COMMUNITY 1

Two Programs Will Focus
On Disabilities Problems

RONELLE GRIER

Special to The Jewish News

I

nOlviduals with special
needs and their families
will be the focus of two
community-wide programs to
be held in the next 10 days at
the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield
and the Agency for Jewish
Education in Southfield.
On Oct. 27, the Center will
present an area-wide "Special
Needs Awareness Day" from
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The featured
guest will be Chris Burke,
star of the ABC television
series "Life Goes On."
On Nov. 3, the Agency for
Jewish Education will pre-
sent its third annual Paren-
ting Institute, entitled "It's
All Relative?' The program,
from 9:30 a.m. to noon, is
designed for Jewish children
and young adults with
disabilities and their parents,
siblings and grandparents.
The Center program Oct. 27
will include hands-on
demonstrations of equipment,
wheelchair sports, and a
special art exhibit. There will
also be a display of books
about special needs.
Chris Burke, who plays
teen-ager Corky Thatcher on
"Life Goes On" and has
Down's Syndrome, will be
signing copies of his new
book, A Special Kind of Hero.
"The goals and objectives of
this program are to assist in-
dividuals with physical and
developmental disabilities,
and to create community
awareness about the kinds of
services available to those
with special needs," said
Leanie Gunsberg, director of
special needs programs for
the Center. _
The keynote speaker for the
Nov. 3 program is Lauren
Wakschlag, a child
psychologist and founding
parent of Keshet of Chicago,
an organization for Jewish
parents of children with
disabilities. Her topic will be
"Parenting Persons with
Special Needs: The Impact on
the Jewish Family."
According to Renee Wohl,
director of the Agency for
Jewish Education Resource
Center, Lauren Wakschlag
was chosen both because of
her professional expertise and
her personal experience as an
Orthodox Jew with three
children, two of whom have
disabilities.
"As Jews, we deal with
these problems differently

because of our expectations
and the way we've been
brought up," -said Mrs. Wohl.
"There's a lot of 'Jewish bag-
gage' involved."
After the keynote presenta-
tion, five concurrent sessions
will be held for adults, led by
psychologists and social
workers. One session will be
a discussion of the keynote
speech. The others are entitl-
ed, "Managing Behavior and
Self-Esteem in Children with
Attention Deficit Disorder,
Learning Disabilities and
Behavioral Difficulties;" "For
Grandparents Only;" "The
Parent as Advocate;" and
"Transition to Independent
Living!"

respite care will also be
provided.
Both the "Special Needs
Awareness Day" and "It's All
Relative" program are the
result of the Task Force
Report on Services for Per-
sons with Disabilities spon-
sored by the Jewish Federa-
tion of Metropolitan Detroit.
This report identified a lack
of education and awareness
about people with disabilities
among the general communi-
ty, as well as a lack of services
and support for those people
and their families.
"We're demonstrating that
the Jewish community can
respond to these needs," said
Mrs. Wohl. "Hopefully this
will serve as a model for
future collaborative efforts?'
For information on the Oct.
27 "Special Needs Awareness
Day," call Leanie Gunsberg at
the JCC, 661-1000. Addi-
tional handicap parking
spaces will be available, along
with pre-arranged transporta-
tion from the Jimmy Prentis
Morris JCC in Oak Park.
Pre-registration is required
for the Nov. 3 "It's All
Relative" program. For infor-
mation or a brochure, call the
Agency for Jewish Education,
354-1050.

A youth program is also
planned, featuring perfor-
mances by "Kids on the
Block," a puppeteer group
that focuses on people with
disabilities. There will also be
two "Sibshops" for siblings of
children with handicaps, led
by social workers from Jewish
Family Service.

