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36 August 31 • 2017 jn 2162010 BUY t SELL LEASE t MANAGE Get RESULTS www.MetroSold.com Let our 150 years of combined experience and knowledge guarantee the best possible outcome. serving Oakland County and the Entire Metro Area including Ann Arbor Residential & Commercial Got Questions? Cari Cohen 248-574-1905 Direct Sid Roth 248-202-3297 Direct Regina Bronstein: Huntington Woods Specialist 248-298-9615 Direct Jay Greenspan, Broker Jgreenspan@metrosold.com 248-488-SOLD MICHIGAN METROPOLITAN, REALTORS ® A DIVISION OF MICHIGAN PROPERTY MANAGERS My name is Fred S. Findling. I am a Holocaust survivor. I wrote a book about my life and experiences titled "Siegfried The Dragon Slayer". It is available on Amazon for $12.95. I speak twice per month at the Holocaust Memorial Center on Orchard Lake Rd. in Farmington Hills. This photo of me was taken in Southern France in 1940, during World War II. 3051 E WALTON BOULEVARD, AUBURN HILLS, MI 48326 100 W SQUARE LAKE ROAD, BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI 48302 2500 MARTIN PARKWAY, COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, MI 48390 Welcome to the lifestyle you seek, the care and security you need and the dignity you deserve. Our communities include The Village Square, 3 on-site restaurants with Chef-prepared meals, a Concierge approach to care and more. This is where life happens! NOW ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS! 855-543-2636 WWW.FIRSTANDMAIN.US ASSISTED LIVING I MEMORY CARE OPENING FALL 2017 IN OAKLAND COUNTY! A seed that sprouted in 1987 has come to fruition. Little League baseball took root in Israel 30 years ago, thanks in part to a local group I co-founded. This summer, many of the boys who got their start in Little League played on Israel's national team in the World Baseball Classic. When I and David Dombey vis- ited Israel in 1987, we were struck by the fact that while young Israelis participated in bas- ketball, soccer and tennis, organized baseball was non- existent. We decid- ed to organize a group dedicated to creating Little League in Israel. After identifying a group of indi- viduals interested in helping in this endeavor, the American Friends of Israel Association of Baseball was formed. Our initial goal was to col- lect equipment such as balls, bats and gloves, as well as donations to develop fields. In addition to me and Dombey, supporters included Phillip Applebaum, the late Roy Clark, Irwin Cohen, Phillip Jacobs, Benno Levi, the late Larry Roger, Ed Rosenthal, the late William Serman, Ronald Sherr, Dr. David Unger, Sydney Weinstein, David Werner and Irving Yura. The group was also established with the help of the Kahn family, who had made aliyah. Teams were developed, along with rudimentary baseball fields so young people had a place to play the game. Eventually, the city of Jerusalem and Ra'anana allocated land to develop Little League fields. After returning from Israel, William Serman had shirts and hats made for the children of the team he sponsored. With the assistance of American coaches and sponsors, the children developed the skills necessary to compete internationally. By the summer of 1990, a national Israeli team was selected to compete in the European regional Little League tournament at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. The fledgling team managed to win two games in their first international competition, pitted against teams from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the U.K., Spain, West Germany and others. Fast forward to now. Many of those same boys — now playing for Israel — won two games in the World Baseball Classic, ranking 19th in the world and fourth in Europe. Without the dedicated Detroiters and Americans who had made aliyah and helped baseball take root among Israeli youth — and the American Friends of Israel Association of Baseball — the sport of baseball would not have blossomed in Israel and be where it is today. • Israel's Baseball Roots Robert Sternberg essay eretz The late William Serman had shirts and hats made for the children of the team he sponsored back in the 1980s. Israel's national team won two games in this year's World Baseball Classic.