26 | MAY 12 • 2022 

I

n non-pandemic times, those hon-
ored at the annual Bessie Spector z”l 
Oldest Jewish Americans Brunch were 
surrounded by up to 450 peers and gener-
ations of family members and guests in bal-
looned-filled halls at galas with live speech-
es and musical entertainment. Since 2020, 
the event that welcomes those 95 years or 
older has continually upped its distanced 
planning from mailed recognition letters 
and online festivities to this year’s unique 
blending of both. 
In lieu of an in-person gathering, the 
200 honorees of the 2022 celebration 
will receive gift bags highlighted by an 
Heirloom (sendheirloom.com) video-book 
that looks like a small, hardcover picture- 
book, but instead of photos, contains a 
video presentation created for the occasion. 
Recipients just have to open the book and 
watch and listen to the program, person-
alized to the theme of 2022: 20th Century 
Folks. No on-and-off switch, no WIFI, no 
smartphone, no computer necessary. And 
that was a big part of the attraction for the 
planning committee: for honorees to be 
able to view the video, tech-free, without 
devices.
Another appeal was the fact that 
Heirloom not only has local roots, but its 
inspiration came from a resident at Jewish 
Senior Life (JSL), one of the event’s part-

nering agencies. Created by siblings Ashley 
Bloom Kenny and Zack Bloom, who grew 
up in West Bloomfield, the idea for the 
business was sparked by their relationship 
with their grandmother, Fran Penskar, who 
has lived in the Meer Apartments in West 
Bloomfield for nearly 20 years.
“When the pandemic hit, we saw how 
isolated my Grandma Fran was, unable to 
receive visitors,
” said Kenny, a documentary 
film producer who lives in Washington, 
D.C., and has produced documentaries 
including those for National Geographic 
and The Atlantic. “Without a computer, 
WIFI or smartphone, she didn’t have the 
means to receive life-affirming videos 
of my two little boys; Liam had started 
reading and Jack had just started walking. 
We knew we had to find a way to share 
these special moments and so we created 
Heirloom, a vehicle for sending unique, 
custom videos in a (rechargeable) vid-
eo-playing book, by mail.
” 
Kenny and her brother, who works in the 
tech and start-up industry in Austin, Texas, 
launched Heirloom in February 2021. 
At 94, Penskar, not quite old enough to 
be an honoree of the event that is marking 
its 20th anniversary, is an active senior. 
“They call her the ‘mayor of Meer’ because 
she likes to help run the place, opening 
the doors for the beauty shop, organizing 
movie nights and running the library,
” 
Kenny said. “Heirloom video-books quick-
ly became a game-changer for my grand-
ma. We noticed a rise in her spirits, now 
able to experience the joy we all get from 
sending around and receiving videos of 
our loved ones. She shares her video-books 
with everyone. It’s her form of a ‘brag book’ 
and she says she watches them every day.
” 

A LOOK BACK AND A THANK YOU
For personal use, Heirloom provides cus-
tom video-playing books for occasions 
like birthdays, weddings and surprise 
announcements, with videos uploaded to 
the company’s website.
For honorees, the video, created by 
Brett Panter of Eventive Studios in West 
Bloomfield, includes an introduction by 
Jo Strausz Rosen, JSL executive director of 
development, along with photos from the 
archives at Jewish Federation and Temple 
Beth El, including extraordinary moments 
of the time, well-known Detroiters, busi-
ness scenes, Jewish landmarks and gath-

OUR COMMUNITY

Bessie Spector 
event celebrates 
20th anniversary, 
video-book style.

continued on page 28

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

for 
Something
New

Never 
Too
Old

Honorees are members of the 
Detroit Jewish community who 
are 95 years or older. To submit 
the name of an honoree or for 
information, contact Leslie Katz 
at lkatz@jslmi.org or (248) 592-
5062, or access the website 
at: www.jslmi.org/oab. Deadline 
for submission of honoree 
names is Wednesday, May 25.

Archived photo included 
in the Heirloom video

COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

