MAY 26 • 2022 | 7

brilliantly noted has the 
same three syllables as 
Leuchtenberg). I included 
a dubious line about how 
he had helped us to learn 
to fly like “Leuchtenbirds.” 
We watched our beloved 
teacher take it all in, and 
we just knew we had done 
something good. It was our 
chance to try to pay Mr. L. 
back for all he had given us 
many years ago.
And something else 
happened as we went 
around the room that 
day. We were able to tell 
each other how much our 
friendships and support 
had meant way back when 
we really needed it. And 
we now communicated as 
adults, in words and feelings 
that we could never have 
shared in those early teen 
years. We laughed about 
past mistakes and listened 
and responded to each 
other. And by the time we 
had finished our circle of 
sharing, there was not a dry 
eye in the place.
Mr. L. then had his 
chance to talk about his 
teaching career and to let 
us know how much our 
class, in the early part of his 
career, had meant to him. 
He was clearly touched by 
our words. We lingered a 
bit, not wanting it to end, 
but then we all went our 
separate ways. 
When we saw each other 
that night at the Mumford 
reunion, we looked at each 
other with different eyes. 
We all did our usual reunion 
shtick, interacting with our 

high school friends, but 
something had changed 
between the boys and girls 
who had been in the room 
with Mr. L. that day. And for 
the last six years, we have 
been texting and emailing 
each other in a different 
way, communicating about 
life events with a greater 
sense of connection.
About two years ago, we 
learned that Mr. L. was quite 
ill. A few people from our 
group made contact with 
him. And then we learned 
that our beloved teacher 
had died. A few of us went 
to the viewing and funeral 
and talked with his family. 
Mr. L.’s sisters had heard 
from him about our reunion 
luncheon and shared how 
much it had meant to him. 
It’s not often that you get 
a chance to go back and 
tell people what they have 
meant to you. Like Emily 
in Our Town or Peggy Sue 
in Peggy Sue Got Married, 
we learned that life is filled 
with everyday moments; 
at the time, we miss the 
significance of most of 
them. How about my use of 
the semicolon in that last 
sentence, Mr. L.? 
Our reunion with Mr. 
Leuchtenberg had helped 
our teacher realize how 
many lives (like ours) he 
had touched in an enduring 
way. 
And somehow, in the 
process, he had helped 
us to get in touch with 
our younger selves and 
encouraged us to feel closer 
to each other today. 

continued from page 4

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www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184

Hebrew Free Loan Detroit

6735 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 300 • BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48301

@HFLDetroit

Community donations help Hebrew Free Loan give 
interest-free loans to local Jews for a variety of personal, 
health, educational and small business needs.

STORY
Our

STORY
Our

For years, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County 
has partnered with Hebrew Free Loan as part of a 
constellation of services that assist JFS clients. At 
the end of 2019, agency Executive Director Anya 
Abramzon says the organization, which rented part 
of a building, purchased it outright and took over the 
entirety of the space. They approached HFL for help 
to renovate and get the full space up and running. 
“We went from assisting about 7,000 people in 
our food pantry to serving approximately 18,000 
at the height of the 2020 shutdown, and this space 
was sorely needed, just to do it properly,” Anya said. 
“On top of our increased needs came the pandemic. 
We wanted flexibility and appropriate distancing, 
on a pretty short timeline. Hebrew Free Loan and 
its Jewish Organization Loan Fund, in partnership with 
The Ravitz Foundation, helped us pay for the construction 
needed to get ready for our clients. Interest-free 
money from HFL was combined with our existing 
funds to rebuild the space.” 
The new facility, Anya said, allowed JFS to 
devote the entire ground level to their food pantry, 
quadrupling their area. 
“We are very excited about what the new space 
does for us, and will allow us to do in the future,” 
Anya said. “We hope to expand the pantry into 
new offerings, and we also house programs 
beyond the pantry, such as resettlement offices, 
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and 
more. Hebrew Free Loan was the kind of amazing 
resource for us that they’ve always been for our 
clients, and we are grateful they’re here.”