I UP FRONT 1

Passage To Freedom

Continued from Page 5

plain why we failed the Soviet
Jews!'
Sherman's father, Max
Fisher, is honorary national
chairman of Passage to
Freedom. He admonished the
crowd, "All of a sudden I see
this great event happen and
I see people hesitate!' He an-
nounced pledges for himself
and A. Alfred Taubman of
$200,000 each and said, "My
first choice is that the Soviet
Jews all go to Israel. But I
look around this room and see
75 percent of us have
ancestors who are Russian
Jews. They are all Jews and I
hope this time next year there
will be twice as many Soviet
Jews coming out."

AA, 11- R

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Sherman answered a ques-
tion, saying, "a lot of Passage
to Freedom money is being
spent to help Israel prepare
for them" by improving the
absorption process, provide
jobs and trips to Israel for
Soviet Jews "to let them see
the counrty first-hand."
A second major gifts
meeting for Passage to
Freedom has been scheduled
May 23 at the home of David
and Doreen Hermelin. A con-
gregational appeal has been
scheudled for May 30. Con-
gregations who have an-
nounced their participation to
date include Adat Shalom,
Shaarey Zedek, Temple Israel
and Shir Shalom.
The New World Club and
the Veterans Club, organiza-
tions of Soviet Jewish
emigres, will hold a phona-
thon June 6 for Passage to
Freedom. A second phonathon
will be held that day and on
June 12.

❑

Family-to-Family
Program Started

A Family-to-Family pro-
gram linking local families
with Soviet Jewish new-
comers to Detroit has been
created by the National
Council of Jewish Women, the
Jewish Welfare Federation
Women's Division and the
Resettlement Service.
Families who wish to
become involved in the pro-
gram can attend an organiza-
tional meeting 10 a.m. May
19 at United Hebrew Schools.
Soviet emigres who have gone
through the absorption pro-
cess will relate their
experiences.
Training sessions will be
provided at a later date by the
Resettlement Service. The
sessions will focus on the
emigres' need for emotional
support and Jewish ties, skills
for coping in a new environ-
ment and communal
resources.
Volunteers and newcomers
will be matched by interests

and compatibility, and
volunteers will be asked to
contribute a few hours per
week for at least one year.
Volunteers can sign up by
calling Marcy Schneider at
Resettlement Service,
559-1500. Chairing the pro-
gram are Gloria Cohen,
Marilyn Levine, Rosie
Schlussel, Ellie Slovis and
Karen Keidan Myerson.

UHS Takes
A New Name

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

A

fter 70 years, United
Hebrew Schools has
decided to change its
name to better reflect its role.
The schools' board on Tues-
day ended months of study
and weeks of debate, voting
for the name Agency for
Jewish Education.
The AJE's elementary divi-
sion will continue to retain
the name United Hebrew
Schools. But the new name
serves as a better umbrella
for the AJE's other functions,
said board member Neal
Zalenko who chaired the
name-change study
committee.
Those roles include the
Community Jewish High
School, Midrasha — College
of Jewish Studies, the nursery
school, the Midrasha library,
support services and pro-
grams for other Jewish
schools, and special
education.
Heaviest debate in recent
weeks was over a proposal to
make the name "Agency for
Jewish Education and
Culture." Board members
decided that culture is incor-
porated in education, the
longer name might be confus-
ing with the Jewish Welfare
Federation's culture and
education budgeting and
planning division and it
might be seen as infringing
on other agencies' roles.
The AJE board adopted a
budget of $1.5 million for
1989-90, which would need an
allocation of $955,830 from
the Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion. That would be an
$87,330 increase over last
year's allocation. In 1988-89,
the agency received a $20,000
increase.
The budget included a 5
percent tuition increase for
the elementary school and
the high school, and a 3 per-
cent increase for the nursery
school. There was no change
in special education and
Midrasha tuition. ❑