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DETROIT

EAMSH NEWS

26 KISLEV 5754/DECEMBER 10, 1993

To The Wire

Jewish organizations are offering amendments and hope in the last days
of the school reform battle.

LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER

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he Jewish community
is dealing with the in-
evitable.
As both the House
of Representatives and
the state Senate have
passed their own, sim-
ilar versions of char-
ter school bills, it
appears this alternative educational endeavor will
be a reality for Michigan.
Charter schools, called academies in House leg-
islation, are defined as a new version of public school
facilities which could be run by a number of differ-
ent groups and attended by students from across
the state.
The House bill opens charters to groups of teach-
ers, local and intermediate schools districts, com-
munity colleges and universities. The Senate
language reads similarly.
Neither version allows parochial schools teach-
ing religion in their curriculum to be considered for
charter status. Community day schools should not
be affected.
A proposal offered by the American Jewish
Committee, American Jewish Congress, Anti-
Defamation League, Jewish Community Council,

National Council of Jewish Women and Women's
American ORT asks legislators to go one step fur-
ther.
Their proposed amendment requires each pub-
lic school academy or charter school to announce its
curriculum, textbooks and instructional materials
to its chartering agency by Dec. 31 of each year. That
information would remain available for public in-
spection and record.
In addition, the coalition of Jewish organizations
has proposed that no dollars be allocated by the state
to cover start-up costs of such schools unless excess
public school funds exist.
"Essentially, we're trying to provide some pro-
tection. We can no longer fight what is going to hap-
pen," said Miriam Imerman, director for domestic
concerns of the Jewish Community Council. "We're
most worried about accountability and financing.
Who are these schools answering to and can they
drain dollars from the general fund?"
State Rep. Maxine Berman voted against the
House bill.
She said many votes could have gone either way
as both the House's and the Senate's versions are
watered down compared to what Gov. John Engler
had proposed. Gov . Engler had envisioned fewer re-
SCHOOL page 10

Disturbing Film
Focuses On Hate

JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN

ay Errol Fox
was a man on a
mission.
In the late
1960s he went
to New York,
where he
hoped to write
the
great
American
musical.
Instead, he ended up in
Israel looking for a theme
for his second book.
Since visiting Israel,
this filmmaker-author-
journalist has been trying
to educate the world about
issues like the Holocaust
and anti-Semitism. He
brought his most recent
project, a movie, to the
Maple-Drake Jewish
Community Center last
week.
Freedom To Hate is a
one-hour film that chron-
icles anti-Semitism in
modern Russia.
Mr. Fox did not intend

to produce Freedom To
Hate. His original plan

was to take advantage of
an international spotlight
during the 1990 Academy
Awards, where his first
major fih-n, Preserving the

Changing The Guard

Communism to capitalism
changes emigres' lives.

Page 30

Past To Ensure the Future,

was one of three nominat-
ed for best short subject
documentary. Preserving
the Past focused on Yad
Vashem, Israel's Holo-
caust memorial.
"I knew if I got the
chance to make an accep-
tance speech, I wouldn't
waste my 45 seconds with
an audience of literally bil-
lions of people on thank-
yous," he said. "I was going
to make a statement to let
the world know what was
happening to Jews in
Russia."
Mr. Fox never got the
chance to make his speech.
But three weeks later, af-
HATE page 19

SPORTS

Rosh Flash

Jackie Rothenberg burst onto
the high
school
running
scene.

Page 53

Contents on page 3

How wou:d a laving filitleast accord affect
Ameltan Judaism?

The Peace
Dividend