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LOCK KEY TUESDAY MORNINGST 6:00 A.M. 1111 11 III CHANNEL 11 V rt i i Continental Cablevision® ta — MoosejaW t. 1 EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED FOR SUMMER CAMP! 1.1 I 04 • I fleece and Gortex Jackets, Shorts, Hiking Boots, Sandals, Rain Gear, Tents, Back Packs, Sleeping Bags and Much, Much More. 3405 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD ICE EGO HARBOR 22 (810) 738 ,5291 Mountaineering & Backcountry Travel fifty-thousand dollars for 50 a formal, weekly high-school pro- students didn't make a lot gram include Congregations of sense to Robert Berlow. B'nai Moshe, Beth Achim and It didn't sit well with Beth Abraham Hillel Moses. Federation is not certain Douglas Bloom, either. In a recent meeting between whether transition funding will the education division of Jewish be available to such congrega- Federation of Metropolitan De- tions. Students can apply for as- troit and the Agency for Jewish sistance dollars through a Education, both presidents sug- Federation-created scholarship gested the phasing out of the program. The numbers of students at- AJE's Community Jewish High School at the end of the 1993-94 tending the Community Jewish High School continued to dwin- school year. At its peak, the high school ser- dle when the AJE ceased oper- viced about 130 students. It ating elementary schools last formed at the beginning of the year. The AJE turned its focus 1987-88 school year, merging from direct education of students United Hebrew Schools high- to community-resource center. school program and Congrega- Congregations beefed up their tion Beth Shalom's school. The own curricula. "We can now truly act as the Community Jewish High School was opened to all congregations resource center for training and and unaffiliated students for con- support," said Mr. Berlow, AJE tinuing education beyond the bar president. "The money spent on the high school, with its low en- and bat mitzvah years. Of the ME's $850,000 alloca- rollment, was not money spent tion from Federation for 1993-94, wisely." $50,000 was used for the high- school program. The ME hopes to use those dollars for teen pro- gramming and curriculum development to assist congrega- tions. However, there is no guaran- About a dozen of the Commu- tee Federation will replace the money in the 1994-95 allocations nity Jewish High School's 50 stu- dents are not affiliated with a to be announced in June. "I believe at minimum the ME temple or synagogue or enrolled will receive the same funding as in a day school. The ME will as- last year," said Mr. Bloom, pres- sist unaffiliated students with ident of Federation's education placement. It also will help find division. "The agency will not be positions for the school's four or penalized for not running a high five teachers. Approximately 1,000 teens in school. Now it's up to the com- munity to find places for these the metropolitan Detroit area are enrolled in some type of Jewish students to go." "I opposed the Community educational program following Jewish High School since the be- bar and bat mitzvah. Educators ginning. I never thought the ed- around the community agree ucational process should leave reaching out to those who com- the synagogue. The ME is mak- plete their educations at 13 years ing the proper move," said Sy of age is a top-priority goal. "We need to find out why in Finkelstein, Beth Shalom presi- dent. "We (congregations) have some families bar and bat mitz- taken the students from kinder- vah is the end and not the spring- garten up through the grades. We board," Mr. Berlow said. have the best idea what our cur- "Somewhere we've missed the riculum should be and how to boat. We've failed to seduce those who are not in school. It's also im- service our students' needs. "Also, it is of the utmost im- perative we continue to motivate portance not to export the stu- and interest the ones we have. "If we're going to have Jewish dents away from the synagogue building. This age bracket is crit- identity and continuity, which we ical. I'd love to see every young keep hearing so much about, we person in synagogue each Satur- need education." The ME's immediate goals are day but that's not reality. At least this (congregation-based schools) to assist schools in curriculum de- brings the students to our site velopment. Teacher training, re- and gets them to feel comfortable cruitment and placement, Hebrew honors programs and re- in the building." Beth Shalom is gearing up for treats are also on the agenda. Services, but not money, will 40 high-school students in the fall. Other congregations lacking be available from the ME. LI At its peak, the school serviced 130 students.