Beth El Teens Back Course in Sex Education
at Religious Schools; Magazine Reports Views
A panel of teen-agers from
Temple Beth El has recommended
a course in sex education and
marriage in religious schools,
taught preferably by the rabbi.
Noting the prevalence of con-
temporary social problems trace-
able in large part to poor—or no—
sex education and critical of the
failure by many parents to teach
their children adequately, the
teen-agers feel the subject be-
longs in the curriculum of re-
ligious schools.
The panelists state their views
in a symposium published in the
current issue of Keeping Posted,
the magazine for Jewish teen-
agers and parents, published by
0
the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations.
Eight students—all in Grade 12
of the Beth El religious school—
took part in the symposium, which
posed the question:
"Judaism believes that mar-
riage and the family are sacred
to God. Do you feel, therefore,
that our Jewish religious schools
should introduce a course on
the subject of sex and mar-
riage for teen-agers in upper
grades? Would such a course
be helpful?"
After discussing the question in
class, under the direction of
Rabbi Morton M. Kanter, asso-
ciate rabbi of the congregation,
th Page
Final Youth Sabbath of Year Slated
at Beth Abraham; to Install Officers
The final Youth Sabbath Ser-
vice of the season will be held at
Beth Abraham synagogue 9 arm
Saturday in the main sanctuary.
Those who will chant the ser-
vice, read the Torah and offer
the sedrah summary are Gary
Gutman, Harry Young, Ronald
Bar-Bat Mitzvah Club
Sets Closing Session;
USY to Go Picknicking
The season's last session of the
Bar and Bat Mitzvah Club will
be held 8:15 a.m. Sunday in the
chapel, where members of the
Senior United Synagogue Youth
Chapter will conduct the morning
service.
This will be followed by break-
fast and the distribution of awards
to members who have acquired
the skills of Torah reading and
applied such skills at the junior
and youth congregations during
this past season.
These are Richard Axelrod,
Jeff Cohen, David Green, Tommy
Letvin, Bryan Lovy, Jeff Perl-
stein, Robert Rubin, Ronald Sher-
Waldman. Rev. Larry Vieder is
instructor.
* * *
All USY chapters of the Adas
Shalom Synagogue will jointly
sponsor a Lag b'Omer Picnic at
John F. Kennedy Park 1 p.m.
Sunday. They will barbecue lunch
and participate in stunts and
games.
Ava Atler Takes Lead
in Farmington Musical
Ava Atler, daughter of Dr. and
Mrs. LeRoy L. Atler, 32550 Rock
Ridge Lane, Birmingham, will
play Princess Maria in the musi-
cal "Call Me Madam" at North
Farmington High School 8 p.m.
today and Saturday.
Ava has performed locally be-
fore many groups as well as hav-
ing sung on television. She is
active in Aliyah Bnai Brith Girls
and is the Sweetheart of Gershwin
Aleph Zadik Aleph boys' group.
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students prepared their own writ-
ten replies. Seven of the eight
students replied "yes" to the ques-
tion posed. The eighth also an-
swered affirmatively, but added,
"Sex should be taught not in the
upper grades, but rather, in the
lower grades. In the upper grades,
specifically in Grade 12, I feel a
discussion on sex would be
wasted. It would be a joke."
Nearly all the panelists scored
what Gina Burnes, 18, called "the
inability of many parents to talk
about sex on a mature level" with
their children. David Fox, 17,
said: "The manner in which many
people learn about sex has been
proven deplorable."
Susan Klein, 17, said: "It is ap-
parent that the problem of sex
education can no longer be left
to parents alone." Barbara Salzen-
stein, 17, declared, "If sex instruc-
tion is left to parents, the teen-
ager will be back finding his in-
formation on the streets•"
Michael Wertheimer, 17, said:
"Some individuals feel that the
whole subject should be ignored
and left to nature and to personal
experience. But leaving sex to ex-
perience is a risky business, even
in the most sophisticated societies.
The panelists rejected the
possibility that public schools
might give such a course. Susan
Meltzer, 1'7, pointed out that
"sex education should be taught
in the religious schools, where
students have the same back-
grounds and living standards.
Instruction could be . . . more
meaningful than in public
school, where one must deal
with a vast variety of students.
Science Fair to Be Hel d at Hillel Day School
Exhibits of projects and experi-
The Science Fair of the pupils
of Hillel Day School will take ments, under the guidance of sci-
place 8 p.m. Wednesday at the ence teachers Mrs. Deborah Alt-
man and Mrs. Betty Friedman
school building.
will be on display.
