UP FRONT

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

H

illel Day School's executive
committee has voted to keep
a ninth-grade class for the
1988-1989 school year, while placing
a decision on future ninth grades in
the hands of the school's board of
trustees.
The board is expected to decide
the issue at its May meeting.
The executive committee had an-
nounced several weeks ago that a
ninth-grade class for next fall was in
jeopardy because of low enrollment.
Only 10 of 43 eighth-graders have
signed up for the ninth grade.
Hillel President Dan Guyer said
the executive committee met with
Rabbi Robert Abramson, the school's
headmaster, and concluded that
"with 10 students we could viably
proceed."
The executive committee also
decided to proceed with an eighth-
grade graduation or recognition
ceremony, as well as graduation for
this year's 12 ninth-graders.
"Part of the discussion," Dr. Guyer
said, "centered on how to recognize
the eighth-graders who have com-
pleted elementary school at Hillel."
He said many have spent eight or
nine years at the school and com-
pleted an intensive Jewish education,
but were planning to go to public high
school for ninth grade.
Conservative day schools
throughout the United States are fac-
ing similar problems, Dr. Guyer said.

"The ninth grade is becoming an
anachronism."
According to the Solomon
Schechter Day School directory of the
United Synagogue of America, there
are 66 Conservative day schools in
North America. Only Detroit's Hillel
and the United Synagogue Day
School in Toronto have kindergarten
through the ninth grade. Four of the
66 schools have ninth through 12th
grade, and two others have seventh
through 12th.
Hillel is looking at several alter-
natives for "post-graduate" education.
The school has been sponsoring mon-
thly weekend seminars and retreats
for 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders.
Featuring guest lecturers and discus-
sion leaders, the Friday night, Satur-
day midday and Sunday morning
weekends have attracted up to 15
students. The school also has in-
vestigated joint programs with
United Hebrew Schools, and Adat
Shalom and Shaarey Zedek
synagogues.
Last week's decision to continue
the ninth grade for one more year
"made everyone somewhat happy and
somewhat unhappy," Dr. Guyer said.
"I guess that means we made a good
decision.
"It addressed the 10 families who
felt they had been lost in the process
(if a decision was made this spring to
cancel the ninth grade for next fall).
But it also addressed the 33 families
who didn't want to be just cut adrift"
without some kind of ceremony after
completing the eighth grade.

Religious News Service

Hillel Retains '89 Ninth Grade;
Future To Be Decided In May

Jewish women from the Bet El settlement on the West Bank protested at Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres' home in Jerusalem last week. Dressed as Palestinians and holding fake
firebombs, the women oppose Peres' acceptance of an international peace conference.

State's Jewish Delegation
Urges Waldheim To Resign

KIMBERLY LIPTON

Staff Writer

ewish members of the Mich-
igan Senate and House of
Representatives took an
unusual position on an international
issue last week, calling for the
resignation of Austria President Kurt
Waldheim.
State Sen. Jack Faxon (D-
Farmington Hills) and State Rep. Bur-
ton Leland (D-Detroit) introduced
similar resolutions denouncing
Waldheim, accused by the World
Jewish Congress and the Interna-
tional Historian Commission of Nazi

j

war crimes during World War II.
Waldheim, who has been formal-
ly banned from the United States, has
been in virtual diplomatic isolation
since his alleged Nazi past was reveal-
ed. Waldheim is on the. U.S. Depart-
ment of Justice watch list.
The Commission revealed that
Waldheim was an active member in
the Nazi Student Federation and that
he took part in the executions of
thousands of Jews when he served in
the German Army. Waldheim insists
he is innocent, and claims resisting
German orders would have been
suicidal.

Continued on Page 16

ROUND UP

Dukakis Wins
Absentee Vote

Gov.
Massachusetts
Michael Dukakis secured 295
of the 376 votes cast through
in
ballots
absentee
Michigan's Democratic
caucuses last month, accor-
ding to the Michigan
Democratic Party.
The state Democratic Party
provided absentee ballots for
Jews, Muslims and Seventh
Day Adventists who were
unable to vote on a Saturday
because of religious
convictions.
In the 17th Congressional
District, which comprises the
largest concentration of Jews
in the state, Dukakis won 262
of the 283 votes cast through
absentee ballots. Sen. Paul
Simon (D-Ill.) got eight votes
and the Rev. Jesse Jackson

secured seven votes.
Statewide, Jackson earned
56 absentee votes. He receiv-
ed the largest vote in the
overall balloting.

Israel To Buy
'Fighter Planes

Washington (JTA) — The
Reagan administration of-
ficially notified Congress
Monday that it intends to sell
75 F-16 fighter planes to
Israel worth $2 billion.
The sale, which is intended
to offset Israel's cancellation
last year of the Lavi fighter
project, would automatically
go through May 4 unless Con-
gress voted to block it.
Apparently there is little
opposition. Gerald Burkot,
press secretary to Rep. Nick
Joe Rahall II (D-WVa.), a
strong supporter of Palesti-

nian causes, said Rahall has
no plans to oppose the sale.
In another development,
the United States and Israel
will sign a new Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) on
Israeli Independence Day
April 22, Capitol Hill sources
confirmed. One source, who
termed the MOU "very
modest," said it simply
upgrades three consultative
bilateral groups to a perma-
nent status.
The Washington Times
reported Tuesday that the
Pentagon also informed Con-
gress Monday that it plans to
sell Egypt 7,511 anti-tank
missiles with 108 launchers,
and two Blackhawk helicop-
ters, worth $212 million; and
the United Arab Emirates
$168 million worth of
modification kits for five
Hawk air defense missile
batteries.

Jews 'Crazy' To
Back Jackson

New York (JTA) — New
York City Mayor Edward
Koch told reporters April 1
that Jews would be "crazy" to
vote for Jesse Jackson,
because of the Democratic
presidential hopeful's support
of Palestine Liberation
Organization leader Yassir
Arafat.
Koch's remarks, coming less
than three weeks before the
April 19 New York primary,
immediately raised concern
about their possible impact
on black-Jewish and black-
white relations in New York
City.
"Would Jackson support
any candidate who praised
(Prime Minister PW) Botha
in South Africa?" Koch asked.

"I wouldn't. But on the other
hand, he's praising Arafat,
and he thinks maybe Jews
and other supporters of Israel
should vote for him."

Jewish Exits
Rise In March

New York (JTA) — Jewish
emigration from the Soviet
Union increased slightly in
March, with 986 Jews leav-
ing, compared to 730 the
month before, the National
Conference on Soviet Jewry
reported Tuesday.
The total for the first three
months of 1988 is 2,438.
The March emigration
figure was more than double
the figure for March 1987,
which was 470. The reported
total for all of 1987 was 8,155.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

5