REMEMBERING page 43 WHAT'S NEW... HAIR BY: Max Rieger It's fun CROSSWINDS MALL growing out of 4301 Orchard Lake Road 48323 my OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 8 AM - 9 PM hair. 855-5055 WHY SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR GIFTED STUDENTS? We often think of gifted students as children who will be able to "make do" in just about any classroom setting. Most people believe that they will achieve to their full potential regardless of the educational atmosphere. This belief is a fallacy. Gifted students are students who have educational needs that go beyond what a regular classroom can provide. Of course, there are many gifted children who are academically talented, but giftedness is not limited to academic pursuits alone. Gifted students often view the world in a way that causes them to see many sides to a problem. It is sometimes difficult for them to give a simple answer, or to accept a simple analysis. Nothing is "cut and dried." Every question is a puzzle to be solved. Gifted children need a classroom setting that allows them to delve into a problem as deeply as they desire. A good program for gifted students should not only provide a broad curriculum, but should allow for a truly meaningful depth of study, too. Finally, gifted children need an atmosphere of support, respect, and acceptance. Just as an athlete or musician is respected in a regular classroom setting, a gifted student needs the recognition and acceptance of his or her classmates. All too often, creativity and intellect are hidden, driven under- ground by a lack of acceptance or outright taunting—from classmates. All gifted programs, whether in public or private schools, should address these issues. For more information on gifted education, Gibson School's Gifted Program for 4-13 year-olds, or the free Gibson Lecture and Discussion series (GLAD), contact: Gibson School, 12925 Fenton, Redford, Michigan 48239, (313) 537-8688. GIBBON SCHOOL A Quality Environment for The Gifted Student 12925 Fenton Rd., Redford, MI 48239 (313) 537-8688 Open to all regardless of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin. the so-called peyote case that vastly expanded the right of the government to limit a religious activity, is being attacked in at least six court challenges in New York state. Most of these involve prison officials who are concerned that the new law requires them to make expensive and disrup- tive accommodations to religious inmates. This is the same issue that almost sank the bill during congressional debate. In three of these challenges, the state insists that Congress does not have the right to restrict state powers. "It's the most serious kind of challenge that could have been brought because it attacks the very question of Congress' au- thority to pass the legislation," said Aaron Raskas, a Baltimore activist who has represented the Union of Orthodox Jewish Con- gregations of America on the pro- RFRA coalition. "All the work the Jewish community put into this law is being jeopardized by these challenges." The Coalition for the Free Ex- ercise of Religion, which includes dozens of Jewish, Christian and Muslim groups, last week an- nounced that it is filing briefs in all six cases. The briefs were pre- pared by Marc D. Stern, legal di- rector of the American Jewish Congress. Mark Mellman I n big-time politics, a business commonly regarded as dirty, Mark Mellman defies the stereotype. Mr. Mellman, a top Democratic consultant and poll- ster, insists that his work for De- mocrat politicos — present clients include House Speaker Tom Fo- ley, D-Wash., Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt, D-Mo., and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. — is a natural extension of his Jewish commitment. Mr. Mellman got into the po- litical consulting business almost accidentally when a political un- known asked for help running against an incumbent congress- man. '1 was a grad student," he said recently, "and said, 'Sure, but rm going to charge you $2,000 to do it.' We won, it was a big upset — and the phone started ringing." At any given time, Mr. Mell- man and his staff work on six to eight statewide races and on a dozen or so congressional con- tests. Roughly half his business comes from candidates and half from business and issue-group clients. Contrary to the popular view of consultants as political hired guns who care only about a pay- check, Mr. Mellman works only for selected Democrats. "We need to like them on a per- sonal basis and agree with them on a political basis," he said. "A member [of Congress] called me several weeks ago — a leading anti-choice, anti-gun control ad- vocate. But he was too far from where we are and we told him no." That selectivity stems from viewing his political work as a natural extension of his Ortho- dox religious perspective. "I look at my Jewish commitments as a complete way of life that ought to inform everything I do," he said. "Pursuing justice and peace — these are mitzvot. We can do it privately through charity or through the public political process. I try to do both." He said that the Jewish com- munity, with its well-organized fund-raising and political action networks, is well positioned to take advantage of a rapidly changing political world. But Jewish leaders, he advised, need to be responsive to those changes. "By the time the next Congress sits down, we'll probably have more than half of the members elected in the 1990s," he said. "A lot of the old relationships and the old ways of doing things don't cut it in the new environment. As a community, we have to con- stantly reinvest in developing and deepening our relations with our representatives. We can't simply rely on old relationships to get us through." He admits that political con- sulting is a chancy business. His clients this year include Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Joel Hyatt, who is trying to suc- ceed his father-in-law, Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio. Both are in tough races. "Instability is a reality," he said. "In this business, you're only as good as your last election cycle." ❑ ews Germany Axes Two Judges Bonn (JTA) — In the wake of in- ternational outrage, two judges who gave a lenient sentence to an extremist right-wing leader and subsequently appeared to defend him were removed from the bench. In June, the judges found Gunter Deckert, chairman of the right-wing National Democrat- ic Party, guilty on charges of in- citing racial hatred. The court sentenced him to a one-year sus- pended sentence. The president of the court, Gunter Weber, sent a letter 'of apology to Mannheim's Jewish community. The explanation of the ruling triggered a chain of angry reac- tions from all parts of the politi- cal spectrum here, and was joined by sharp criticisms from Jewish leaders.