New equipment:Useful for basic and advanced science classes.
he stereotype is that Orthodox Jewish
girls' schools do little more than turn out
Jewish wives and mothers.
But the reality at the Sally Allan Alexan-
der Beth Jacob School for Girls in Oak Park
— whose graduates can be found in the
medical and science professions — is con-
siderably different.
--- And with its brand-new science labora-
tory ready for action, the almost 400-student school
— which is the girls' branch of Yeshiva Beth Yehu-
dah — will be expanding its science offerings, mak-
ing learning more hands-on, and working to get
girls interested in science at a young age.
Funded with an endowment by the Meer fam-
ily, the lab's 12 work stations and demonstration
table accommodate 24 students. Facilities include
sinks, bunsen burners, microscopes, optical equip-
ment and a full supply of chemicals.
According to Rabbi Nathaniel Lauer, Beth Ja-
cob's educational director, lab work will now be in-
tegrated into the science curriculum for all 12
grades. "Now, every class of science will have com-
plete lab availability," he said.
In fact, the school deliberately purchased equip-
ment that would be useful both for basic and ad-
vanced science. For example, the new microscopes
were chosen because they are sturdy enough for
use by a first-grader, but powerful enough for a
high school biology student.
"The effect on the curriculum we hope will be
massive," said Yehudis Rabinowitz, who has
taught junior high science at Beth Jacob for 10
years. Along with the school's other science teach-
ers and Yeshiva Beth Yehudah's board of direc-
tors, Rabinowitz played an active role in the
year-long process of plarming the new facility.
Orthodox herself, Rabinowitz believes Beth Ja-
cob's emphasis on science education counters mis-
conceptions about both girls and Orthodox Jews.
`There is still a kind of tendency to think that
Beth Jacob unveils its fully
equipped science lab and a
revamped curriculum.
JULIE WIENER STAFF WRITER
Science teachers Yehudis Rabinowitz and Sharon Smith show off Beth Jacob's new lab.
girls don't do well in science, but studies have found
that in all-girl schools girls tend to thrive and
really enjoy science," she said.
"There has been a stereotype in the past that
Orthodox people are not interested in science," she
added. "The truth is, I can't think of many more
Orthodox subjects to study than science. An ex-
cellent way to understand the Creator of the uni-
verse is to understand the universe."
Beth Jacob's high school science offerings in-
clude biology, chemistry and physiology, said Ra-
binowitz. While physics is not available now, it has
been offered in the past and may be offered again
in the future, she said.
Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, executive director of Yeshi-
va Beth Yehudah, would not disclose information
about the Meer family, the size of their gift or the
total cost of the lab, saying only that the Meers
have children who are Beth Jacob graduates and
grandchildren who currently attend the school.
Although there have been no studies tracking
graduates of Beth Jacob, Rabbi Mayerfeld —
whose own children's pediatrician is a Beth Jacob
graduate — says anecdotal evidence points to a
large number of Beth Jacob alumni employed in
professional jobs and remaining involved in De-
troit's Jewish community.
`The majority of our girls do not pursue extended
college education, but many do pursue further ed-
ucation," said Rabinowitz. 'The truth is, in today's
world it's very hard for a family to get along on one
income, and [the girls] do need to have marketable
skills."