EVELYN GOLSTON, 84, of Roanoke, Va., died Nov. 18.
She is survived by her husband, Richard Golston; sons and daughters-in-law, Roger and Patti Golston, Samuel and Cindy Golston of Virginia; daughter and son-in-law, Rozanne and Judge Bernard Friedman of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Maggie Golston, John Golston, Matthew and Jodi Friedman, Megan and Stephen Strain, Jeremy Golston, Kathleen Golston; brother and sister-in-law, Irving and Paula Abady of Florida.
Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Virginia. Contributions may be made to the Detroit Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 17220 W. 12 Mile Road, Suite 100, Southfield, MI 48076-2114. This announcement was placed at the request of the family by the Ira Kaufman Chapel.
SHERYL (LEVY) KAHN, 52, of Clawson, died Nov. 18. She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer and Heather Kahn; her mother, Shirlie Levy; sisters, Loren Burton, Robyn Weltman, Vikki Rothschild, Lynne Cooper; brother, Jonathan Levy. She was the daughter of the late Dr. David B. Levy She was preceded in death by her brother and her grandparents. Gratitude is extended to Dr. Anabil Dreilichman and his office and hospital staffs at Providence Hospital in Southfield.
Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 18505 W. 12 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48076 or to a charity of one’s choice. Interment at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
B’nai Moshe’s Shalom Ralph befriended every visitor.
Thousands knew the little redhead with the big smile.
Say hello to him on Shabbat, and a piece of hard candy would magically appear in your hand. Come to the weekday morning prayer minyan to say Kaddish, and he would be the first to greet you, to show you the page in the prayer book or give a helpful, non-judgmental hand with the tefillin.
Shalom Ralph was Congregation B’nai Moshe for most Detroiters. It was a congregation he loved for 53 years, that he served as sexton since 1948, and that he continued to serve after retirement.
Mr. Ralph, of West Bloomfield, died Sunday, Nov. 18, in his sleep. He was 91.
As Rabbi Elliot Pachter fondly related last year, after the congregation honored him by naming him sexton emeritus. “The very next day he showed up for work.” The new title didn’t change the old status.
At B’nai Moshe, whether in Detroit, Oak Park or West Bloomfield, Shalom Ralph was at the shul seven days a week. He kept sport coats available for any man who came to services without one. When Soviet Jewish immigrants began arriving in Detroit in 1979 in greater numbers, he made sure that the synagogue had Russian-language prayer books available.
One immigrant, astonished by Mr. Ralph’s kindness and knowledge of Judaism, told a congregant, “In Europe, the sexton was a job given to some poor shlemiel (bum).”
That was hardly Shalom Ralph. Born in Poland, Mr. Ralph immigrated to Palestine after World War I. He moved to Philadelphia, then to Detroit, and became B’nai Moshe’s sexton in 1948.
He was a sweet man, with a twinkle in his eye and a ready joke, often about himself. On Shabbat, he would hand out the aliyot to the deserving and the underdeserving, and supervise the reading of the Torah service. Then he would trail the Torah procession to the aron kodesh, all the while greeting congregants, telling jokes and handing out candy.
He would also take pride in the b’nai mitzvah he tutored. Congregants would recognize his distinctive tropes (musical notes), and say that the bar mitzvah had been “Ralphed.”
His kindness extended beyond humans. In Oak Park, he would take bread and rolls left from a simchah dinner and deliver them to the seagulls in the synagogue parking lot.
Although his health had been up and down the last few years, he seemed to be doing well in recent weeks. He attended his grandson’s wedding in Florida, and was at B’nai Moshe Shabbat morning services and evening minyan last Saturday.
When asked how he was feeling Saturday night by longtime B’nai Moshe member Seymour Ungar, Mr. Ralph responded with his characteristic, “Near perfect!”
Margie Charnes first met Mr. Ralph when he began tutoring her daughter Ellen 36 years ago. After they became friends, “he would call me three or four times a week, and always after Shabbat — that was his ritual,” she said.
Congregant Bernie Klein said Mr. Ralph became a regular Saturday night caller to him when Mr. Klein became ill several years ago. Klein spoke to Mr. Ralph at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, “and he was just as cheerful, kind and generous as ever.”
When Mr. Ralph was honored with Jewish Apartments & Services “Eight Over 80” award last year, Charnes said, “he was honored for his generosity to charity. There isn’t a charity in Israel that doesn’t know him.
“There couldn’t be a more beloved, pious man,” she said. Last year, B’nai Moshe created a Shalom Ralph historical alcove in his honor.
Mr. Ralph is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Sandra and Earle Endelman of Bloomfield Hills, and Caren and Martin Redish of Highland Park, Ill.; and grandchildren Eric and Alyssa Endelman, Brett Endelman, Jessica Redish and Elisa Redish. He was husband of the late Eleanor.
Services were held Tuesday at Congregation B’nai Moshe. Interment at Machpelah Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
Contributions can be made to Congregation B’nai Moshe, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, the Lubavitcher Center, Fleischman Residence or a charity of one’s choice.
CELIA COHAN, 80, of Southfield, died Nov. 17.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Jack Cohan; daughters and son-in-law, Eileen and Terry Stevens of Romulus, Susan Cohan of Oak Park; sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Bernard Roberts of Southfield; grandchildren, Jeremy, Ashley and Corey. Celia was the dear sister of the late Dr. Sidney Gelman, Ben Gelman, Louis Gelman and Faye Friedenberg.
