100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact the Bentley Historical Library at bentley.ref@umich.edu

November 24, 1989 - Image 91

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1989-11-24

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

EDUCATION

Adat Shalom Rabbi Efry Spectre
teaches his confirmation class
about the meaning of the Shema.

Nosh 'n Drash student David
Curie! chews on his pencil as he
listens to Spectre..

Glenn Triest

Nosh 'n Drash

SUSAN GRANT

Staff Writer

T

heir chairs placed in a
semicircle around
teacher Marc Kay, the
small group of high school
juniors and seniors show no
signs of boredom as they
discuss the consequences of
interfaith dating.
In another classroom down
the hall, teacher Ellen Kriv-
chenia sits on a desk as a
group of ninth graders inter-
rupt each other to call out
answers about the proper
way Jews treat guests.
In a third room, Adat
Shalom Synagogue's Rabbi
Efry Spectre and Rabbi
Elliot Pachter take turns
teaching the fundamentals
of Judaism to 25 tenth
graders. In this class, as in
other confirmation classes,
discussions about whether
Judaism can survive
without believing in God in-
terest some while others
whisper to friends or do
homework.
Welcome to Adat Shalorn's
Nosh 'n Drash - a confirma-
tion class and much more.
Begun this year as a way
to bring more Adat Shalom
teens into the synagogue's
religious and social ac-
tivities, Nosh 'n Drash corn-
bines eating, socializing and

High school students are learning and
having fun with a new
after school program.

learning. For two hours
every Monday night, about
50 high school students
gather for dinner and
classes.
During dinner, the teens
talk and joke among them-
selves and the staff, while
Adat Shalom's United
Synagogue Youth leaders
announce upcoming social
events. Before the meal is
done, students learn from
speakers about study abroad
programs in Israel or corn-
munity groups like the
Michigan Food Bank.
After students clear the
tables, the group breaks into
three classes. Ninth graders
walk into teacher Kriv-
chenia's Mekhinah class to
discuss community mitzvot
and various Detroit Jewish
agencies serving the area.
Tenth graders take a con-
firmation class, which later
includes a trip to New York
City and a concluding ser-
vice on the second day of
Shavout.
Meanwhile, in Kay's
Gesher class, high school ju-
niors and seniors discuss

Jewish thought on contem-
porary issues, such as sex-
uality and drugs. The course
includes the Family Living •
Room - an intergenerational
workshop with teens and
parents.
While Nosh 'n Drash
welcomes ninth, eleventh
and twelfth graders, the ten-
th grade confirmation class
is the core of the program,
Rabbi Pachter said.
A few years ago, the
synagogue's confirmation
classes only accepted girls
enrolled in the Agency for
Jewish Education's Com-
munity Jewish High School,
Rabbi Pachter said. But two
recent changes added boys to
the classes and no longer re-
quire students to attend
Hebrew High.
But without Hebrew High,
confirmation classes lost
their context, he said. Often
after b'nai mitzvah, students
dropped out of Jewish edu-
cation courses for a few
years, returned for confir-
mation class and left again.
At the same time, students
in the synagogue's USY

chapter had little to do with
those in the confirmation
classes, Adat Shalom's Di-
rector of Youth and Edu-
cation Miriam Starkman
said.
The synagogue wanted to
put the confirmation class
back into context and bring
these two groups of teens
together. And so Nosh 'n
Drash was born.
Rabbi Pachter makes it
clear Nosh 'n Drash is an
addition, not a substitution
for Hebrew High.
"We're not in competi-
tion," he said.
In fact, when parents ask
Rabbi Pachter which pro-
gram their children should
attend, he suggests Hebrew
High .because it offers a
complete Jewish education.
Although he has no exact
figures, a few Nosh 'n Drash
students attend both pro-
grams.
Jewish education should
be taught at home, in the
synagogue, in the school and
during the summer, he said.
"I promote Nosh 'n Drash

as part of a whole package,"
he said. "It's an extra."
For students like ninth
grader Julie Yashinsky,
Nosh 'n Drash is the only
Jewish educational program
she attends because of her
limited schedule.
"Many of my friends go
here," said Julie, who looks
forwards to Monday nights.
Classmate Lisa Biederman
admits Nosh 'n Drash is no
substitute for Hebrew High
because the high school
offers more classes about
Jewish history and issues.
But Lisa prefers Nosh 'n
Drash. "It's more fun.
Hebrew High is more like a
class. This one is more so-
cial. You get to meet with
your friends," she said.

Miryam Bernard, who goes
to Hebrew High and plans to
attend the Jewish Theologi-
cal Seminary next fall, said
she would be active in the
Jewish community without
Nosh 'n Drash. She is Adat
Shalom's USY social action
vice president. She enjoys.
Nosh 'n Drash because her
friends attend.

While Rabbi Pachter real-
izes students have a good
time on Monday nights, he
hopes Nosh 'n Drash en-
courages them to return to
the synagogue throughout
the week.

TROIT JEWISH NEWS 91

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan