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The Anti-Defamation League

requests the pleasure of your company

Footing The Bill

as we pay tribute to

Richard H. Lobenthal

Champion of Liberty

Gala Reception

Tuesday, October 29, 1996

6:00 p.m.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
273 75 Bell Road
Southfield

Officials continue to piece together the impact of
welfare reform on immigrants.

JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER

L

ike Jews flocking to services
for the High Holidays, new
Americans are emerging
from the proverbial wood-
work to attend English-as-a-sec-
ond-language (ESL) classes while
they still can.
A lack of English skills is the
one barrier that will prevent
many new Americans, particu-
larly senior citizens, from at-
taining U.S. citizenship. Without
citizenship, many of their welfare
benefits will be cut or severely
limited.
In an arena that's changing so
quickly, no one knows what is
happening from one minute to
the next. One thing officials at
Jewish Family Service and the
Jewish Federation of Metropoli-
tan Detroit do know is that the
community needs to implement
a plan to pick up the slack. Still,
nothing is for certain until the
state spells out its plan to spend
federal block grant dollars.
"There are no simple answers,"
said Margarete Gravina, the di-
rector of communications with
the Michigan Family Indepen-
dence Agency. "Right now we are
trying to determine how many

enough English to pass the citi-
zenship test."
Most legal immigrants are not O=',
waiting to see what happens.
That is apparent at ESL classes
held at the Jewish Community
Center in Oak Park. There, class-
es are filled to capacity with most-
ly seniors who need their
citizenship to retain benefits.
Joanna Berger, the director of
the English language depart-
ment at the Center and a full-
time ESL teacher, said people are
terrified they are going to lose
their benefits. The classes, which
have been cut in number but
have seen an increase in stu-
dents, began earlier this month.
Class sizes became so large, a cap
had to be placed on the number
of students allowed into each
class.
Despite state cuts in ESL fund-
ing, students will be allowed to
attend classes without paying
through May, when classes end.
However, this year, students
are only allowed 450 hours of
state-funded English instruction.
Previously, there was no cap on
hours as long as classes had
space. Beyond the allotted hours,

Tribute Chairs

Anthony M. Franco
Frank D. Stella

Alfred R. Glancy III
Barbara Stollman

Arthur L. Johnson
Joel Tauber

PHOTO BY DANIE

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or tickets call

(810) 355-3730

Deadline October 4

THE DETROIT J EWI SH NEWS

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,Anti-Defamation tkague ®

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people will be affected. All we tuition will be charged.
"The good news out of all this,
have at this point are rough es-
and this is what I keep telling my
timates."
Ms. Gravina said the state is students, is at least we have a
considering the feasibility of con- program [through May] that the
tinuing to help legal immigrants Jewish Federation doesn't have
to fund," Ms. Berger
who are on Aid to Fami-
said. "Three months ago
lies with Dependent Chil-
ESL stud ents Anna
dren. It is also unclear Potasha enskaya, we thought there wasn't
what will happen to indi- Bella K ogan and going to be a program at
al s on Supplemental Tsilya Gi melshteyn. all. At least we bought
another year."
Security Income. Howev-
To help those eligible
er, the state does have a
disability assistance program for naturalization attain the skills
that some individuals may qual- needed to pass the citizenship
test, Resettlement Service at
ify for, Ms. Gravina said.
"We will do everything we can Jewish Family Service will begin
to find a way to help people," she offering an eight-week citizen-
said. "We are particularly con- ship preparatory class for those
cerned about the elderly, espe- who have been here for at least
cially those who don't speak five years, the requirement to