COMMUNITY

Seminar Helps Teachers
Use Books Creatively

SUSAN GRANT

Staff Writer

lizabeth Strichartz's
Temple Beth El nurs-
ery room would not be
complete without a corner
filled with children's litera-
ture. •
She reads constantly to her
students. But after atten-
ding a Jewish pre-school ed-
ucation workshop, Ms.
Strichartz hopes to revolve
more of her lesson plans
around storytelling.
Ms. Strichartz was one of
125 Detroit area pre-school
teachers who learned, rather
than taught, a lesson during
an April 23 workshop at the
Agency for Jewish Edu-
cation. They were taught to
stretch children's books far
beyond the confines of the
library corner.

E

Dr. Shirley Raines, an ed-
ucation professor at George
MaSon University in
Virginia, reminded pre-
school educators about the
power of stories to teach
children at a workshop spon-
sored by the AJE Resource
Center and the Michigan
Jewish Association for Edu-
cation of Young Children.
While some children are
naturally 'curious about
books, others are more indif-
ferent and will not go near a
library corner unless actu-
ally taken there by an adult,
Dr. Raines said. For those
children, teachers must find
the keys which pique a
child's interest.
"A lot of teachers and
parents look for things. But
they aren't always looking
in the right places," she
said. The library corner
should contain new and cliff-

pre-school educators for
classroom use.
Ms. Strichartz, who pur-
chased a copy of Story S-T-R-
E- T- C-H-E-R-S, said
although she already tries to
expand children's literature
into other projects, the
workshop "explained all the
different things you can do
and how you can go in new
directions. You can always
learn something new at
these workshops."
Rena Amit, a Workman's
0
Circle nursery teacher, said
the workshop "reinforced
what I've been teaching. I've
_o always believed in stories.
0
"It was also important for
0
_c
Cl_ me to meet with other
teachers," said Mrs. Amit,
Dr. Shirley Raines reads to pre-school educators.
who traded ideas with other
educators. ❑
formed eight groups to make
erent books as well as classic
their own story stretchers,
children's stories, she said.
using books with Jewish
She also showed teachers
Temple Emanu-El
themes.
how to read books in an in-
Offers Classes
After reading A Holiday
teresting way so that chil-
Temple Emanu-El will offer
for Noah, Michaelyn
dren will learn to love
an
introduction to Judaism
Silverman
and
Rena
Cohen,
reading.
class on Thursday evenings
co-directors of Temple
Dr. Raines encouraged
7-9:30 p.m. beginning May 17.
Emanu-El Nursery School,
educators to use children's
The course, which will run
encouraged educators to
books, not only during story-
for twelve sessions, is a survey
turn the story of a boy,
time but throughout the day.
of Judaism to meet the needs
eagerly awaiting the next
She and her husband, Dr.
of laypersons and candidates
time he can eat challah, into
Robert Canady, have
for conversion. Included will
class projects. Soon the
written Story S-T-R-E-T-C-
be an overview of the holi-
teachers were singing
H-E-R-S and More Story S-T-
days, life cycle events, basic
Shabbat songs and planning
R-E-T-C-H-E-R-S, detailing
concepts of liturgy, history
a holiday meal for their
how educators can take a
and the primary texts of
students.
story and apply it to other
Judaism. Students also will
In similar work sessions,
aspects of the classroom.
be introduced to the basic
teachers created other ideas
Art, science and other
Hebrew of the prayerbook.
for different Jewish books.
classroom projects can be
There is a charge. The
At the end of the workshop,
based on a book the children
beginning Hebrew course
Resource Center staff
have recently read.
may be taken separately. For
gathered the story expan-
"There should be an easy
information, call Temple
sion ideas. The collection
connection to the book," said
Emanu-El, 967-4020.
will be distributed to Jewish
Dr. Raines. The teachers

0

Theological Seminary Meeting, Dinner

Philip Slomovitz was honored Sunday by the Jewish Historical Society
of Michigan with the first Leonard N. Simons Award for preservation
and dissemination of Jewish history. Mr. Slomovitz, editor emeritus of
The Jewish News, has presented his personal files to the prbposed
_
Jewish communal archives. Shown at the reception are, from left,
Leonard Simons, Jewish Historical Society president Gilbert Borman,
Slomovitz and Walter Field.

Mr. Philip Bolton of Farmington Hills and his sons, Rabbi Tuvia, Bruce
and their families dedicated the Matilda Bolton Memorial Grove at the
Lahav Forest in Israel, established under the auspices of Jewish
National Fund.

A Special Gifts Meeting on
behalf of The Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary will be held
May 13 at the home of Dr.
Terry and Meryl Podolsky.
The speaker will be Dr. Iosif
Begun.
Dr. Begun was a refusenik
for 17 years before being per-
mitted in 1988 to emigrate to
Israel. He was a leader of the
movement to teach Soviet
Jews about their heritage. As
a result, he was repeatedly ar-
rested and tried for "illegal"
activities. An engineer and
mathematician, he was fired
from his job at the Central
Research Institute in Moscow
after submitting his first ap-
plication to leave for Israel in
1971. Arrested and charged
with "parasitism," he was
sentenced to two years of ex-
ile in Siberia.
Nearly 10 years in Soviet
prisons followed. During that
time Begun spent nearly 200
days in solitary confinement.
Now living in Israel, he is stu-

given on behalf of the Semi-
nary, June 12, at Congrega-
tion Shaarey Zedek. The
honorees are Dr. Jason and
Pearlena Bodzin, Congrega-
tion B'nai Moshe; Drs. Paul
and Barbara Goodman, Con-
gregation Beth Shalom;
Julius and Sylvia Pollak,
Adat Shalom Synagogue; Dr.
Warren and Charlotte Thssler,
Congregation Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses; and Harvey and
Lucille Weisberg, Congrega-
tion Shaarey Zedek.
For dinner information, call
the Seminary office,
559-9112.

losif Begun

dying at the Midreshet Yeru-
shalayim program for Rus-
sian olim sponsored by the
Seminary's Schocken In-
stitute in Jerusalem.
Leaders in the Detroit area
will • be honored at the an-
nual community-wide dinner,

Temple Emanu-El
Annual Meeting

The 39th annual congrega-
tional meeting of Temple
Emanu-El will be held at 9
a.m. May 12. A complimen-
tary continental breakfast
will be served and the
meeting will begin at 9:30
a.m.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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