Teachers Rally to Issue of Hebrew Education Crisis

1. Offer a student-teacher train-
ing program.
2. Pay adequate salaries that
reflect professional teaching. (Unit-
ed Hebrew Schools pays $7,250
maximum for eleven months. Pub-
lic schools pay $9,200 plus—maxi-
mum for 10 months.)
3. Fringe benefits which would
be similar to what you find in pub-
lic schools, such as tenure, a writ-
ten contract, cumulative sick leave
and paid hospitalization.
4. Professional negotiations be-
tween the superintendent and
boards of authority and their staff,
so that problems relating to teach-
ing could be discussed in an adult
and mature atmosphere, where all
sides could be heard.
What the community must do,
and people who lead the commu-
nity, like Mr. Elazar, is create an
atmosphere for attracting young
people into this vital field by
using the tools of modern educa-
tion, or else we will always have
to settle for patchwork Jewish
education.
Sincerely,
HERBERT G. PONT
•
Editor, The Jewish News:
Reflecting the views of the peo-
ple involved in Jewish education,
you note that the core of the prob-
lem confronting Hebrew education
is that . . . "bright students are
not encouraged to go into educa-
tion. They are not offered the sal-
ary and the prestige of other
fields." The question arises why
something has not been done dur-
ing the last few years to remedy
this regretable situation?
It is time to administer a long-
range program, in order to save
Jewish education. This program
must be formulated by the teach-
ers, school administration, and
community leaders. It must deal
first with the immediate prob-
lem of improving teachers' con-
ditions and elevating their pres-
tige. Teachers want to have a
voice in decisions that directly
concern themselves and those
they teach.
This program must find ways and
means to attract young teachers
to Hebrew education by making it
more challenging, creative and in-
ter estin g. Its image must be
changed in such a way that the
young generation will find in it
purpose and ideal. This together
with an adequate financial remun-
eration will boost the prestige and
morale of the Hebrew teacher.
I would like to emphasize that
no "crash program" designed on
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS the spur of the critical moment will
Friday, June 11, 1965-31 help the deteriorating situation of
Hebrew education.
AVRAHAM LEVY
United Hebrew Schools Teacher

Editor, The Jewish News:
The article that appeared in last
week's Jewish News on "Detroit's
Crisis in Hebrew Education," by
Charlotte Hyams was very well
done.
I, as a United Hebrew School
teacher in Detroit for the past
few years, have found it spir-
itually gratifying. However, I
feel that those who have left
for "greener pastures" would not
have done so if the monetary
remuneration would have been
adequate.
It is a well known fact that we
measure respect and prestige of a
job by the pay one gets for it.
Pay the teachers more money and
fringe benefits, and the parents
and the children will respect their
teachers.
By giving realistic monetary rec-
ognition, we will keep our present
teachers and attract "new blood'
to our Detroit community.
REV. MARSHALL GOLDMAN
•
Editor, The Jewish News:
I would like to respond to the
article quoting Albert Elazar and
Menachem Glaser which appeared
in your May 28 issue.
I have taught at the United
Hebrew Schools for one year, in
the high school division, and I am
not returning in the fall for the
following reasons:
1. Lack of respect by the stu-
dents for the teacher, which re-
flects a lack of teaching in the
home.
2. There are no procedures set
up to handle discipline, so that
the teacher can create an atmo-
sphere for proper learning.
3. The administration engenders
an attitude of laissez-faire, which
the students reflect.
When these conditions exist in
an institution • of learning, public
or private, you have a situation
where teachers cannot teach, and
students cannot learn.
Mr. Elazar's approach to edu-
cation, in his six-week "crash"
program for the summer, does
not really solve the problems of
his institution, but merely re-
flects patchwork education. It
reminds me of the man who has
sore feet and continues to buy
the best shoes in town to solve
his problem instead of taking
care of his feet.
What, then, is needed? I pro-
pose the same procedures used by
public schools for training and
keeping staff:

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be the task of this commission to
aid in defining goals by listing
priorities needing research in Jew-
ish education for those both capa-
ble and interested in research.

