Betsy Heuer, 
Women’
s Philanthropy presi-
dent. On the JSL Chaplaincy 
side, Joanne Kristal says they 
“will put together the parcels 
and distribute them this week.
”

All Seasons independent 
senior living community of 
West Bloomfield, a Beztak 
property, has been preparing 
a very ambitious, safe holiday 
programming schedule for its 
Jewish residents. 
Danette Stenta, senior vice 
president of marketing, provid-
ed a preliminary list of activi-
ties that includes streaming of 
services in their multi-purpose 
room and tech support for 
streaming local services. A spe-
cial menu will feature tradition-
al High Holiday fare, including 
roast chicken, beef brisket, 
potato-encrusted whitefish and 
potato kugel.
All Seasons is also on the 
receiving end of generous sup-
port from The Shul of West 
Bloomfield’
s spiritual director 
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov and 
wife, Itty Shemtov, education 
director. 
In advance of the holiday, 
The Shul will be distributing 
“Rosh Hashanah in a Bag.” 
Among the assortment of 
gifts will be a challah, honey, 
electric candles, a kiddush cup 
and a do-it-yourself holiday 
guide. The Shul will also con-
duct a safe, outdoor service 
and shofar blowing on Sunday, 
Sept. 20.
We can take some solace in 
knowing that many more phil-
anthropic efforts by a variety 
of our Jewish organizations, 
congregations and volunteers 
are under way, far too many to 
mention here, that will offer 
support for our most vulnera-
ble seniors during these High 
Holidays. 
Our Jewish community is 
answering the call again. For 
their efforts, our seniors’
 wishes 
are much improved for having 
not a bittersweet, but a truly 
Shanah Tovah Umetukah, a 
good and sweet New Year. 

Rosh Hashanah 5781

Jo Strausz Rosen, JSL executive director of development, 
spray-painted colorful holiday gift bags for residents.

