s

Rabbi Dan Syme lectures on youth suicide.

If it is a priority on paper, we

must translate that paper to
fact.
"The greatest challenge
we face today in Jewish edu-
cation in the United States
is why be Jewish in a society
where we are offered a
number of choices," she said.
"We must make being
Jewish a source of pride, a
source of pleasure," said
Mrs. Cardin, who believes
education is the only tool
Jews can use toward that
goal.
Among the biggest
challenges is reaching out to
American Jews who, for one
reason or another, are unaf-
filiated with Jewish institu-
tions.
"People are looking for
ways to interact with their
children," Ms. Aft said. "We
can offer them a chance. We
can find rituals and make
them meaningful."
Rabbi Ephraim Buckwald,
who established the Lincoln
Square outreach program,
said, "Rituals work. You
don't have to believe in God
to believe in rituals. Rituals
are the lifeline of Jewish
survival."
Dr. Stuart Chesner, direc-
tor of the Institute for Fami-
ly and Academic Enrich-
ment in Cleveland, said
rituals may work, but he
reaches out to unaffiliated
Jews by making Jewish
values meaningful.
The institute offers classes
where people can invest
money in the stock market
and learn Jewish business
ethics at the same time.
There are also jogging
classes for Jews interested in

the mitzvah of taking care of
their bodies, Israeli song and
dance courses called "Soul
Music," and "Talmud and
Toddlers" for new Jewish
parents, Dr. Chesner said.
Rabbi Daniel Syme, vice
president of the Union of
American Hebrew Con-
gregations, said, " You have

'We must make
being Jewish a
source of pride, a
source of
pleasure.
Shoshana Cardin

to get Jews to connect to the
synagogue."
He suggested synagogues
give free or reduced rate
membership to high school
graduates for a few years.
Even though students go off
to college, they will still feel
connected to the synagogue,
Rabbi Syme said.

In classrooms throughout
Ohio State University, ideas
were exchanged during
CAJE. Educators helped
their colleagues become
better teachers to those with
special needs or offered in-
novative family education
programs to reach _out to
those Jews not involved in
the community.
There were also sessions
where teachers discovered
television shows like "Star
Trek" or movies like Fatal
Attraction can be used to
spark discussions among
students about issues like
the Middle East conflict or
biblical stories.
Other issues discussed at
the CAJE conference include
the changing role of Jewish
women, interfaith mar-
riages, relationships bet-
ween Jews and other re-
ligious and ethnic groups,
and the environment.
While educators spent
most of their days in

ally Fitlow, an
eighth-grade teacher
at Temple Shir Sha-
lom, liked the ideas for a
Tu. B'Shevat family educa
tion program she heard in
a Conference on Alter-
natives in Jewish Educa-
tion workshop.
But Ms. Fitlow knew
they would never work for
Shir Shalom. They all re-
quired something the
temple didn't have -- a
back yard.
While session
facilitator, Sharon
Halper, a New York
educator, talked about
successful Tu B'Shevat
and Sukkot family pro-
grams, Ms. Fitlow spoke
up. Explaining Shir
Shalom's situation, she
asked the 35 workshop
participants for a sui.table

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l'el-
tinga(t&atrele br-
c with toiletries and :7:
ing the toiletries.: t irk
homeless," Ms, Fit lo
said.
It's only one of many
suggestions for new p
grams which almost 110%
Detroit Jewish educat or s
learned at CAJE
to bring back to
classroom.
Dr. Margaret Eichner;
headtnaster at Yavneli.
Academy, said she wee
determined to get sane
thing out of each session.
"If I get one thing out of
a session I can copy, I've
been successful,' Dr.
Eichner said.
Although she
most of the foiii d a y con-
ference learning Ways to
make the six Soviet,
students enrolled at the
academy feel welcome in
the classroom, Dr.
Eichner took advantage
other CAJE work
Wanting to imPrOiie the
way she printed the Heb-
rew alphabet, she took a
Hebrew calligraphy class.
She spent much of her
free time Wednesday
practicing her new found

T

and R ena

C al

directors of

School are bringin
games, pu
tapes to enhanc , the
school's Shabbat and
Israeli folk dancing pro-
grams.
Ofra Fisher, the Agency
for Jewish sEhdeusa
n di
tiom
caw
many
rector,
things in the family edu-
cation workshops that she
would like to bring back
to Detroit.
"I believe in ongoing
education." she said. As
important as it is to have
the one-shot only pro-
grams, you need family
programs that continue."
In addition tOilginging
back materials or the
stu ent,s
educators
lek; rn' e
i.
;things
in
tilla
Classroom.
"I think balance is
said Mrs.
Pl.rsthan
e tri:'wsh too k'
designed

kk f.
•aelifia gLkig

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en.

"I'in
* having such a good
skill

Debby Horowitz smiles as "Skipper" teaches educators.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 49