JUNE 1 • 2023 | 19
Stoler’s family.
After lunch, Hazzan Gross
took the stage to lead the
Birkat Hamazon and play
classic TV theme songs on
his keyboard for attendees
to guess, eliciting shouts of
show titles and laughter, and
lending the proceedings a
dose of nostalgia.
But the real highlight
of the day was clearly the
opportunity to gather in
person. The bonhomie in
the room was palpable as
attendees shook off the
isolation that kept everyone
apart for the last three years
and celebrated not only the
older adults who built the
Detroit Jewish community,
but the opportunity to
gather multiple generations
of that community together.
Honorees left with a
certificate signed by Gov.
Whitmer and Lt. Gov.
Gilchrist, as well as a goody
bag of treats.
Honoree Rose Cooper,
who lives at JSL’s Hechtman
Residence, loved the corsage
and thought the food was
wonderfully presented. “I
felt it was an important
thing to do. Everybody felt
good about their age. The
gifts we got were important,
too. We felt good about
the certificate from the
governor. Being honored is a
good feeling.”
As the last honorees
departed and the dozens
of volunteers gathered
centerpieces and bagged
leftover scones, the
afterglow in the room
suggested that honoring the
community’s older adults
was as enjoyable as being
honored.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEWISH SENIOR LIFE
Rachel Fox, 108, and
son Michael Fox, 90
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www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184
Hebrew Free Loan Detroit
6735 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 300 • BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48301
HebrewFreeLoanDetroit
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
Rebecca and Erie Skoczylas were excited to return to
Michigan after a few years out of state. They found
and moved into a home they loved, but as Rebecca
said, “Some parts of the house were stuck in 1960.
We were making changes as we could.”
Then a leak in their basement, and the subsequent
insurance repairs, gave them the opportunity to jump
start the process and renovate part of their home.
“When you have walls open and fresh flooring
going in, it’s the perfect time to make more
updates,” Rebecca said. “Of course, the insurance
money wouldn’t cover all our projected costs, so
we approached Hebrew Free Loan. We are so
happy with both their support and our renovation.”
Why HFL? Erie and Rebecca weren’t interested in
the long process and the lengthy turnaround with
traditional financing, and they didn’t want to live in
a construction zone for longer than necessary. They
were aware of HFL though various friends who had
college or small business loans through the agency,
so they applied for a home improvement loan.
“Detroit’s Jewish community is in a unique position
with the resources we have available,” Rebecca
said. “When you need support, we have places
like Hebrew Free Loan that offer it, with kindness.
The opportunity to get interest-free funding through
a process that was simpler and more personal than
banks – that’s amazing.”