SOLUTIONS

page 24

family interactive program.
The first P.A.C.E. class
which Ms. Kay taught, and
her daughter and husband
participated in, began in grade
4. The family remained as a
learning unit until high-school
graduation. Ms. Kay said the
different family units remain
in touch, now enjoying at-
tending each other's weddings.
"We're looking to change the
education philosophy. The
child is not the only client.
We're involving the whole fam-
ily here," Ms. Kay said.
While seemingly ideal in
theory, Ms. Kay cautioned ed-
ucators about roadblocks such
as time commitment parents
are unable to make and po-
tential jealousy by non-
P.A.C.E. classes. For both
difficulties, she suggested oth-
er congregational and school
activities and programs which
would bring families together.
In "Happy Campers!," Vicky
Kelman discussed what she
calls the most difficult to plan,
but perhaps most beneficial,
program to families.
Retreats provide a non-
threatening environment for
parents and children to get to-
gether. However, like in most
types of programming dis-
cussed, the potential for par-
ents to "vote with their feet
and not participate" remains.
"In a good program this

doesn't happen often. But fam-
ilies will go off together and do
their own activities. This is a
success," Ms. Kelman said.
Scheduling camping-type
experiences is a great way to
provide "learning leaps," Ms.
Kelman said. The constant re-
inforcement of prayer and
learning maximize total im-
pact.
Ms. Kelman warned against
imitating another type of
camp, like Sierra Family or
YMCA. Instead she said edu-
cators should focus on Jewish
text studies, activities and
Jewish family time with an in-
spirational, as opposed to in-
formational, model.
Scaffolding — physical and
psychological support and
safety — was discussed as in-
tegral to creating a comfort-
able environment.
"This is about change,
movement forward. The goal
is to have every family leave
with tools to do something
Jewish they didn't before ." Ms.
Kelman said. "Each family
needs something else — from
finding a synagogue to learn-
ing Mishnah to doing Hav-
dalah to meeting friends to
learning three new songs to
sing on the car ride home. If
the setting is wide enough, all
of this can occur at the same
time." ❑

Needy Jewish Kids To
Get Chanukah Gifts

TWERP

E W L ER S

EST.1949

6209 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD • WEST BLOOMFIELD

Project:
Light One Candle
is entirely
anonymous.

Interested congregants have
been invited to pick a candle
from the menorah. Each can-
dle contains the age and sex of
the child who will be receiving
the gift.
The menorah is on display
at Congregation Shir Tikvah
in Troy and is moved to Roeper
School in Bloomfield Hills dur

ing religious school.
Ms. Behrmann said the re-
sponse from Shir Tikvah mem-
bers has been very positive.
During the two days the meno-
rah was on display, all but 10
of the candles were picked.
"It really makes you feel
good to see that people have
given such a wonderful re-
sponse to this," she said.
Project: Light One Candle
is
entirely
anonymous,
Ms. Behrmann
said. Gifts will
be distributed
through JFS
caseworkers
and the chil-
dren will not
know who the
donors are.
The
Shir
Tikvah Sister-
hood will collect
the gifts on
Nov. 19 at ser-
vices and Nov.
21 during Sun-
day school. ❑

313.855.8000

► ,,,o/WORLD'S BEST

JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN

ara Behrmann wants
needy Jewish children to
get gifts this year for
Chanukah — so she
started Project: Light One
Candle.
Jewish Family Services
compiled a list of children to
receive gifts and Ms.
Behrmann constructed a
30x36-inch menorah with 76
removable candles.

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