ck

Yeshiva Beth Yehudah has made some painful financial
decisions, but its schools are now facing a brighter future.

LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER

ess than a year ago,
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
and the Sally Allan
Alexander Beth Jacob
School for Girls faced pos-
sible demise. But today
there is a different mood
at the Jewish day schools.
"There's a new feeling
here due to the board of
directors. They pulled the
school out of a severe
financial crisis," said
Rabbi Raphael Skaist,
principal of the boys' divi-
sion.
Since the members of
the new board took their
positions in June, many
changes have taken place
at the schools.
At the end of the 1991
school year, teachers,
administrators and sup-
port staff at Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah and the Sally
Allan Alexander School
for Girls worked 13 weeks
without pay.
The institution was
$850,000 in debt.
Led by President Gary
Torgow, the board met

with the Jewish Feder-
ation to create a new con-
stitution and new bylaws.
Federation loaned the
school $100,000.
Torah Umersorah Day
School 'Association, a
national federation of
Orthodox Jewish day
schools, sent consultants
to Detroit to analyze the
situation. Board members
and school supporters
signed for a personal loan
of more than $300,000 to
pay teachers and open the
schools' doors in Sep-
tember.
A retirement program
was created and the bud-
get was scaled down
$600,000. Tuition was not
raised, but scholarship
guidelines were rede-
fined. Tuition is $3,950,
with reductions for each
successive child in a fami-
ly attending either the
boys' or girls' school.
Fifteen employees of
the institution, from sec-
retaries to principals, lost
their jobs. But the school

is now current on its pay-
ment schedule — for the
buildings, for payroll and
for loans.
According to Rabbi
Skaist, adversity has
brought the schools, its
parents and students
together.
"There is new input
from parents. Large num-
bers are signing up for
school projects and volun-
teering. They believe in
our future. In the past, it
was always open to ques-
tion," Rabbi Skaist said.
Maury Ellenberg, chair-
man of the board of Beth
Yehudah, said the com-
mitment to the school is
reaching into the commu-
nity.
"The sense of common-
ality shared by our rab-
bis, teachers, administra-
tors and parent body
helped us to create a
strong consensus for
change and improvement
throughout the institu-
tion," Dr. Ellenberg said.
"It has been an uphill
climb, but the reward has

been a more stable and
secure institution."
Caren Goldenberg, a
mother of two attending
the girls' school, is opti-
mistic about the future of
Bais Yaakov.
"I'm very pleased with
the girls' school — not only
the education, but their
active social life revolving
around the school," Mrs.
Goldenberg said. "I was
never truly worried. I
knew the school would
stay open. I was just con-
cerned about their ability
to keep up standards.
And they are doing that."
The board of directors
is searching for an execu-
tive director to replace
Rabbi E.B. Freedman.
Administrative director
Hillel Abrams is tem-
porarily holding the posi-
tion.
The executive director's
job will consist of half
administration work and
half fund-raising work —
aiding Beth Yehudah's
chief fund-raiser, Rabbi
Norman Kahn. ❑

DZF Seeks Exposure

KIMBERLY LIPTON STAFF WRITER

M

any Jewish orga-
nizations host
annual dinners
and big-name
speakers. Their goal: to
raise money.
Yet historically, the
Detroit Zionist Federation
has remained in the back-
ground, sporadically send-
ing out letters to the com-
munity and statements to
the press.
Now the DZF has decid-
ed to do a bit of public
relations for its organiza-
tion, hosting its first annu-
al Zionist of the Year

awards dinner on March
25.
This is not a fund-raiser
— tickets to the dinner fea-
turing American Zionist
Movement President
Seymour Reich are $36.
Harmon Bayer, DZF
vice president and dinner
chairman, said DZF will
honor three women for its
first Zionist awards.
Award recipients will be
Hadassah's Annette
Meskin, Na'amat's Evely
Noveck and Zionis
Organization of Americ
Anne Gonte Silver. ❑