THE JEWISH NEWS THIS ISSUE 60( SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY JANUARY 26, 1990 / 29 TEVET 5750 Raising The Flag Signals New Lathrup, Akiva Era ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM Features Editor A Elisabeth Schreiber, Tal Sharon and Rachel Karlin raise the flag. Apartments Ask W. Bloomfield OK KIMBERLY LIFTON Staff Writer I n its first efforts to build senior housing that is not government subsidized, Jewish Federation Apart- ments next month will seek approval of a tentative site plan for additional apart- ments in West Bloomfield. Federation Apartments of- ficials are expected to ask West Bloomfield planners on Feb. 27 to approve a concep- tual design for a 97-unit housing complex at the Hechtman Federation Apartments on the campus of the Maple-Drake Jewish Community Center. If constructed, the housing structure will become the fif- th building for Federation Apartments, which now pro- vides 521 units for low in- come seniors. Unlike the other buildings — three grouped in Oak Park and one in West Bloomfield — Hechtman phase II is expected to pro- vide housing for seniors who don't qualify for federal assistance but can't afford other accommodations. Rent levels cannot be set until cost estimates for the project are completed, apartment of- ficials said. "This will be an extension of what we already do to provide care for our seniors," said Michael Perlman, former president of the Fed- Continued on Page 22 kiva Hebrew Day School hadn't seen Old Glory since 1985, when the school's flagpole was vandalized. Then last week, after the student council raised funds to repair the flagpole, the school and the flag were reunited thanks to the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution. DAR Three Flags Chapter Registrar Virginia Platter of Lathrup Village had driven by the school and noticed the Stars and Stripes was miss- ing. So she contacted Akiva officials and offered the flag. Several years ago debates focused on whether Akiva would even be allowed in Lathrup Village, which had the reputation as a com- munity less than hospitable to any but Protestant, white Americans. But all that seemed ages ago when last week hun- dreds of Akiva students sat quietly in the school auditorium as Three Flags Chapter Regent Harriet Tindal presented the flag and described the activities of the DAR. The American flag, she CLOSE-UP What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Job Like This? ■ Welcome to the offices of a detective, a mounted policewoman and an Aikido instructor. ■ said, "stands for the hopes and the ideals of the people it represents." The flag represents all Americans, but Lathrup Village has not always welcomed them. The area's first settlers came in 1824, when John Daniels and his family took up residence in what is now known as Lathrup Village. Some 100 years later, Louise Lathrup and her daughter, Anne, purchased extensive Housing contracts stipulated that property could not be resold to blacks, Jews or other "undesirables." land in the area. Their ter- ritory soon included more than 1,000 acres, which in- cludes the city today. In 1927, a school was built and named after Anne Lathrup. Today, Akiva Hebrew Day School is located in the former Anne Lathrup Elementary School. For many years, Lathrup Village was open only to a select few. Potential residents had to be approved before they were allowed to settle in the city. Anne Lathrup required restrictive covenants on all housing contracts, which stipulated the property could not be resold to blacks, Jews or other "undesirables," such as Italians and Asians, ac- cording to Anti-Defamation League Executive Director Richard Lobenthal. But then the Supreme Court ruled illegal all re- strictive covenants; the Michigan State Constitu- tion, in an early 1960s rewrite, said such covenants were not enforceable. With the doors finally open, first Jews, and later blacks, Asians and other former "undesirables" set- tled in Lathrup Village. In 1980, Akiva began ren- ting the Lathrup School from the Southfield School District, which had been us- ing the facility for its special education center. Akiva pur- chased the building in 1984. Founded in 1964, Akiva held classes at the Chaim Greenberg United Hebrew Schools branch, Young Israel of Oak-Woods and the United Hebrew Schools on 12 Mile before moving to its current home. Prior to the sale, Akiva of- ficials had to sit through Continued on Page 22