ucational director of Ivriah, the
religious school for Congregation
Beth Israel and Temple Beth El
in Flint. "We don't have any way
of communicating between a
large number of teachers. CAJE
allows us to connect with other
educators and with those who
live in other small Jewish com-
munities. A lot of what goes on
in Detroit is not applicable to us.
Some things we can replicate on
a smaller level, but we don't have
the financial resources or the
manpower."
Like Ms. Bank, educators from
outside the metro Detroit area
said they left CAJE with invalu-
able information and a connec-
tion to the world of Jewish
education.
Mark Woloshin, education ad-
ministrator for the Tri-City (Mid-
land, Bay City and Saginaw)
Jewish Community Association,
was able to attend the conference
in Bloomington because each of
the three Jewish federations paid
one-third of his costs.
One of the sessions Mr.
Woloshin attended was "Jewish
Family Education for Small
Communities."
There, Mr. Woloshin and oth-
er participants talked about some
of the common problems educa-
' tors in small communities face.
"Dating Jewish girls in a small
community is like dating your
, sister," Mr. Alexander said.
"These kids have all grown up
with each other. They don't want
to date. The issue of interdating
is crucial. So what do you teach?
A lot of my work is planting the
seed. You do that by teaching val-
ues."
Finding teachers also can be a
challenge in a small community.
While nobody walked away with
a solution, educators were able
to talk about their situations to
others.
They also took information
away from the conference that
can be used in any community—
big or small.
The conference provided Tobi
Sisman, a kindergarten teacher
at Temple Emanuel in Grand
Rapids, with craft ideas. One of
her favorites was an edible Torah
made by rolling two pretzel rods
in a flat tortilla with peanut but-
ter (to hold it in place) and tied
together with a string of licorice.
Mr. Alexander returned to
Grand Rapids with new methods
of talking about God with his stu-
dents.
"(Former Detroiter Rabbi)
Daniel Syme talked about how
we are exposed to the biblical and
rabbinic views on God," Mr.
Alexander said. "A lot of teens
don't buy that. We need to be able
to ask them how they view God
and not just say OK, but say this
school of thought in Judaism also
talked about that. There can also
be a lot of anxiety when teaching
about God. This workshop helped
with that, too." ❑
Are you ready for
the High Holidays?
The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah thru Yom Kippur are an intense, emotionally
demanding time. Judaism teaches us to prepare for this challenge, as we do for
any important task in our personal or professional life. How? By setting aside
some time to study and reflect before the New Year begins. When? During the
Hebrew month of Elul, the four weeks before Rosh Hashanah.
4
1,'"-- "7 ,i■ "k"---■
".
"Ehol: A Time to Prepare
It
A free series of adult Jewish study opportunities on High Holiday themes.
SCHEDULE FOR THE COMING WEEK
All programs begin at 8pm
MONDAY, AUGUST 29
"Sparks for the Soul: Inspirational Stories for a New Year"
Corinne Stavish
(Fp , adults and teens)
TUESDAY, AU GUST 30
"Talmudic Insights into the Rosh Hashanah Liturgy"
Rabbi Rod Glogower
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31
"Purim and Yom Kippur: Some Surprising Connections"
Ruth Bergman
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
"Learning to Say I'm Sorry, and Other Topics
for Family Dialogue Around High Holiday Time"
Harlene W. Appelman and Susan Stettner
(for adults)
A New Year gift to the Detroit Jewish community from
Mibraslia Center for Abultjewisii Learning
(the adult education division of the Agency for Jewish Education)
For more information contact:
21550 West 12 Mile Road, Southfield
354 - 1050 ❖ Fax 354 - 1068