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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988
Mon.-Fri. 10-4
Sot. 10-3
.358-4085
Former Detroiter Establishes
Children's Museum In Israel
SIMON GRIVER
L
Special to The Jewish News
on Schaefer Bacher,
formerly of Southfield,
is mobilizing support
from the Michigan Jewish
community for the Children's
Museum in Ra'anana, Israel.
The ex-Detroiter who has liv-
ed in Israel for more than 10
years, is co-director and in-
itiator of the Children's
Museum project which when
completed will be the only in-
stitution of its kind within
the Jewish state, providing a
desperately needed educa-
tional and cultural facility.
The idea was conceived by
Schaefer Bacher's fellow co-
director and friend, Eileen
Fruchter Mamanov, original-
ly from New York City. On a
visit to the Children's
Museum in Boston, Mass.,
several years ago, she realiz-
ed that no such museum ex-
ists in Israel.
"When we discussed the
topic," recalls Schaefer
Bacher, "we were especially
surprised that Israel, which is
such a children-oriented
society, had no children's
museum. We resolved to cor-
rect the situation."
Children's museums are
designed to attract rather
than keep youngsters at a
distance. Children often find
the "don't touch" exhibits at
conventional museums a bar-
rier to learning and enjoy-
ment, whereas the essential
notion behind children's
museums is that displays are
"hands on" and can be played
with.
The first such institution,
the Brooklyn Children's
Museum, was established as
long ago as 1898. But it has
been in the past 20 years that
the educational importance
and enrichment possibilities
of children's museums has
been appreciated with ex-
hibits opening up throughout
America and Europe. The
Detroit Chidlren's Museum
has been functioning for
many years. The Smithsonian
Institute even publishes a
book on how to set up your
own children's museum.
Of course, in converting
their idea into reality, raising
money has been the thorniest
problem. "We could have
received help from the Israeli
government through the
Ministry of Education," ex-
plains Fruchter Mamanov.
"But they would then make
demands on us. We want to be
truly independent and, there-
A science club will be part of the activities of the Children's Museum.
fore, we decided it would be
best to be supported from
charitable funds."
The two women have receiv-
ed the full support of the
Ra'anana Municipality. The
mayor and deputy mayor of
this small town north of Tel
Aviv, where Schaefer Bacher
and Fruchter Mamanov live,
have personally endorsed the
project and made available a
one-acre site in the city free
of charge on which the
museum can be built.
However, for the time being,
the idea of a museum remains
a distant dream. The
municipality has also made
available an existing, unused
building for the museum and
these premises are being con-
verted for use. The first room
is about to open and will be
operated as an afternoon club
with the hands-on exhibits
made available to fee-paying
youngsters whose parents see
the museum as an important
extra-curricular activity.
The response from within
Ra'anana itself has been en-
couraging and many
residents have donated large
sums of money towards the
project as well as their own
creative talents towards pro-
ducing exhibits. But in
soliciting funds, Schaefer
Bacher has also naturally
turned to the Detroit Jewish
community in whose midst
she grew up.
"The Detroit Jewish com-
munity," she says, "has
always been enthusiastic in
its support for the Jewish
state. So we had no hesitation
in asking for their help in
realizing this vitally needed
institution."
Schaefer Bacher grew up in
Southfield and was graduated
from the University of
Michigan with B.A. and M.A.
degrees in education. Her
family now lives in Far-
mington Hills. Lori Schaefer
as she was then known, first
went to Israel on a high
school program, and falling in
love with the country, she
decided to stay. "I came to
Israel," she recollects, "not so
much for ideological reasons
but more for the adventure."
Now married to an Israeli,
Doron Bacher, they live in
Ra'anana with their two
children. She is a former
director of the American
High School Program at Kfar
Hayarok and has opened up
five other such programs.
Together with former
Detroiter lawyer Norman
Platt who now lives in-
Ra'anana, Schaefer Bacher
drew up the necessary papers
so that the Children's
Museum is a registered
charitable trust in both