Interment at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by the Dorfman Chapel.
JACK DUBINSKY, 89, of West Bloomfield, died Nov. 17.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Harvey and Karen Dubin of Illinois; daughter and sons-in-law, Judith and Neil Kleinman Behrmann of West Bloomfield, Erwin Behrmann; grandchildren, Robin and Steve Wallace, Randall Behrmann, Bill and Susan Dubin, Glen Dubin; great-grandchildren, Britani Wallace, Brandon Wallace. Mr. Dubinsky was the beloved husband of the late Belle Dubinsky.
Contributions may be made to Jewish Welfare Federation, 6735 Telegraph, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 or Hospice of Michigan, 16250 Northland Drive, Suite 212, Southfield, MI 48075.
Services and intermenty at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
CHARLOTTE ORDOWER, 93, of Windsor, Ont. Canada, died Nov. 17.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Rosalyn and Robert Schwartz of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Joel Schwartz, Howard Schwartz, Michel (Matthew) Bertman; great-granddaughter, Jordyn. Mrs. Ordower was the beloved wife of the late Morris Ordower; mother of the late Marvin Ordower.
Services and intermenty at the Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by the Dorfman Chapel.
RITA FISHMAN, 80, of Farmington Hills, died Dec. 31. She was a member of Temple Israel.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, David and Donna Fishman of Bloomfield Hills, Dr. Robert and Paula Fishman of Grosse Pointe Park; daughter and son-in-law, Edie and Jimmy Schneider of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Barry, Aaron, Eric, Adam and Daniel Fishman, Andrea, Emily and Julie Schneider, Donny, Danielle and Jason Vernier; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Sarah Ceifetz and Dorothy and Irving Burke. Mrs. Fishman was the beloved wife of the late Milton Fishman; loving sister of the late Harry Ceifetz, the late Louis Ceifetz; dear sister-in-law of the late Pearl Ceifetz.
Interment at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
JACK GOREN, 78, of Southfield, died Jan. 6.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Evelyn; daughters and sons-in-law, Barbara and Dr. Curt Freedland of Odessa, Fla., Susan and Jay Kalisky of West Bloomfield; sister and brother-in-law, Diana and Morris Bensman of West Bloomfleld; grandchildren, Alana Freedland, Jared Freedland, Josh Kalisky and Chad Kalisky. He was the beloved brother of the late Ruth Kellman Monheit.
Contributions may be made to Congregation B’nai Moshe. Interment at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
BEATRICE GORDON, 72, former Detroiter of San Diego, died Dec. 19. She was a graduate of Central High School and Wayne State University. Mrs. Gordon did much volunteer work with Hadassah and Women’s American ORT.
She is survived by her husband, Eugene; children, Howard Gordon of Fountain Valley, Calif., Susan Furman of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren, Joshua, Michael, David and Jenny; sister, Betty Ellias of West Bloomfield; brother and sister-in-law Jack and Norma Berman of Michigan.
Services were held at Greenwood Memorial Park. Arrangements by AM Israel Mortuary.
BELLE EISENBERG, 81, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 22.
She is survived by her husband, Isidor Eisenberg; sons and daughters-in-law, Harry and Marsha Eisenberg of Orchard Lake, Leo and Robin Eisenberg of Birmingham; grandchildren, Emily Eisenberg, Jennifer Eisenberg, Maxwell Eisenberg, Anna Eisenberg, Louis Eisenberg.
Contributions may be made to Jewish Home and Aging Services, 6710 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322 or Hillel Day School of Metropolitain Detroit, 32200 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Interment at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
SANFORD "SANDY" BARRY WEBER, 58, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 22. He was president and cofounder of the Southfield-based LaKritz-Weber & Company.
A marketing graduate of Detroit’s Wayne State University, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and Vietnam medal honoree, Mr. Weber worked for five years for Knight-Rider newspapers in corporate level marketing. In 1976 he entered the real estate field and co-founded LaKritz-Weber & Company in 1981. Mr. Weber was considered a pioneer in retail broker tenant representation beginning in the mid 1970s. He built long-term relationships with major retailers and forged partnerships with major Michigan shopping center developers. He represented such companies as Home Depot, Best Buy, Office Max, Famous Footwear, Marshall’s, Linen N Things, The Gap and numerous other retailers.
For several years, Mr. Weber served on the executive committee of Chain Links, a national retail adviser organization.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Marcy Weber; sons, Evan Garrett Weber and Bradley Adam Weber, both of Beverly Hills; daughter, Brittany Nicole Weber of West Bloomfield; mother, Florence Weber of Farmington Hills; brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Lyn Weber of West Bloomfield; sister and brother-in-law, Marsha (Fred Petok) Weber of Montgomery Village, Md. He was the dear son on the late Lou Weber.
Interment at Temple Israel Gardens of Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to ALS of Michigan, 8521 Lyndon St., Suite 200, Detroit, MI 48238. Arrangements by the Dorfman Chapel.
HERBERT PERLMAN, 96, of Rockville, Md., died Jan. 20. He was a tailor and a Mason.
Mr. Perlman is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Sanford and Theda Perlman of Maryland; daughter and son-in-law, Sara and Michael Raick of Bloomfield Township; grandchildren, Cindy and Tammy Raick. He was the beloved husband of the late Marcie Perlman; dear brother of the late Abe Perlman, the late Sam Perlman, the late Louis Perlman, the late Ann Bronson, the late Pauline Sanders and the late Susan Gordon.
Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
