FOREIGN
Jewish Information Service
DOMESTIC
Maxie Collision, Inc.
CJF 49th General Assembly,
Bubis said that "Camping, a
trip to Israel, in short, all the
activities most likely to have
a lasting positive effect upon
Jewish education are 'dollar-
intensive! "
The same could be said for
Jewish day schools which,
Bubis says, often produce
"more literate, affiliated and
socially integrated Jews."
The price for this at all
three Jewish day schools in
Detroit runs well above the
$2,000 mark each year. The
top rate charged by Hillel is
$3,950, $3,200 for Beth
Yehudah and $2,800 for
Akiva.
Thus, even assuming the in-
conceivable case that Jewish
day school costs do not rise,
parents who send one child to
Hillel from first- through
eighth-grade are looking at a
bill of $35,550 if they do not
receive financial aid. Add to
this the cost of a bar or bat
mitzvah at $7,000 and the
Israel trip, at about $3,000,
and parents are facing costs of
$45,550 — a figure that does
not begin to include books,
day school transportation
(which can reach almost
$1,000 annually) and spen-
ding money in Israel.
This is the first time that
such costs have been the
responsibility of the parents
rather than the community,
Bubis says. "And that's the
problem!'
Federations are giving more
money and more scholarships
are being created at the day
schools, "but they can't keep
up with the demand," Bubis
says.
Whether Hillel, Akiva and
Beth Yehudah are financial
bargains depends on those
schools against which they
are compared.
Compare, for example, the
cost of other private schools to
Jewish day schools. Country
Day charges $8,780 for tui-
tion, while Cranbrook costs
$8,250 a year.
Those who feel Jewish day
schools are more comparable
to Catholic day schools are
likely to be disappointed. Tui-
tion at Catholic elementary
schools ranges between $500
and $1,000 annually. The
average cost of tuition last
year at a Catholic high school
was $2,122.
Yet, as with synagogue
dues, the high cost of Jewish
day schools does not appear to
be driving anyone away.
Enrollment in the Detroit
Jewish schools has been in-
creasing for the past several
years and shows no signs of
slowing down. This trend also
can be found in national day
schools, enrollment in which
has increased by 145 percent
in the past 30 years.
Nancy Marcus is very
familiar with the rising costs
of Jewish day schools. Ever
since she moved here in 1985
from California, Marcus has
had to deal with increasing
tuition costs at Hillel.
Marcus enrolled her son,
Aaron, at Hillel, when she
settled in the Detroit area.
Her son, Cale, will be a
kindergartener at Hillel this
fall and she hopes her
9-month-old daughter,
Madison, will be able to go
there one day, too.
Another parent, whose
daughter receives financial
aid, says the scholarship pro-
vides much-needed money for
day school tuition, but it does
not come without its own cost.
"It can be embarrassing for
some," he explains. "It hurts
them to have people go
through their taxes (those re-
questing financial aid must
prove their inability to afford
the regular costs; tax returns
are the most frequent exam-
ple of this) and to have to ask
for financial help."
He says that many families,
faced with rising tuition at
Jewish days schools, are con-
sidering public schools. "I've
heard many people say
they're saving their money to
move out west — and they
don't mean California. They
mean West Bloomfield,
because of the public schools!'
racticing Judaism to-
day usually means
even more than
synagogue dues and sending
children to day schools. On
top of those costs are member-
ships in organizations like
B'nai B'rith, Hadassah, ORT
and Na'amat. There are Israel
Bonds (starting at $250 each)
to buy and a membership to
the Jewish Community
Center to be taken out, which
costs a Detroit area family
$375 each year.
And then there is the Allied
Jewish Campaign which,
unlike a JCC membership, is
not so much an option as an
obligation for many Jews.
While Federation officials
insist every contribution is
valuable, the Allied Jewish
Campaign in Detroit, like
most other cities, gets the
vast majority of its funding
from a small percentage of
the people. Last year, 20 per-
cent of the people gave 80 per-
cent of the money.
The HUC-JIR's Bubis
might not argue with that,
provided he could be certain
those not giving to the Cam-
paign are giving to other
Jewish programs. This is
because 60 percent of the
Campaign goes to Israel and
Bubis believes that cutting
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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