Hebrew Teachers Protest *Dismissals," Request
Arbitration: Supported by 7 Schools' Staffs
Detroit's Hebrew teaching staffs guments the administration re-
this week charged that the United sponded that they do not have to
Hebrew Schools' administration give any reason for firing or hir-
has discharged without cause eight ing non-tenure teachers. It is, they
local teachers and has reduced the claim, their administrative pre-
teaching hours of five more teach- ro_gative.
ers.
"Some of the board members of
Joined by teachers from nearly the association have been told by
all the local Hebrew and Yiddish other teachers that they have it
schools, the Association of Hebrew from a very important source that
Teachers of the United Hebrew unless they resigned from the
Schools has issued a statement board of the association their jobs
requesting "an immediate investi- will be in jeopardy. These and
gation by an impartial committee other events have created a feeling
concerning the recent firing and of intimidation among the teach-
hiring by the United Hebrew ers. This, too, obviously is the
intended consequence of adminis-
Schools administration."
The "hiring" is explained in a trative prerogatives.
"Should administrative preroga-
supplementary statement listing
the names of three described as tive be used as a license for arbi-
"foreign national teachers" as trary and capricious dismissal of
"teachers whose teaching hours teachers? We maintain that the
have remained the same as they administration of the United He-
were during the 1970-71 school year brew Schools uses it.
"Should administrative preroga-
or have been increased while 13
local teachers have been notified tive be used as an instrument to
of their dismissal or of a reduction undermine the effectiveness and
in their teaching hours for stated welfare of Jewish education? We
reasons of consolidation and re- maintain that the actions of the
Hebrew Schools administration un-
trenchment."
der the guise of administrative
The teachers' association spokes- prerogative is in fact seriously
men explained that in their view damaging the welfare and effec-
there is sufficient material here tiveness of Jewish education.
not to be compelled to spend public
"Should administrative preroga-
funds for administrators to go to tive be used as a license to be-
Israel to bring Israelis to teach stow favors or take vengeance
here, and they implemented the against teachers? We maintain
"foreign teachers" designation by that the latest circumstances stir-
saying that in their view since rounding the hiring and firing in
there are teachers available here the United Hebrew Schools plus a
—as indicated by the 13 who were series of related administrative
fired or had their hours reduced— actions clearly suggest this to have
that any one brought from another been the real motive.
city or another country is a "for-
"Should administrative preroga-
eign" invitee.
tive be used to advance the wel-
The teachers' list on the status fare of the school or to promote
of those who were dismissed personal interest?
showed that one of them taught for
"Mindful of this and many other
three years on an eight-hour sched- serious issues, we have recom-
ule and another had been on the mended that an impartial commit-
teaching staff for six years and tee be immediately established to
had a 12-hour teaching assignment. evaluate the facts and issues and
In an appeal to the community make binding recommendations.
• in behalf of the teachers, the presi-
"After all, the United Hebrew
dent of the Hebrew Teachers Asso- Schools is not owned by the ad-
ciation, Joseph Baras, warned that ministration. The community has
"the future of Jewish education in a great investment and a great
this community, as of now, is in stake in the United Hebrew Schools.
your hands" and asked for imme-
"The funds that you, the Jewish
diate action in setting up an arbi
tration committee. His statement
containing the charges against the Austrian Firms Doing
United Hebrew Schools adminis-
Big Trade in Nazi Pins
tration follows:
NEW YORK (JTA) — Although
"The administration of the United
Hebrew Schools has in the past few Nazi Germany went out of business
weeks fired eight local teachers 25 years ago, four firms in Austria
and reduced the hours of another are doing a brisk trade turning
five local teachers for stated rea- out Nazi emblems — swastikas,
sons of consolidation and retrench- death heads and campaign rib-
ment. At the same time the ad- bons, United Press International
ministration is hiring two foreign has reported from Vienna.
teachers who come here for a lim-
One of the firms, Carl Sieder
ited period of time, and two or Co., has been producing them since
three other teachers from out of 1938 when its biggest customer was
town. Similarly, the administra- the Nazi legions occupying Austria.
tion doubled the teaching hours of
West German and Austrian laws
a teacher who is here on a tempo- passed after the war forbid the
rary basis.
wearing of Nazi uniforms and
"Three of the eight teachers who emblems but it is not illegal to
were fired are recent Midrasha manufacture and sell them, the
graduates. It should be remem- UPI report pointed out.
bered that the Midrasha now only
Most of the production of the
has about seven students who are Austrian firms is for export.
graduates from Hebrew and public
According to their spokesmen,
high Schools. For this the commu- the Nazi regalia is purchased by
nity spends over $100,000 annually.
collectors in the United States,
The rationale for such a fantastic by American film companies
expenditure is that we have to and by motorcycle gangs such
prepare young men and women for as "Hell's Angels." But Simon
the Hebrew teaching profession. Wiesenthal, head of the Nazi
Yet three recent graduates on war crimes documentation cen-
whom the community has obviously ter in Vienna, told the UPI that
spent tens of thousands of dollars many Nazi emblems go to South
are fired.
America where former high-
"May we ask: Is the Midrasha
ranking Nazis are in hiding.
an incompetent institution or is
Part of the traffic, he said, goes
it an entity that exists for pur- to the "Black Guard," an illegal
poses other than those of educa- organization of ex-Nazi officers in
tion?
