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48

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1989

559-0620

Rabbi Norman Roman teaches music at Temple Kol Ami's religious school.

Rabbi Role In Religious School
Customized For Synagogue

HEIDI PRESS

News Editor

A

sk any rabbi what his
role is in his syna-
gogue's or temple's
religious school, and most
likely his answer will be dif-
ferent from that of his
colleagues.
Rabbi Norman Roman at
Temple Kol Ami is the music
and affirmation class teacher.
Rabbi Martin Gordon teaches
bar and bat mitzvah prepara-
tion at the Livonia Jewish
Congregation. Rabbi David
Nelson shares the teaching of
a Jewish values class for high
school seniors at Congrega-
tion Beth Shalom. At Adat
Shalom Synagogue, Rabbi
Efry Spectre is involved in
Jewish education from
nursery school through
adults.
Although those represented
here have a singular subject
they like to teach, most will
say that their favorite topic is
making Judaism alive for
their students. "I don't think
I have a favorite subject to
teach," Rabbi Roman Said. "I
like to teach Jewish apprecia-
tion, the joy of being Jewish."
Rabbi Spectre has a special
fondness for teaching Bible,
"but all of Judaism interests
me." Rabbi Nelson uses
Jewish history, his academic
major, as a vehicle to make
Judaism meaningful to his
students. "I love to make it
(Jewish history) come alive,"
he said. "If taught correctly,

it gives us tremendous in-
sights."
Just as they differ on what
they like to teach, so do they
differ on whom they prefer to
teach. Rabbi Roman had no
preference; he'd like to teach
all age groups. "I want to
have the experience working
with all of them. I'm very
stimulated by having the
variety." Rabbi Spectre con-
curred. "The ability to affect
lives is not limited to
children," he said. Rabbi
Sherman Kirshner of Con-
gregation B'nai Israel of West
Bloomfield "didn't mind"
teaching one grade over any
other.
Rabbi Nelson preferred
adults over childen because
he didn't have to "fight for
their attention." Young
children are the favored au-
dience of Rabbi Gordon, who
has a master's degree in
education in addition to rab-
binic ordination. "I'm not
teaching other people's
mistakes," he remarked. "I'm
teaching from scratch. They
have an open mind; they're
thirsting for learning!'
Rabbi Richard Weiss, who
serves as the educational
director of the Temple Beth
Jacob religious school, reham-
ed in 1987 the Jewish Adven-
ture Club, prefers to teach
teens. "I really do better with
older kids," Weiss said. "I'm
not really good at artsy-
craftsy stuff."
Weiss, who teaches the
bar/bat mitzvah preparation

and confirmation classes,
uses a non-traditional method
in his teaching approach.
Rather than distribute books
to the students, Weiss creates
interactive and experiential
activities. The students will
do projects, such as collecting
food for the hungry and per-
forming at nursing homes. In
addition, the class discusses
topics of the students' choos-
ing: the Jewish view of how to
dispose of nuclear waste, how
Jews respond to apartheid.
"We discuss moral issues
with which we should be con-
cerned as Jews," he said.
The rabbis who teach in
their congregational schools
have multiple duties. Rabbi
Gordon is an adviser to the
school faculty in addition to
teaching bar/bat mitzvah
preparation and Hebrew
reading. Rabbi Nelson is an
adviser to the school board
and teaches the Introduction
to Judaism class for potential
Jews by choice as well as a
monthly "lunch and learn."
Rabbi Kirshner tries to be
at the religious school
"whenever Hebrew school
goes on." In addition to being
an adviser to the school
board, Rabbi Kirshner
teaches chazzanim for adults
and kids, post bar/bat mitz-
vah, advanced Hebrew and
Yiddish. Rabbi Roman's for-
mal classroom session is the
affirmation (confirmation)
class. At the same time, he is
an adviser to the school board
and a resource person.

