DETROIT 1 Akiva Continued from preceding page Black Sapphire or Maple Red w/leather LOADED—LOADED—LOADED—LOADED MSRP RINKE DISC. FACTORY BONUS $32,755 $5759 $2000 40 24,996 plus tax NEW 1991 SEDAN ONLY DEVILLE 2 LEFT Stk. #1532 #1547 A General Motors Family Since 1917 758-1800 LOW Home Equity Rates MARGIN OVER PRIME* Call our Equity Dept. for details 1-800-642-INFO • No application fees • No appraisal fees Huntington • No points Banks MEMBER FDIC • No kidding! in. EQUAL HOUSING LENDER 'Si *"Prime Rate" is the Bank Prime Loan Rate as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Rate example: If the Prime Rate is 8% and our margin is 11/2% over prime, our Annual Percentage Rate would be 9 1/2% (rate in effect at publishing date 10/91). The rate is subject to change monthly, and will not exceed 18%, nor go lower than 9%. You will be required to carry insurance on the property that secures your account. Customers with an existing Home Equity Loan from Huntington Banks can change to the new rate by paying a $75 transfer fee. 16 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1991 headmaster at Akiva, sup- ported the elimination of the twelfth-grade Israel pro- gram. He felt students would be better off waiting another year before going to Israel. "We were also starting to hear from yeshivot in Israel who didn't want to keep ac- cepting high school students," Rabbi Shimansky said. "Akiva was one of a handful of schools all over the world still sending twelfth-graders to Israel. "There was also tremen- dous pressure placed on students to complete their requirements in three in- stead of four years of high school," he said. "Their days were overly long and we didn't think they needed to cram all that in in so brief a time." Debra Chopp, 16, admits she's relieved not to have the added pressure. "I think 16 is a little young to go to Israel," she said. "I don't mind having the extra time to finish high school." The only course left for seniors to take in twelfth grade at Akiva is physics. "I could have taken that this summer," Ben Beres said. "I'm ready to get on with higher learning and college." Rivky Schramm, 16, wasn't too happy about spending her senior year at Akiva. "I wasn't happy at first because it's always been a sore point that the school stopped the program with our class," she said. "I'd considered going to Israel, but I'm also kind of young for my grade." Mintzi Schramm was con- cerned her daughter wouldn't have a viable op- tion. She wanted to make sure Akiva offered a stimulating academic alter- native to the year in Israel. "The question not only became what Akiva could do to better prepare its students for a year in Israel, but what Akiva could offer its students to rival what they could already be learning in Israel," Mrs. Schramm said. Seniors this year have the pick of a wide range of elec- tive courses. Students can choose from pre-calculus, physics, world literature, advanced placement history, computers and video produc- tion. Religious studies offer boys and girls classes in Chumash, or Bible, Gemara and Judaic research. "It's going a lot better than we thought it would be," Mrs. Schramm said. "We've been pleased so far." So is Michael Chopp, Debra's father. "I feel very positive about it," he said. "I think this will enhance everything they've learned already." "These kids, some just barely 16, are turning out national level test scores and college level papers," said Ed Codish, who teaches seniors Judaic research and world literature. "My classes are writing papers on topical halachic issues like women's roles in Judaism, birth control and abortion. They're reading works by Dostoyevsky and Sophocles." "They're thinking in- dependently and managing a high level workload," added Susan Codish, who teaches seniors Chumash. "They'll benefit from this grounding, especially be- cause they won't have any secular studies next year in Israel." Rabbi Shimansky said 12 out of the 14 seniors will study in Israel next year. Rabbi Morton Yolkut, an- other parent, said it's necessary to understand the founding philosophy of the school. "Akiva was founded 30 years ago on the prin- ciples of religious Zionism and a strong commitment to Torah and madah (science, or secular studies)," he said. "The 12th grade in Israel put that philosophy to prac- tical use by spending it in Israel. It was the culmina- tion of that philosophy. "The commitment is very much alive, it's just put off one year." 0 Experts Talk About Prospects Of Peace NOAM M.M. NEUSNER Staff Writer I n the wake of the Madrid summit, pundits and pro- fessors publicly have pondered peace. Last week, four experts took on the heady issue of where Middle East peace can go from here. They weighed in with conflicting visions on Israel, Palestinian autonomy and the prospects for peace. The four — Richard Straus, Hisham Melhem, Raymond Tanter and Joel Bainerman — took aim at what they perceive as misconceptions about both the conflict and its com- batants.