CLOSE-UP
Behind
Closed Boors
Inside Detroit's most private yeshiva,
Darchei Torah.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Assistant Editor
F
rom a door on the left comes singing.
"Hashem! Hashem! Hashem!"
cries a chorus of little girls. Their
voices are filled with delight.
"Terrific!" the teacher calls. "Isn't
this a smart class!"
Further down on the right, past
the student-made posters of children
helping the handicapped and visit-
. ing with the elderly, is a class of young boys.
They all wear kippot and listen attentively
as the teacher speaks.
"Eleh hadevorim (these are the things),"
the teacher calls in a sing-song voice.
"Eleh hadevorim," the boys repeat.
"Asher tedaber (that I will tell)."
Again, the dutiful repetition. "El b'nai
Yisroel."
"El b'nai Yisroel, to the children of
Israel." The boys never miss a beat.
It's 9 a.m. on any weekday in Detroit.
Most people are drinking a cup of coffee, sit-
ting down to work, reading the paper.
But at Yeshivat Darchei Torah, the first
order of the day is always singing the
praises of God and studying His Torah.
Teachers do it. Boys do it. Girls do it. The
result is a cacophony of voices that seem to
jump right out of the classroom.
Contrasting with the boisterous activity
within the school is Darchei Torah's image
in the community. Now in its fifth year, it is
Detroit's least public yeshiva. Administra-
tors do not reach for the spotlight, and
parents learn about the school mostly
through word of mouth.
26
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1991
Despite its lack of big fund-raisers and
plaques thanking generous benefactors,
Darchei Torah is unlike most other Jewish
day schools in that it has no serious finan-
cial burden. And it continues to grow at
an impressive rate: the 1991 enrollment
almost doubled last year's figure.
The Orthodox school started with 14 boys
in a preschool and expanded each successive
year to include kindergarten, first, second
and third grades. Except for a mixed
kindergarten group, boys and girls are
taught separately.
Kindergarten through third-grade classes
continue, and next year Darchei Torah will
begin teaching fourth grade.
Ninety-two students attend the yeshiva,
with an increasing number of enrollment
applications each year since it opened. Prin-
cipal Sara Menucha Kahn believes this is a
result of the school's philosophy to nurture
creativity, teach midot (good personality
traits) and strengthen children's English
and Judaic skills.
"We want to develop each individual
child's academic learning — from the gifted
to the slower student," Mrs. Kahn said. "I
know every single child here and exactly
what his strengths and weaknesses are."
Officials are optimistic the school will
soon be able to operate in its own building;
classes are now held at the United Hebrew
Schools. The day begins at 9 a.m. and ends
at 3:45 p.m. Morning studies concentrate on
Hebrew and Judaic courses, while the
afternoon is dedicated to secular studies
like math, reading, vocabulary, grammar
and creative writing.
Social studies and science are taught in
units, with recent topics including weather
and the body. Yiddish classes also are a part
of the curriculum.
Boys have physical education classes and
girls take gymnastics. Girls also study
dance and meet for baking before Shabbat.
"What we try to do is take ideas from the
past to teach the children of today to face
the challenges of the Jewish community
tomorrow," Mrs. Kahn said.
Tuition is based on parents' ability to pay.
They are obligated to a base figure — $1,200
for kindergarten and $1,400 for other
grades — with full tuition at $3,000 for each
child.
Funding for the school comes from tuition
and donations. A limited number of fund-
raising events also are held, including a
dinner and melava malkas.
Keeping competition between students to
a minimum is the golden rule at Darchei
Torah. The walls have no charts with stars
for good behavior. Mrs. Kahn opposes any
such approach, which does not mix with her
philosophy that "every child should feel
good about what he does here."
One of the school's most controversial pol-
icies is a stipulation that Darchei Torah
students may not watch television. Mrs.
Kahn believes this approach promotes
healthier, smarter, more creative children.
Numerous studies show that television
"lessens the imagination and has an effect