The exhibit will be open on
Wednesday evening and all day
Flint Graduation Set
Twenty-one students will be Thursday. The public is invited.
graduated at ceremonies sched-
Michigan's 16,500 manufacturing
uled by Cong. Beth Israel of Flint
8:30 p.m. today and 9 a.m. Satur- establishments employ an esti-
day at the synagogue on Hamilton mated 1,062,000 people.
and Oren Ayes. A reception will
follow services.
(Names of the graduates will be
listed in the June 4 issue of The
Jewish News.)
Kopelman, Martin Singer, Andrew
Beider, Daniel Peitz, Arthur In-
dianer, Jeffrey Charaeih, Jay
Tower, Joel Gardner and David
Singer.
Torah readers will be William
Schlaff, Bernard Partner, Mark
Bello, William Chait, Larry Bello,
Joe Fleish and Bruce Fishman.
Harold Gache will deliver the
sermon.
During this service, Dr. Robert
Schlaff, newly elected president
of Cong. Beth Abraham will in-
stall and present the charter of
the new officers of the Beth Abra-
ham Branch of NOSY, National Religious school participants will
Council Synagogue Youth. He will feel secure and at ease, among
also install the new officers of their own friends, with someone
Beth Abraham Synagogue Youth. they can respect and confide in
Frank Leiderman, director of . . . their own rabbi."
Gina -advised that attitudes be
education and youth, also will
stressed, saying that if the rabbi
participate in the services.
"is willing and able to guide us
in cultivating proper attitudes,
Violinist Erica Brown
then perhaps the meaning of sex
and the part it plays in the life
`Top Soph' at Boston
would be realized truthfully."
University Music School
The idea of including courses
Erica Brown was selected out- in sex and marriage in the cur-
standing sophomore of the year by riculum of religious schools is
members of the faculty in Boston not new. The Lutheran Church in
University's music department May America, for example, has already
13 at an honors assembly. The issued a textbook for its teen-
award is based on achievement in agers, "Love, Sex, and Life."
all aspects of study.
A few rabbis in American con-
Miss Brown, the daughter of Mr. gregations conduct their own
and Mrs. Joseph Brown, 16834 "marriage preparation" courses
Washburn, studies violin with the for older students, and a number
concertmaster of the Boston Sym- have indicated the need for such
phony Orchestra, Joseph Silver- courses in view of generally high
stein. She graduated with highest divorce rates and the rising rate
honors from Cass Technical high of illegitimate births throughout
school in 1963 and won a four- the nation.
year, full-tuition scholarship at
As far as is known, Jewish teen-
Boston University.
agers have never expressed their
Recently, she successfully audi- views on the subject until this
tioned for the renowned Tangle- symposium in "Keeping Posted."
wood orchestra and will play with
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, di-
the organization for eight weeks rector of the Department of Jew-
ish education, Union of American
this summer.
Hebrew Congregations, praised
candor and the intelligent ap-
Linda Fisher Receives the
proach of the students partici-
pating in the symposium. He said:
Journalism Award
"Judaism regards every aspect
Linda Fisher a senior majoring of human life as holy to the Lord.
in journalism at Wayne State Uni- Marriage itself is called kiddushin,
versity, received a $100 tuition `consecration,' a term based on the
award from Theta Sigma Phi, Hebrew word for 'holy.' The
women's journalism fraternity, at Tanach is emphatically concerned
its annual ladies of the Press with the family life of the Pa-
Breakfast May 15.
triarchs and their posterity. The
Miss Fisher, former editorial di- Talmud and other sacred litera-
rector of the Daily Collegian, was ture discuss realistically and in
cited for her work for the school great detail matters concerning
newspaper and for the Pontiac marriage and sexual relationships.
Press, where she was employed We have long needed responsible
texts and teaching materials suit-
during the summer.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. able for our youth today.
"The intelligence and candor of
Jack Fisher, 20118 Stansbury, she
is president of Beta Mu Chapter, the Detroit students, and the in-
Theta Sigma Phi, at Wayne State. terest expressed by rabbis and
laymen in many parts of the
country, encourage us in our plan
Atid to Talk Business
to issue in the very near future a
Detroit Chapter of Atid will hold textbook on marriage and sex
a business meeting 4 p.m. Sunday education for Jewish teenagers,
at the home of Marilyn Sitron, for use in our religious schools,
17521 Roselawn. Eliezer Silverman and in the Jewish home."
of the United Hebrew Schools will
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
discuss "What Is the Reconstruc-
Friday, May 21, 1965-27
tionist Movement?'
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