South America, the UPI reports
"The association's representa- said. An employe of one of the
tives pointed out to the adminis- firms trading in Nazi symbols
tration that some of these teachers agreed with Wiesenthal. He said
have taught in our schools for six parcels of Nazi emblems go to
years and most of them for two South America at least once a
or more years and none of them week, according to UPI.
really had a negative evaluation
by the administration. To this and
We cannot fail in following
many other fair and objective ar- nature.
—Montaigne
*4411110,
community, contribute must be
used for the benefits for which
you intend them to be used. There
must be no question as to the inte-
grity, effectiveness or objectivity
of their usage. When serious ques-
tions are raised as to the motives
of the operation of an agency that
is supported by the organized com-
munity it is only fair that they be
subjected to the scrutiny of an
impartial party. This is all that we
ask. Please help us.
"Only the outcry of the Jewish
community can save this commu-
nity's educational institution."
Prior to the issuance of this
statement by Baras, The Jewish
News received statements signed
by all the teachers of the Hillel
Day School and the Shaarey
Zedek Religious School, and from
Phyllis Litwak, president of the
Association of Hebrew-Yiddish
School Teachers of Metropolitan
Detroit in behalf of the teaching
staffs of seven local schools
(United Hebrew Schools, Bnai
David School, Akiva Day School,
Shaarey Zedek School, Hillel Day
School, Beth Shalom School and
the Yiddish School), protesting
against the action of the United
Hebrew Schools administration
and demanding support for the 13
teachers who either were dis-
missed or had their hours re-
duced. They called the action of
dismissal or reduction of hours
"unethical" and "reprehensible."
They described the dismissal ac-
tion as "arbitrary."
The names of the teachers in-
volved, the hours and the years
they have been teaching and their
teaching hours are appended to
the statement by Baras.
Meanwhile it also became known
that the teachers have charged
that the ceiling of their health in-
surance has been reduced while
that of administrators and office
staffs has been raised to the maxi-
mum and that this action now is
being studied by a special arbitra-
tion committee.
Albert Elazar, superintendent of
the United Hebrew Schools, in-
formed The Jewish News that this
matter is being arbitrated by a
committee headed by Lewis Gross-
man as chairman and includes as
the other two members Avern
Cohn and Rabbi Milton Arm.
The United Hebrew Schools ad-
ministration delayed issuing a
reply to the teachers' charges,
and its statement is due for re-
lease to The Jewish News during
the coming week.
*
*
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
14—Friday, May 7, 1971
WE'RE WHERE YOU WANT US
SAVING LIVES
The goal of U.S. cancer control
is the yearly saving of 318,000
lives, or half of those who develop
cancer each year. Your dollars to
the American Cancer Society can
help save lives.
OLDSM OBILE INC
Sales • Service
' on . all makes
;
.;;
voir wela
;
...ft.
■■■
a
f\II(
;
cl
„V eCi0
;I I .. I T
4if
VV:
, v111
•11.4,17 , •
moo
swo.
Su fes &
ken fa
Presents
PRINCE EDWARD
for the Look of today
• Bell Bottoms
• Cut Velvet
• Boots
• Flares
• Colored Shirts
For Proms & Weddings
Men's Clothing
126 S. Woodward
( 1st Block South of Maple on Woodward)
Birmingham, Mich.
TEXT OF RESOLUTION ADOPTED
UNANIMOUSLY BY THE TEACHERS
IN ALL THE HEBREW SCHOOLS
IN METROPOLITAN DETROIT
April 28, 1971
We, The Association of Hebrew-Yiddish School Teachers of
metropolitan Detroit urge you to intervene immediately with
the administration of The United Hebrew Schools that they
apply the principle of seniority in retention and firing of
teachers. It is our considered opinion that the firing and
retention for the 1971-1972 school year practiced by the
United Hebrew Schools administration has been most unethical.
The administrative prerogative notion in a Jewish educational
institution should not be used capriciously or arbitrarily. To
somewhat ameliorate the situation we recommend the im-
mediate formation of an impartial committee wherein the
teacher's representatives as well as thy„ administration shall
participate. We urge and in fact demand that this be done
forthwith.
We similarly demand that in the case of the Combined Jewish
Cultural Schools no tenure teacher shall lose either hours or
fringe
benefits
reagardless
of
retrenchment
reasoning.
.
Sincerely,,
/ laitivaL
Phyllis Litwak
President
********* t ** ***** * *** * • ai *
*
**
*
**
1.1
116
-1
• #
DISCOUNT TIRE SALE
•
*
a
I:1
4
'‘o
• BEST
• BEST
• BEST
a
a
LINE OF TIRES
DUNLAP TOTAL PERFORMANCE
PRICES IN TOWN
DIRECT FACTORY DISTRIBUTOR
MODERN FACILITIES—HOFFMAN DYNAMIC
BALANCER—FACTORY TRAINED TECHNICIANS
COMFORTABLE WAITING LOUNGE
• BEST
HOURS TO SERVE YOU
WEEKDAYS 9 A.M. TO 8 P.M.
SAT. 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M.
*BEST
CONVENIENT LOCATION
TELEGRAPH RD. AT 9'/2 MILE
a
Your Humble SERVANT
a
AT
•
PAGE IMPORTS
Telegraph at 9Y2 Mile-1971 The Year of The Toyota
".00noi
lEoiiiioq yin° etqxga .noiriLf