This commission would further
serve as a clearing house that
would coordinate such research
and make concrete proposals for
its actual implementation.

tial government subsidies of
teacher science education coupled
with a feeling of urgency sub-
stantially met our country's need.
We are bestirred by recent Jew-
ish survival statistics. Subsidy of
extended teacher education, which
maintains professional standards,
not only crash programs, is a
necessity. Without spelling out an
entire program, I can certainly
envisage the sending of teachers
to universities for Jewish studies;
whether they be in Ann Arbor or
Jerusalem. Our community is cry-
ing out for meaningful Jewish
eduCation. Crying alone, is not a
sign of maturity.
The intellectual challenge of
a dynamic teacher - education
program coupled with progres-
sive teacher-administrative re-

It is only necessary for our eo
munity to reevaluate the distri-
bution of its resources giving pro-
per emphasis to our educational
needs.
RON KRONENBERG
Teacher:
Detroit Public Schools
United Hebrew Schools

B. The creation of a model
school under National Council for
PR
Jewish Education auspices that
would experiment with the new
methods and new techniques.
4-5580
Since camping now occupies
such a vital role in building the
8-8300
whole child, a model camp that
seeks to make day-to-day Jewish
SPOTS & STAINS
living meaningful to the child
REMOVED BY
EXPERT CHEMISTS
also should be created.
C. The school and center must lationship would bring many
,
t
IT TAKES A GENI...U.S
work together in joint programing
highly qualified professional
to deepen the child's Jewish ex-
teachers into Jewish education.
perience.
Our community has the finan-
• CARPET & FURN-CLEANERS•
While the above suggestions can cial resources to develop this
15180 W. 8 MILE ,RD.
be well improved on, and merely program.
scratch the surface of a difficult
problem, I feel that they merit
study and consideration.
EXPECTING OUT OF TOWN GUESTS
ELIEZER SILVERMAN
FOR A WEDDING OR A BAR MITZVAH?
•
Editor, The Jewish News: -
As a teacher in both public and
Hebrew schools, I followed with
great interest and appreciation
Is Conveniently Located at
your series of articles and let-
20500
JAMES COUZENS
ters on Jewish education.
(8 Mile & Greenfield—Across from Northland)
We must realize that our Jewish
Call 342-3000 For the Finest Accommodations!
educational system cannot perm-
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anently rely upon pilgrimages of
Airport Limousine Service Available
Mr. Elazar to Israel with hopeful
expectation that he will return
triumphantly with another staff
of Hebrew school teachers that
will tide us over another year of
Jewish education.
Fortunately, we have in our
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Public school teachers are
making great strides in collec-
tive bargaining for salaries and
teacher participation in curricu-
lum planning. Jewish teaching

conditions are intolerable when
compared to the public schools.
There is no reason, other than
tradition, that has allowed these
working conditions to continue.
Jewish teachers in public edu-
cation have often been in the
forefront of the movement to im-
prove the position of the teacher
in the public school. In order to
attract these teachers, Jewish
schools must keep up with the
times, in fact, they should pioneer
in the utilization of the profes-
sional abilitieS of their teachers.
Editor, The Jewish News:
The Sputnick scare of 1957 be-
May I commend The Jewish
News for its positive and thought- stirred the American community
provoking interest in Jewish edu- to close the space gap. Substan-
cation. Cooperation along such un-
derstanding lines by the Anglo-
Jewish press will indeed aid in
bringing the problem to the at-
tention of the Jewish community
and hopefully set in motion the
There were a number of new
personal soul-searching and realis- doctors and lawyers this week,
tic appraisal of our environmental their names announced by the Uni-
conditions that might make this versity of Michigan after classes
problem soluble.
ended on the Ann Arbor campus.
However, Jewish education will
Listed by the law school were
remain an ineffable problem until
the goals of a Jewish education the following area residents:
Alan' S. Burstein, Michael R.
are clearly defined to and by edu-
cators, clergy and laymen alike. Cole, Irwin J. Deutch (juris doc-
This requires communal, region- tor honors), Michael H. Glicker,
al, national, and international dia- Paul R. Grant, Robert M. Klein,
logue among all segments of Jew- Stephen A. Raimi, Mark E. Schlus-
ry, who will have to approach this sel and Robert G. Wise.
problem with an open-minded ap-
The medical school listed the
proach and the sober realization following:
that on the solution of this prob-
Ronald A. Bortman, David D.
lem, more than on anything else, Burbler, Bruce A. Feldman, Jerome
hinges Jewish survival.
E. Feldstein, Murray J. Gould, Har-
To concretize the above pro- vey L. Gutman, Neil B. Haas, Nor-
posals, I would recommend the fol- man P. Moscow, James R. Oreck-
lowing:
lin, Michael S. Parrk, Peter M.
A.• The creation of a national Reveno, Gary NI. Roggin, Michael
research commission set up by Rontal, Alan H. Rosenbaum, Leon-
the National Council for Jewish ard J. Rosenthal, Martin L. Weiss-
Education and working hand in man and James B. Willis, all of
hand with the National Curricu- Detroit, and Bruce D. Abrams of
lum Research Institute. It would Grosse Pointe Park.

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