WOULDN'T IT MAKE YOU HAPPY TO WEAR IT?!! Pilot Program Brings Parents Back To School All in 18k Gold and Finest Diamonds SUSAN GRANT Staff Writer C 32940 Middlebelt Rd. 855 1730 (At 14 Mile Rd., in the Broadway Plaza) - JEWELERS Custom Designed Jewelry to Your Taste HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 10-6 Thurs. 10-8, Sat. 10-5 The Jewish Idea invites you to the Memorial Service for RABBI MEIR KAHANE Wednesday, December 5, 1990 7:30 p.m. RAMADA HOTEL 28225 Telegraph, Southfield 20 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1990 hildren aren't going to be the only students in one United Hebrew Schools fifth grade classroom this Sun- day. Many of their parents will be sitting next to them thanks to a new pilot pro- gram at the Adat Shalom Synagogue branch called Children and Adults on Israel (CHAT). CHAI, developed by the Agency for Jewish Edu- cation, allows parents to get involved in their children's education and at the same time increase their own knowledge about Israel, said Renee Wohl, director of the agency's resource center and CHAI coordinator. If suc- cessful, the program will eventually be expanded to include more than just teacher Tamar Traub's ac- celerated fifth grade class. Unlike similar programs which encouraged parents to enter the classroom, CHAT is an ongoing project, Ms. Wohl said. Once a month until May, a guest speaker will present an educational pro- gram about Israel and the holidays to both parents and children. CHAI kicks off Sunday as Sivan Maas, Detroit's shlicha, talks about how Chanukah is celebrated in Israel. Future CHAT topics include a Tu B'Shevat seder, Purim, Israeli Independence Day and Yom Yerushalayim. "We are using the issue of Israel as a vehicle to explore common values," Ms. Wohl said. "What we are trying to do is to get parents to come into the classroom and par- ticipate in activities with their kids," Ms. Wohl said. Sometimes, the parents and students will work together on a project during the two-hour session, she said. At other times, adults and children will be separated through parts of the program. With CHAI, the agency hopes to create a strong link between what happens in Hebrew school and in the home, Ms. Wohl said. "We need to make school applicable to the rest of their lives," she said. "We can't do that without the parents, without the home." "We feel it's very impor- tant to develop a strong partnership with the parents. Parents really can do a lot to influence their kids," she said. "If we form a partnership, I know we can make a difference in the students' lives." So CHAI will include more than just a guest speaker. After every event, parents will be given a package filled with ac- tivities they can do at home with their children. So far, reaction to the CHAT program from parents has been positive. Thirty-six parents were in- troduced to the CHAT pro- gram at a Nov. 11 orienta- tion. During the meeting, parents were given photographs taken in Israel and were told to pick out one "It shows students that parents really do care." Ann Feld which best represents their image of the country and which various newspapers might use to depict Israel. After the exercise, parents were asked to keep the photos and try it with their children. Parents also received a tape of upbeat Hebrew songs complete with a songbook to bring home. Aim Feld, a parent at the orientation, said "I think the CHAI program is a positive thing for the kids as well as the parents. It shows students that parents really do care." "It helps make Hebrew school more fun for the kids," said Mrs. Feld, whose son, David, 10, is a student in the class. She believes the CHAI program will be a learning experience, not just for David, but for herself and her husband, Jeff, Ms. Feld said. "We plan to take a trip to Israel next year and it will be nice to learn more about it before we go," she said. Laura Ostreicher said when she first heard about the CHAI program, she was a little pessimistic about parents getting up on a Sun- day morning to go to Hebrew school. But after the orienta- tion meeting, she believes most parents will look for- ward to the sessions, said Mrs. Ostreicher's son, Brian, 10, is among the students involved. "I'm looking forward to spending time with Brian," she said. ❑