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October 03, 1986 - Image 11

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1986-10-03

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

LOCAL NEWS

Beth Jacob Vandalism
Blamed On Youngsters

ALAN HITSKY

News Editor

B

everly Hills public
safety officers believe
a weekend break-in
and past vandalism at
Yeshivath Beth Yehudah's
Beth Jacob School for girls
are the result of the school's
secluded location and poor se-
curity measures.
A workman at the school
discovered a window broken
by a pellet or BB gun last
week in a third grade
classroom at the school, near
14 Mile and Lahser and lo-
cated behind Birmingham's
Berkshire Middle School in
Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills
officers say the same window
was used over the weekend to
gain access to the room.
A Hebrew bible was torn
apart by the intruders,
grafitti was scrawled on the
chalkboard including slogans
about "Satan's children," and
several items were taken
from the room including a
balance scale and hot plate.
Apparently no other rooms
were entered.
School liaison officer Dan
Gosselin of the Beverly Hills
police said Birmingham Pub-
lic Schools buildings in the
area have alarm systems,
outside security lighting, and
custodians working at night.
"This place is dark, it's away
from the street, it's a vacant
building at night and the
kids around there know it. So
they party there."
Gosselin said, "Is there an
element of 'let's pick on the
Jews?' Yes and no. I'm sure
there is an element of anti-
Semitism in the grafitti be-
cause the kids know it is a
Jewish school. But Lycee gets
the same kind of thing."
Beth Jacob is the former
Valley Woods Elementary
School which was purchased
by Yeshivath Beth Yehudah

from the Birmingham
schools. Lycee is the former
Evergreen Elementary School
at 13 Mile and Evergreen
which was leased to State
Sen. Jack Faxon's Lycee In-
ternational School.
In August, Gosselin said,
two youngsters walked into
Lycee through an open door,
and played basketball and
tried to break fixtures in a
gymnasium. Because of the
alarm system, Southfield
police caught the kids.
Gosselin said there have
been two major incidents of
vandalism at Beth Jacob
since the yeshiva purchased
the building in 1977. In one
incident several youngsters
were caught after breaking
$1,000 worth of windows at
the school. In another inci-
dent, swastikas were painted
throughout the building. No
one was apprehended. Be-
verly Hills officer Dennis
Carter said windows are
damaged at Beth Jacob sev-
eral times a year.
Gosselin speculates that
the weekend break-in at Beth
Jacob was the work of area
"punkers" because of the
satanist scrawlings and the
taking of the scales, which
can be used for drugs or as a
drug culture status symbol.
He said those factors narrow
the investigation to a specific
group of kids.
Rabbi Norman Kahn, ad-
ministrator of the Yeshivath
Beth Yehudah, said the
school is talking with several
security companies to im-
prove the Beth Jacob situa-
tion. He lauded the Beverly
Hills police "for being very
sensitive to our situation"
and giving the school "extra
special care."
Rabbi Kahn said the
yeshiva at one time had a
guard service patrol the area
when school was not in ses-
sion, but found it of limited
value.

Detroit Mayor Coleman Young attended a reception Tuesday
marking the 60th anniversary of the Jewish Welfare
Federation. Greeting the mayor at the Butzel Building on
Madison are Federation executive vice president Martin Kraar,
left, and Federation president Dr. Conrad Giles.

40

DRAWING BY CHARLES GELFOND

CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE
REJOICE IN OUR FREEDOM
REMEMBER THE PAST
The New Year)
An Opportunity to Rededicate Oursav es)
A Chance to Rekincffe Our Spirits )
A Time to Renew Our Faith..
Let Lis Work Together
To Buifif A Strong Community.
Best Wishes For A Healthy,
Happy, New Year: Your Friends At

fine jewelry and gifts

357-5578

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