In addition, Yachad-
National Conference of Syna-
gogue Youth will sponsor a
program for teen-agers and
young adults with special
needs. Babysitting and

❑

Cantor Sidney Rube
To Be Honored At SZ

Cantor Sidney Rube will be
honored for 25 years of
dedicated service to Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek at a
special Sabbath and luncheon
Nov. 9 at the synagogue.
Cantor Rube joined Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek as

.

secretary of the Chevra
Kadisha of the congregation
and the executive secretary of
Clover Hill Park Cemetery.
He also serves the Jewish
community as a mohel.
The tribute committee has
announced that a cantorial
scholarship will be establish-
ed in Cantor Rube's name at
the Cantor's Assembly of
America. This scholarship
will enable a student at the
Cantor's Institute to pursue
and complete the full course
of cantorial studies at the
Jewish Theological Seminary.

Women's Groups
Stage Musical

Cantor Rube
ritual director in 1966. He
serves as associate cantor,
ritual director and executive

Beth Achim Sisterhood and
B'nai B'rith Louis Marshall-
Israel Chapter will present
the musical comedy, Mama
Loved Littman's 8:30 p.m. Oct.
26 and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Oct.
27 at the Beth Achim
Synagogue.
There will be a charge. For
ticket information, call
Dorothy Bodzin, 350-1292; or
Rebecca Pearlman, 544-7470.

Klagsbrun

Steinmetz

Wolpe

Sunday At Seminary:
Family In Crisis

Adat Shalom Synagogue
will host the annual "Sunday
At The Seminary In Detroit"
9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Oct. 27.
Three Jewish Theological
Seminary faculty members
will speak on the issue of
family in crisis.
Dr. Samuel Klagsbrun,
visiting professor in the
Department of Pastoral
Psychiatry, is an expert on
adolescents and the care of
dying patients and their
families. He will speak on
"Ethical Dilemmas."
Dr. Devora Steinmetz, who
teaches in the seminary's

Talmud Department, will ex-
plore the biblical story of
Cain and Abel, history's first
recorded act of sibling rivalry.
Rabbi David Wolpe will ex-
amine the issue. Jewish
families in transition. He will
speak on the increasing rate
of family disintegration.
Seminary Day is sponsored
by the Conservative Rabbis of
Metropolitan Detroit, the
Jewish Theological Seminary
and United Synagogue of
America Michigan Region.
Babysitting services will be
available. There is a registra-
tion fee payable at the door.

Events Mark Publishing
Detroit Jewish History

The Jewish Historical
Society of Michigan bus tour
of local Jewish historical sites
Oct. 20 was the first of a
series of events celebrating
the . forthcoming publication
of the second volume of
Detroit Jewish history.
Entitled Harmony and
Dissonance: Voices of Jewish
Identity in Detroit, 1914-1966,
by Dr. Sidney Bolkosky, the
book is published by the
Wayne State University
Press, under the sponsorship
of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.

The volume will be releas-
ed at Book Fair on Nov. 10.
Among the events marking
the book's publication is a
children's essay contest —
"My Family Memories" —
sponsored by JEFF, Jewish
Experiences for Families, and
Federation's Women's Divi-
sion. Cash prizes provided by
Norman Allan, will be award-
ed to winners at an autograph
reception at Book Fair.
Children have been asked
to think of their own
memories, and to interview
their families.

Temple Israel Opens
Its Concert Series

Temple Israel will - open its
Sanctuary Concert Series
7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 with "A
Visit to the Shtetl." Featuring
three stories by Y.L. Peretz,
"The Klezmorim," "The Kab-
balists," and "The Tale of the
Moon," this concert is co-
sponsored by Hadassah and
Thmple Israel's Mildred S.
Steinberg and Andrew Chalat
Memorial Concert Fund.
Featured artists in this con-
cert will be Boris Kazansky,
bass-baritone, cantor of rIbm-

ple Rodeph Shalom in
Philadelphia; Lilia Kazansky,
mezzo-soprano, cantor of Beth
David Reform Congregation
in Gladwyne, Pa., Harold Or-
bach, tenor, cantor at Temple
Israel; and Evelyn Orbach,
executive and artistic director ,
of the Jewish Ensemble
Theater.

There is no charge. For free
tickets and information, call
Temple Israel, 661-5700; or
Hadassah, 683-5030.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

49