THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, May 24, 1985 NEWS Reps. Seek Arms Veto Washington (JTA) — Twenty- eight freshmen members of the House have sent a letter to President Reagan urging him not to approve any new arms sales to SaudiiArabia "or other Arab na- tions not at peace with Israel." "We will oppose arms sales to Arab countries hostile to Israel with all the energy and determi- nation in our power," the Con- gressmen declared. The letter, initiated by Rep. Mac Sweeney (R-Tex.), noted that the United States has, over the past decade, "provided an arsenal of sophisticated military hardware" to Saudi Arabia, "an avowed enemy of an American ally," which "has determined United States policy in the region. Within one month of U.S. Senate approval of the AWACS sale in 1981, the Saudis raised oil prices, sent millions of dollars to the PLO, and sabotaged American de- fense plans in the Persian Gulf." Noting that Reagan said in 1981 that future arms deliveries would depend on Saudi assistance to the peace process, the letter said: "Saudi Arabia will never be able to meet that criterion be- cause of its inherent instability which stems from Islamic fun- damentalists' opposition to Saudi Arabia's Western ties." d Miles, ally shoe B Bloomf ield Spring/Surrirner collection from Bally of Switzerland. Mr. Rich B " ee to style consultant for Bally, will be on hand to assist you with your wardrobe. This special 2-day event will take place at our West th or Map gd . store only! Don't miss t. "7571 Sou Orchard La 12 HILLEL YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW Hillel Day School was founded in 1958 with 29 students and two classes in the Chaim Greenberg Building at Seven Mile and Schaefer. No one guessed that 27 years later, Hillel would be a permanent, thriving, ccim- munity institution boasting over 470 students in kindergarten through ninth grade. Under the dynamic and inspirational guid- of blessed ance of Rabbi Jacob E. Segal*, memory, Rabbi of Adat Shalom Synagogue, a handful of determined families, able fundrais- ers, and dedicated teachers worked together. creating a school that would combine a thorough Hebrew education with an excellent general studies curriculum. Their goals were three-fold. The founders, along with Rabbi Segal*, Morris M. Jacobs, Leon Kay* and Morris L. Schaver*, wanted to mold well rounded. educated and committed American Jews. They hoped to serve the entire community by offering a Hillel education to all students, regardless of their financial needs. In those early years, the day school concept was not fully accepted. Many community leaders and parents were concerned about a day school. They worried that their children would be isolated from the neighborhood children attending public school. They were fearful their children might be taught an ideol- ogy different from their own Jewish home life. Some felt the proposed curriculum was too ambitious for small children. How could kin- dergarteners or first graders possibly learn two languages at the same time? Yet many families, committed to the ideals of Jewish education, were willing to take a chance with one or two years of their children's schooling. Hillel offered a "grand experiment" not to be missed. These pioneering families remember the great excitement and enthusiasm of the first years. They felt intimately linked to Hillel: the school's success or failure depended solely on their actions. Mrs. Naomi Floch, Hitters first principal and original first grade teacher, set the course for the school's early years. She described the dedication and energy she shared with the founding families, "I went into Hillel heart, body and soul. We had Hillel for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We all believed that Jewish heritage. by and large, would be strengthened by the Jewish Day School." Hillel's enrollment and reputation steadily grew. Within two years, the school had out- grown its first home and moved to the Ten Mile Jewish Center in Oak Park. In 1962, Geraldine Levy, Hillel's bookkeeper, started her work at the school. As she watched - Hillel grow, her family concurrently grew, and her granddaughter is presently a first grader, ready to continue with the Hillel tradition. By 1963. Hillel offered kindergarten through sixth grade and additional classrooms were re- quired at Congregation B'nai Moshe. Through the years, Hillel has profited by the advantages of having a staff with excellent teaching skills. They have played an integral role in developing Hillel's well respected repu- tation. In 1967. Hillel's first ninth grade class graduated. The school's enrollment was at a record high with 270 students. By this time, fun- draising to build Hillel's own school facility on Middlebelt had begun. Under Saul Waldman's able leadership and determina- tion, people such as Abe Basle, Leon Hay*, Morris* and Emma Schaver and Rabbi Segal* enabled our present facility to become a reality. As one noted, "We became a very energetic and cohesive group. and asked for school and community support and worked hard to accomplish it." In 1970, Hillel moved into its Middlebelt Road facility with grades kindergarten through ninth. A new era of Hillel history had begun. The school year 1975 provided leadership to Hillel with the hiring of Rabbi Robert Abram- son as Headmaster and Mrs. June Weinberg as Executive Director. Rabbi Abramson brought to Hillel his rich background in Jewish and general education as well as curriculum theory and development. Increasing financial credibility was accomplished under the direc- tion of Mrs. Weinberg. The constant and steady enrollment growth of the last ten years has allowed Hillel's administration to continue to improve and develop curriculum. as well as increase staff training. Children spend their years acquiring an understanding and enjoyment of reading, writ- ing, science. history and mathematics. The He- brew Language program strives for abilities in written and oral expression, along with the tra- ditional learning of the Bible and holidays. In Addition. many families meet in a variety of programs, holiday celebrations and work- shops. Enrollment continued to increase. In 1979, the Middlebelt Road facility was expanded and four rooms were added to accommodate 400 students. Hillel also affiliated with the Sol- omon Schechter Day School, the national movement of Conservative Jewish Day Schools. In the early eighties, with larger staff and student body. attention was focused on creat- ing a stronger administrative infrastructure. Mr. Amittai Rudaysky was hired in 1983 as an assistant principal and part time teacher: Mrs. Rochelle Icskovitz assumed responsibilities as English Department Chairman. In 1984. Mrs. Weinberg retired and handed over her mantle of sound administrative man- agement to Marcia Fishman, who came to Hillel with eight years of Jewish communal work experience. Joining Ms. Fishman in her first year was Anaruth Bernard as President of the Board of Directors, preceded by Presidents Melvyn Friedman, Ellen Glen, Aaron _Lupovitch, Arlene Tilchin, Saul Waldman, Leonard Baron, Melvin Weiss and Max Goldsmith. History repeats itself with Groundbreaking Ceremonies at Hillel Day School. The Detroit Jewish Community is cordially invited to attend on Sun- day, June 2nd, at 1:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Rabbi Yaakov G. Rosenberg, Vice Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Immediately following will be a reception honoring the many benefactors. Hillel Day School 32200 Middlebelt Road Farmington Hills, MI 48018 851-2394 . .:111111111111111111111111111itigtit • Today, Hillel is acknowledged as a model day school. In 1984. recognizing its fine reputa- tion, Hebrew University's Department of Educa- tion for the Diaspora chose Hillel as a pilot school for testing their "Jewish Values Mate- rials" for grades six through ninth. Much of the material has already been implemented at Hillel. Enrollment now exceeds 470 students. Hillel once again is in need of further expansion. The new William, Ethan and Marla Davidson Wing and the Mary and Mike Must Multi- Purpose Room is under construction. Included will be classrooms, conference rooms, and a science and lab facility. Jack Llwaser, chair- man of the building committee. and Saul Waldman are presently superlising this proj- ect. Under the combined efforts of David Herma- nn, chairman of Capital Funds and a former Hillel parent. and June Weinberg, Director of Capital Funds, the Hillel family and the greater Jewish Community is being asked for help in completing this addition. In over 27 years, the goals of Hillel's pioneer- ing families have stayed the same. Hillel con- tinues to offer every Jewish child in our com- munity a superior English education, a sound knowledge of classical Hebrew texts and the pride and contentment that comes from know- ing what it means to be a Jew. . Deceased 31