30 | OCTOBER 26 • 2023 J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
V
ladimir Gendelman
and Sergey Polyachok
never thought they’
d
see one another again, but the
then-15-year-old best friends —
who emigrated from the former
Soviet Union as Jewish refugees
in 1989 — made a promise to
one another they intended to
keep.
Both would serve as the
other’s best man at their
weddings, despite Gendelman
having moved to Metro Detroit
and Polyachok to Israel. At the
time, free phone calls weren’t a
thing, but the two remained in
touch despite the thousands of
miles between them.
As promised, Gendelman
traveled to Israel in 2001 to
be Polyachok’s best man at his
wedding, and Polyachok in
return came to Metro Detroit
for Gendelman’s wedding in
2005.
Since then, they’ve seen
one another several times and
remain in constant contact.
As natives of Kharkiv,
Ukraine, which has faced some
of the worst destruction in the
ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the
friends are yet again navigating
a war that deeply impacts the
Jewish people. And this time,
Polyachok is witnessing the
impact firsthand.
A COMMUNITY EFFORT
A Haifa resident and tour guide,
Polyachok himself remains
relatively safe in northern Israel,
but his son, like many Israelis,
has been mobilized for the
Israel-Hamas conflict.
As a mechanic for the Israel
Defense Forces, 22-year-old
Danny Polyachok is stationed
on a base in northern Israel, but
during his time in active army
service in years prior, almost
every base he served in southern
Israel has since been attacked by
Hamas.
Initially, Danny Polyachok
was issued a bulletproof vest that
didn’t fit, but the situation has
since resolved itself thanks to an
influx of donations and supplies
being sent to IDF soldiers from
within Israel and around the
world.
Sergey Polyachok, 49, says
the mood was optimistic when
he visited his son at his base.
“There was a queue line of the
cars of the parents that came to
the base to bring food for the
kids,
” he says. “One father came
with a big truck and was taking
boxes upon boxes of food.
”
Polyachok calls the effort
“amazing” and has seen “huge
support from civilians.
”
In the city of Katzrin in the
Golan Heights, for example,
Polyachok says a massive sign
has been displayed that says, “If
you’re short on money, the food
is on us.
”
“Everybody is trying to help,
”
he explains.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Still, like many Israelis and Jews
worldwide, Polyachok can’t help
but ask himself, “How could
something like this happen?”
For Gendelman, 49, who
is the founder and CEO of
Pontiac-based Company
Folders, watching the
destruction from afar has been
devastating.
He’s kept in close contact with
Polyachok, and has witnessed
his friend, like many Israelis,
go through a wide array of
emotions that range from
optimistic, to sadness, shock and
disbelief.
“It’s horrible,
” Gendelman
says. “There’s no real way to
describe any of this.
”
However, Metro Detroiters
have been quick to act.
Numerous local Jewish
community members are
gathering supplies to send
to Israel, while organizations
like the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit have
launched an Israel Emergency
Campaign (https://jewishdetroit.
org/iec) to support victims of
terror, rebuild infrastructure and
more.
Gendelman says for Metro
Detroiters struggling to
comprehend what’s transpiring
in Israel, but who want to get
involved, these efforts are crucial
to supporting the cause.
“It ensures soldiers are warm
and that they have enough
food,
” he says of fundraising
efforts (particularly in northern
Israel, where temperatures often
drop). “Families also need all
sorts of financial aid now for
basics such as food, shelter and
clothing.
”
For more ways to support Israel, visit
https://tinyurl.com/mkhprh2t.
Two best friends in Metro Detroit and
Israel continue to support one another.
Despite War, a Lifelong
Promise Goes On
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Sergey Polyachok, who lives in Israel, and Vladimir Gendelman.