COMMUNITY
World War II Taught Honoree
The Importance Of Education
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Features Editor
The country musical group Skylark.
Camp Maas Hoe Down
Features. Music, Crafts
Skylark will be the featured
musicians at the Hodaah
(Thanksgiving) Hoe Down 1
p.m. Nov. 26 at Camp Maas in
Ortonville.
The group includes Betsy
Beckerman on hammered
dulcimer, banjo and tin whis-
tle; Anne Jackson on fiddle
and guitar; and Tom Wall on
keyboards, mandolin and
ukulele. They will entertain
with traditional, folk and
country classics in a facility
built to look like a frontier
town of the 1800s.
Cowboy "Arizona," who was
born and raised on a cattle
ranch in Arizona, will teach
square dancing. Professional
TV cameraman John Fuller
will provide a free camcorder
workshop to help with the use
of video equipment.
Activities also include
weaving and blacksmithing
demonstrations and hands-on
crafts including making
Chanukah candles,
chanukiot, mezuzot and apple
cider.
The program is co-
sponsored by the Fresh Air
Society and Jewish Ex-
periences for Families in
cooperation with The Jewish
News and L'Chayim Family
Section.
Newly arrived Russian
Jewish immigrants have been
invited through the Family-
to-Family project to the hoe
down.
The entire program is free
and the community is invited.
Kosher food and beverages
will be available for purchase.
Rosenthal And King
Open Campaign
Radio and television per-
sonality Larry King will ad-
dress donors of $5,000 and
more to the 1990 Allied
Jewish Campaign at a 7:30
p.m. Nov. 27 reception at the
home of Paul and Marlene
Borman.
King is the host of Mutual
Radio Network's, "The Larry
King Show," and Cable News
Network's, "Larry King
Live."
His appearance will lead
the Campaign into its 11th
annual Super Sunday
telethon, Dec. 10, followed by
the official opening three days
later, when Pulitzer-Prize
winning journlaist A.M.
Rosenthal will address con-
tributors of $1,000 and more,
7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Adat Shalom
Synagogue.
Rosenthal will discuss the
challenge to Israel's fate and
future and what role the
United States plays in pro-
viding a solution.
captain with the U.S.
Army during World
War II, Jerry Luptak
was among those who helped
liberate prisoners at Dachau
and other Nazi death camps.
Witnessing ,those events
convinced him of the impor-
tance of supporting and
strengthening the Jewish
people through education,
said Luptak, who was
honored this week with the
Yeshivath Beth Yehudah
Humanitarian Award dur-
ing the yeshiva's. Diamond
Anniversary Dinner, held at
the Westin Hotel.
Luptak was four when his
father died. On his deathbed,
the elder Luptak "asked my
mother above all to educate
her children." Luptak, an
attorney, always valued
those words, he said,
"because I knew my edu-
cation was something I could
never lose or have taken
away from me."
Honored with Luptak at
the dinner was Harold Bez-
nos, who received from
yeshiva Administrator
Rabbi E.B. Freedman the
20th Annual Golden Torah
Award in honor of "his in-
spiration, vision and
outstanding efforts on behalf
of Yeshivath Beth Yehudah
and his dedication to Torah
education in our communi-
ty."
Two students from the
yeshiva, Elana Betsalel and
Zhanna Piskoverov,
presented Beznos with an
antique vase. Piskoverov
also thanked the Detroit
Jewish community for its
support of Soviet Jewry. -
Sen. Donald Riegle Jr. of
Michigan was guest speaker
for the dinner, which at-
tracted about 2,100 guests.
Riegle praised Luptak as
providing "the kind of help,
moral support and active
participation it takes to
make a difference" and
called the yeshiva "one of
the most outstanding schools
to be found anywhere."
In his speech, Riegle ex-
pressed concern that
American youth are lagging
behind other nations in edu-
cation. The high school
dropout rate in the United
States is 26 percent, com-
pared to 2 percent in Japan;
U.S. students attend school
180 days a week, while those
in Japan go 240 days, he
said. And American
students spend about 30
minutes on homework each
night; compared to Japanese
students' two hours.
"Twenty percent of 18-
year-olds in this country
can't read. In Japan, that
figure is only 1 percent,"
Riegle said. "Other nations
are surging and we are drif-
ting."
To continue to ignore the
problems in education
means to put the United
States in danger, Riegle
said. It means American
youth will grow up to be
uneducated adults, "and
then every single one of our
important national
resources will be put in
jeopardy." ❑
December Dilemma
Topic Of Discussion
Issues facing schools and
communities during the
month. of December and
throughout the year will be
discussed at a communiy-
wide program, "The
December Dilemma," spon-
sored by the Jewish Corn-
munity Council, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11 at Thmple Israel.
George Cantor, Detroit
News coumnist, will lead a
panel discussion. Panelists
will include the Rev. James
Lyons, director of the
Ecumenical Institute for
Jewish-Christian Studies; Dr.
Seymour Gretchko, West
Bloomfield School District
superintendent.
The council's December
Dilemma brochure, which ad-
dressed the December holiday
season, and Public Schools,
Religion and the Constitution,
developed to deal with year-
round questions concerning
Portions Of 'iWo'
At Readers Theater
The final performance of
the - fall series of Readers
Theater will take place 4 p.m.
Dec. 3 in the Aaron DeRoy
Theater at the Maple-Drake
Jewish Community Center. A
complimentary wine bar will
open at 3:15 p.m.
The show will feature
Chanukah stories by Issac
Bashevis Singer and a story
by Remain Gary. These will
be presented by Harry Golds-
tein and David Fox.
Scenes from Yolanda
Fleischer's production of Ron
Elisah's Two will be recreated
by the talents of Arthur. Beer
and Miriam Yezbick. Pro-
fessor Norma Goldman will
serve as host of the program.
Artistic director is Yolanda
Fleischer.
Tickets are available at
both JCCs. A limited number
of tickets will be sold at the
door beginning at 3 p.m. the
day of the performance. For
information, call Readers
Theater, 967-4030.
religious minorities in the
public schools, will be
available.
The council recently formed
a task force on church and
state.
The program is free and
open to the public.
Refreshments will be served
at a reception after the panel
discussion. For information,
call the Jewish Community
Council, 962-1880.
Einstein Forum
To Hear Speaker
Professor Jacob Lassner,
director of the Center for
Judaic Studies at Wayne
State University, will speak
on the "Formation of Moslem
Attitudes Toward Jews and
Judaism"at the Einstein Lun-
cheon Forum meeting at noon
Nov. 28 at Southfield
Charley's.
Prof. Lassner has authored
many books and articles on
Jewish-Islamic themes and
has served as visiting pro-
fessor and resident-scholar at
Princeton, Harvard, Rocke-
feller Institute, Oxford Center
for Hebrew Studies and the
Dayan Institute for Middle
East Studies at Tel Aviv
University.
For information, call the
Forum, 569-1515.
AJCongress
Sets Meeting
American jewish Congress'
Greater Detroit Chapter will
host a breakfast 10:30 a.m.
Dec. 3 at the United Hebrew
Schools.
Law professor Robbert
Sedler will speak on civil
rights and civil liberties and
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sedler, who teaches at Wayne
State University, has
litigated civil rights and civil
liberties cases in Michigan
and throughout the country.
There is a charge. For infor-
mation, call Ida Burstein,
557-4228.
THE DETRzainEws