18 | FEBRUARY 9 • 2023 

T

he members of the 
Litenatsky family of 
Oak Park are this week’s 
honored volunteers.
Led by the husband-and-wife 
team of Simcha and Adina, 
they are some of the most self-
less, generous, hard-working, 
thoughtful people in the Detroit 
Jewish community. Along with 
their two sons and three daugh-
ters, Simcha and Adina ensure 
so much gets done. 
In addition to their efforts at 
several synagogues and non-
profit organizations throughout 
Detroit’s Orthodox community, 
they are behind the scenes at 
every event at their synagogue 
in Oak Park, Kehal Rina u’Te-
fila. No synagogue gathering is 
complete without the quiet yet 
hard work of the Litenatskys. 

 Every Shabbos kiddush, every 
wedding feast, every holiday 
party, any lifecycle event, the 
time and talent of the Litenatskys 
proves to be priceless. They orga-
nize, prepare, set up and beautify 
every aspect of every gathering, 
often cooking and decorating 
with extraordinary attention to 
detail and always a smile. With 
no fanfare or desire for acknowl-
edgement, they dutifully give so 
much to their shul and broader 
community. 
When there’s an opportu-
nity to enhance or strengthen 
the Jewish community, the 
Litenatskys are first in line.
To both Simcha and Adina, 
helping out in the community 
is just the way it’s supposed to 
be.
“Two weeks ago, we had a 

Shabbos gathering,
” Simcha said. 
“We needed more tables and 
chairs. I said I’ll take care of it. I 
went and picked them up, tak-
ing the tables, taking the chairs. 
“That’s just one example,
” he 
added. “Handling, schlepping, 
setting up, cleaning up, orga-
nizing. I feel like if you’re part 
of a community, you should be 
there, you should help and you 
should do.
”
Two of Adina’s specialties are 
cooking and decorating. 
“I do bake; I do cook, and the 
food is delicious,
” she said. “
And 
when we have events going on, I 
do make big quantities.
”
Party planning, though, is 
Adina’s specialty. It started as 
a volunteer hobby in the syna-
gogue community.
“You see how everyone’s 

trying to plan stuff, and there’s 
not always someone who would 
actually step up and do it,
” 
Adina said. “So, I would step up 
and then whatever is needed, 
I would make it, plan it out, 
whatever it is.
”
What started as a volunteer-
ing hobby for Adina has turned 
into something more — she’s 
in the process of turning party 
planning into a real business, 
starting to charge for her ser-
vices and hoping it grows big-
ger and bigger. 
The passion for volunteering, 
helping and being part of the 
community is something the 
Litenatskys were brought up on.
“I grew up looking at my par-
ents and grandparents, always 
looking out to help others,
” 
Simcha said. “You should give 
back and show how much you 
appreciate what somebody else 
does. As part of the communi-
ty, everybody helps each other. 
If you can do something, you 
should stand up and do it.
”
Thankfully, Adina says, their 
kids are following in their par-
ents’ footsteps. 
“They’re very involved 
in everything that goes on. 
Usually, they’re there to help 
and do whatever is needed,
” 
Adina said. 
“
And they do it with happi-
ness, love and passion. To see 
how your parents give back, 
that’s an example for the kids to 
watch and to follow.
” 

Adina is available for hire for any 

party planning services. She can be 

reached by phone (845-400-6607) or 

email at adinalitenatsky@gmail.com. 

To nominate volunteers of the week, 

email dschwartz@thejewishnews.com.

OUR COMMUNITY

No simchah is complete without Simcha and his family.
Backbone of Their Community

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

Adina and Simcha Litenatsky, along 
with their five children: Moshe, 12, 
Hadas 10, Aliza, 4, Michal, 8, and 
Yosef, 14. 

