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COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Rabbi Michele Faudem, a West
Bloomfield rabbi and educator, is
another local mom who has had a child
serve in the IDF. Her Lone Soldier son
finished his service in April 2023. He’s
been living in Jerusalem ever since and
is poised to start studying business at
Machon Lev next week.
Like Margery, Michele did not know
that war had broken out until her aunt
and uncle knocked on her back patio
door Shabbat morning to tell her.
“I was in utter shock,” Michele said, “I
don’t usually use the phone on Shabbat,
but this was a life-or-death situation, so
I immediately called my son. Shabbat
was not even over yet in Israel, so he
didn’t answer, but he called back 45 min-
utes later. He was fine; he didn’t sound
scared.”
Though 300,000 reserves have been
called up, Michele’s son is not one of
them — yet.
“Chances are that I’m assuming he
will be called eventually,” Michele said.
“I don’t know how it works or why he
hasn’t been called yet, but he was in
combat, so it’s a reasonable assumption.
And God, yes, he is waiting for that call.
He desperately wants to help.”
Michele is in constant contact with her
son through WhatsApp. “My job is to
worry about him, but I don’t want him to
worry about us,” Michele said. She takes
her cues from her son about what they
talk about and the tone of their conver-
sations.
Also, like Margery, Michele has been
swamped with heartwarming messages
of support from the community, people
checking in and reaching out.
“Through Facebook Messenger, email,
text, people asking after my son, after
my mother, it’s been really heartwarming
to see how many students of mine have
reached out, how many people are think-
ing of us, are sending prayers, how many
people care,” said Michele.
She also applauded the efforts of
Federation. “On short notice they’d
already planned a rally in support of
Israel for Monday night at Shaarey
Zedek; it’s always remarkable how they
bring everyone together.”

To the Detroit Jewish community and
beyond, Michele declared, “We will get
through this. Am Yisrael Chai! Keep the
prayers, the financial and emotional sup-
port coming, and please, let’s make sure
we are focusing on building community
rather than destroying it.”
Yet another local mom of a Lone
Soldier is Sara Magier of Southfield;
Sara’s daughter and youngest child had
officially made aliyah and was drafted in
the IDF as a Lone Soldier in May 2023.
Sara was alerted about the situation on
early Shabbat morning by a non-Jewish
neighbor.
“There was nothing I could do about
it when I heard,” said Sara, who is also
Shomer Shabbat. Once the holiday was

over for her daughter in Israel, that
same neighbor passed messages between
Detroit and Israel for Sara’s family until
Simchat Torah was over in Detroit, and
Sara was able to speak on the phone to
her daughter directly.
Her daughter had been in Jerusalem
for the holidays but had been called back
to base; an armored truck had been sent
to pick them up. Her unit was almost
done with basic training, which was
instantly accelerated.
“These soldiers were brought up to
speed on how to take over guard duty in
order to relieve the guard staff who will
be deployed to wherever they’re needed,”
explained Sara.
Sara’s daughter is doing fine, but her
mom, thousands of miles away, is not.
“My anxiety level is through the roof,”
Sara shared. “It’s not just my daughter;
My sister lives there, my nephews are
being called up … My daughter’s friend
is on the front lines, and he’s been tell-
ing us nightmare stories of the graphic,
torturous things he’s seen as a result of
Hamas activities. It’s right out of a horror
story. It’s inhumane what’s been done.
To call Hamas animals is an insult to the
animal kingdom; they are worse than
animals.”
Along with many shaken Jews who are
following the horror unfold, Sara wishes
she could do more, but knows that the
only things she can practically do to help
are pray, give tzedakah and other mitz-
vot.
“I keep reminding myself ‘hakol bidei
shamayim’ — everything’s in God’s
hands,” Sara said. “We can’t see the end
game, but we have to believe He knows
what he is doing. I heard that every
interrogation with every captured terror-
ist had the same message: They’d been
planning this for years.
“Look, if we are divided, we will fall.
We have to be united … It’s just terrify-
ing. On Monday night, I went to Magen
Avraham and the building was packed …
even the hallways, door to door. There
were hundreds of people, all of us saying
Tehillim with one voice. That’s achdut,
unity. That’s what we need.”

Margery
Klausner

Rabbi Michele
Faudem

OUR COMMUNITY

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