36 | DECEMBER 7 • 2023 J
N

I

t’s been a difficult two months, 
to say the least, since Hamas 
attacked Israel on Oct. 7. It’s 
been particularly challenging for 
Israelis living in Metro Detroit, 
many of whom are coping with 
feelings of guilt as well as concern 
for their loved ones and their 
homeland. Plus, they are witness-
ing something they wouldn’t be 
experiencing in Israel: an unprece-
dented rise in antisemitism.
“My body is here, but my head is 
over there, and people don’t under-
stand what I’m going through,
” says 
Chaim Leiberman, a Farmington 
Hills nurse anesthetist and father 
of three. “I have friends fighting 
in Gaza. My mom is in Israel, and 
people are talking to me over here 
about what I feel is nonsense. 
“Someone at work asked me 
why I was not smiling. How can I 
smile? This is the worst thing that’s 
happened to the Jews since the 
Holocaust. There’s no comprehen-
sion whatsoever about what’s going 
on, and that’s hard. I’m broken 
inside, and I have to keep function-
ing.
” 
Leiberman was eventually 
able to see family and friends in 
Israel. During a nine-day visit last 
month, he volunteered to help with 
farming and brought supplies and 
equipment to those serving in the 
IDF. 
Now, back in Michigan, the best 
way for him and other Israelis to 
cope with being nearly 6,000 miles 
away from their homeland is by 
connecting with other Israelis and 
directing their attention to activi-
ties related to the war and combat-
ing antisemitism. 

BECOMING ACTIVISTS
Svetlana Toder, a clinical therapist 
from Canton, is the state coordi-
nator for a newly created interna-
tional effort called the Kidnapped 
Poster Campaign. Her volunteer 
work has her and her team hang-
ing posters of those kidnapped all 
over Metro Detroit and Washtenaw 
County. 
Keren Toby’s job as the opera-

OUR COMMUNITY

Native Israelis living in Metro 
Detroit find ways to cope 
while war wages at home.

A
Half-World
Away

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Svetlana Toder hangs 
posters of those 
kidnapped all over 
Metro Detroit and 
Washtenaw County. 

