32 | AUGUST 24 • 2023
a Russian-speaking community. When
he started participating in RAAD in the
1990s, he met other Jewish members.
The key connecting factor, he said, was
Russian language and culture in a new
country, not religious identity.
In the 1990s, there was again a big
swell in club attendance and membership,
Voldman said. Especially when the newly
arrived immigrants were living in small
apartments, it was a treat in the summer
to come out to Fish Lake and enjoy
community and lake life.
Voldman is an active volunteer at Yad
Ezra, helping to feed Jewish families
and others in need in the Detroit area.
Voldman and his wife have a cottage on
the RAAD Fish Lake property. They are
avid wild mushroom enthusiasts, which is
an old Russian tradition, and every inch
of their cabin is decorated with various
mushroom art and knick-knacks.
Thomas Mich, who was born in the
United States, recalls growing up in
Michigan and visiting his uncle’s cabin
on the RAAD Fish Lake property. Asked
if he remembers when Jews were first
included in the association, he said,
“Nobody was turned away. Everyone was
welcomed with open arms.
” His family
played a big role in the club over many
years.
Susanna Gnas, a RAAD board
member, shared that her family is
ethnically Armenian. Her parents,
Valentina and Harry Gulgasian,
immigrated to America in the 1950s after
five years in labor camps. Her parents
joined RAAD in the 1960s and owned
one of the cottages. Susanna married her
now-husband Glenn at RAAD’s former
banquet hall that the organization owned
in Detroit. She and her husband own
one of the cottages on RAAD’s Fish Lake
property and participate a great deal in
the club’s activities.
The 100 Year Anniversary Party took
place on Saturday, July 15. The menu
included lots of old-country favorites,
such as borscht, vinaigrette, pelmeni and
piroshki, to name a few. There was live
music, lake fun, volleyball, playground
time and a raffle. A balalaika duo played
traditional Russian music.
The final picnic of the summer is
scheduled for Aug. 26. The theme for
the event is shashlik, which is another
word for kebab and, at RAAD, it is
prepared using traditional central Asian
techniques.
Learn more about and register for the August picnic
here: https://raadfishlake.com/picnics. Connect with
RAAD at raadboard@googlegroups.com.
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 31
Vlad Tovbin of
Papa Vanya
performs at the
summer picnic.
Shirt designed for
RAAD’s 100-year
anniversary