28 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
N
A
s about 250 people stomped
through the snow and cold and
into the stands of the Southfield
Ice Arena on Jan. 13, Rabbi Menachem
Z. Greenfield addressed the 26 hockey
players in the locker room. The game they
were about to play was a fundraiser for
Matan B’Seter and Rabbi Greenfield, one
of the rabbis involved in the organization,
commended the players for their
participation.
According to its website, Matan B’Seter
was founded in 1989 and provides critical
financial aid to qualified families and
individuals in the Metropolitan Detroit
Jewish community experiencing severe
financial distress, following the Talmudic
principal, “The needy of your city take
precedence.”
“
A lot of people don’t even know who
we are,” said Dr. David Tenenbaum, a
Matan B’Seter board member. “We help
community members who are struggling
with really tough decisions, like should
they pay for gas for the car or diapers for
their baby? We do our best to help out in
tough moments like that and also help put
people in touch with other resources that
may be able to help them.”
They also pay shut-off notices and
unexpected expenses. According to Rabbi
Greenfield, about 150 local families receive
money from the organization at least once
during a typical year.
In a video on the website, Board
Member Stuart Snider said, “What’s
amazing is that you can have two fellows
sitting next to each other in shul, or
anywhere else, wearing identical suits, hats,
ties … and because of financial duress, one
just received money from the organization,
while the other just made a substantial
contribution to the same organization.
No one knows about the other’s situation;
no one’s embarrassed. There’s no shame.
Matan B’Seter helps with dignity; no one
knows which families are in down times
except the four rabbis who dispense the
funds.”
Per Daniel Weingarden, the third
member of the board, “The organization
is always looking for creative ways to bring
in more money to help. Since 2018, one
of our biggest fundraisers is the Hockey
Showdown, organized by Avrumi Lorkis.”
THE GAME
Lorkis, 34, of Oak Park had first thought
up the idea of the Hockey Showdown
after being invited to participate in a
fundraising hockey game in Chicago.
“When I saw how organized it was
and how much money it bought in, I was
inspired to bring it to Detroit,” said Lorkis,
who quickly chose Matan B’Seter as an
appropriate local charity.
When Lorkis first told his friends about
his plans, he was surprised at just how
many responded with, “What a great idea,
Matan B’Seter has helped me out in a
pinch.”
He had no idea that so many people he
personally knew had benefited from it —
it’s that discreet.
When Rabbi Greenfield addressed the
hockey players pre-game, he told them
their fundraising and this game had made
an incredible difference.
“Rabbi Greenfield shared that funds are
really tight, especially in this economy and
with the war,” Lorkis said. “He said they’d
been worried they would have to turn
people away, but, Baruch Hashem, they
hadn’t had to yet … His speech was really
motivating.”
“Each year, the event gets bigger and
better … The first year, we raised about
$60,000 and had about 150 people in the
audience, mostly family and friends. This
year we raised more than $80,000 and
about 250 attended the game. It’s inspiring
to see how the community comes together
to help each other,” Lorkis said.
A lot of work is involved in creating
the Hockey Showdown, with recruiting
players, organizing teams, networking
with local businesses, working on the
fundraising, not to mention practicing
— which most of the players do for fun
together throughout the year anyhow.
The event began on a somber note,
with everyone thinking of Israel as Rabbi
Greenfield led the crowd in a recitation of
Hockey Showdown
Annual fundraiser for Matan B’Seter
discretely helps Jewish families in need.
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
New bar mitzvah Daniel Radner
drops the puck to start the Hockey
Showdown. Shlomo Radner is on the
left, Avrumi Lorkis is on the right.
PHOTOS BY LEON HALIP PHOTOGRAPHY
OUR COMMUNITY