The Jose Hess
Diamond
Engagement
Ring.
SCHOOL page 15
sage, and offer thoughts of
their own. It is, after all, dif-
ficult to goof off when your
teacher is an arm's length
away.
But Zachary tries, using
his kippah during the les-
son as a lasso, a mask and
a canvas. Still, when he is
called upon, he reads from
the textbook like a dream,
and smartly answers the
teacher's questions.
"Just when I think he
isn't listening, he will re-
peat back to me the last
four or five sentences that
I said," Ms. Schreiber said.
"He processes information
really well, even through
the goofiness." As the class
breaks into smaller groups,
Ms. Schreiber meets with
each student to work on his Isabel Dmitruk, 11, helps Zachary Beebe, 6, with a lesson.
or her Hebrew.
Jordy Rossen, normally
As the session ends, the group spark ofJewishness that is in all
one of the better readers, is having sings in unison through several these kids," Ms. Schreiber said
a tough time of it this morning.
prayers. They compete to answer as they departed. "At some
"Your reading is awful today," the teacher's questions, and then point, the need to express their
Ms. Schreiber gently chides him. cheerfully wish each other well souls comes into action. And this
"I don't know why. Last week when class breaks.
seems to be the place for them
you were so good."
"What interests me is the to do it."
`,.
4C's; Cut, Color, Clarity and
Carat Weight - Your guide
to diamond quality.
,
\, too'
Fine Jewelets
Nfr
C
❑
Est. 1919
ACLU Advocate Learns
From Volunteer Work
30400 Telegraph Road
Suite 134
Bingham Farms
(810) 642.5575
© Jose Hess Inc.
,Vifire I 9 / 9
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
S
nflicki9an
recycles
aerosols
Recycle empty aerosol cans along with
other steel cans.
A Message From The Michigan Department Of Agriculture
.
ometimes life experiences
prove to be the best train-
ing ground for future en-
deavors.
This turned out to be true for
Birmingham resident Wendy Wa-
genheim, now the legislative af-
fairs director for the American
Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
Ms. Wagenheim, whose formal
education and work experience
is in rehabilitation counseling,
began lobbying for the ACLU ear-
lier this month after a 2 1/2-year
stint of volunteer lobbying for the
National Council of Jewish
Women, Greater Detroit Section.
"The more I did, the more I
learned," Ms. Wagenheim said.
Judy Rosenberg, the president
of Detroit's NCJW, said Ms. Wa-
genheim was very inexperienced
when she first started her vol-
unteer work as state public-af-
fairs chair.
"She was, however, very en-
thusiastic," Ms. Rosenberg said.
"She jumped right in and did her
homework. And, although she
was nervous at first, she did what
she needed to do until she be-
came quite comfortable with it."
Some of her know-how for lob-
bying came from NCJW work-
shops and training sessions. The
majority, however, came from her
experiences and watching the
techniques of others.
Political activity was never a
new concept to Ms. Wagenheim.
She describes herself as someone
who has always been politically
minded and issue oriented.
As a parent of two children in
the Birmingham School District,
Ms. Wagenheim became active
in her local schools. She serves
on the sex-education advisory
council and acts as a parent rep-
resentative on the staff develop-
ment advisory council.
When Ms. Wagenheim moved
from the local to the state politi-
cal arena, she began testifying in
Lansing. There, one of her biggest
challenges was overcoming her
fear of speaking before House
and Senate committees.
"Although nervous
at first, she did what
she needed to do."
"I got over those fears by get-
ting over my feeling that they
(senators and representatives)
were omnipotent," Ms. Wagen-
heim said. "They can only repre-
sent you if you tell them how you
want to be represented."
In addition to testifying, Ms.
Wagenheim meets with legisla-
tors to make sure they know the
ramifications of the language in
certain pieces of legislation.
"They don't always see it," she
said. "And often, they're open to
listening."
One of the biggest differences
between her volunteer work with
NCJW and her job with the
ACLU is the contrast in issues.
As the NCJW state public-af-
fairs chairperson, she lobbied the
state Legislature and sometimes
the U.S. Congress on welfare re-
form, abortion, church-state is-
sues and public education. The
ACLU agenda, while similar to
NCJW's, is broader.
Her professional responsibili-
ties now have her watching wel-
fare reform, court restructuring
and education reform.
Howard Simon, the Detroit di-
rector of the ACLU, described
Ms. Wagenheim as passionately
committed.
"If we're going to be effective
in lobbying for the Bill of Rights,
we need to do some of same
things she did with NCJW, that
is to mobilize our membership by
working at the grass-roots level,"
Mr. Simon said.
"'The biggest difference between
working for the ACLU and (volun-
teering) for NCJW is the recogni-
tion the ACLU carries in Lansing,"
Ms. Wagenheirn said. "Although
we built some name recognition
with NCJW in Lansing, I would
still. get, Who's that?' When I tell
people I'm from the ACLU, I don't
get a Who's that?' " ❑
C