Making A Difference

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A local teacher revives an Anti-Defamation League program that aims to prevent bigotry.

LONNY GOLDSMITH
St4fTWriter

n 1985, the Boston office of the
Anti-Defamation League began
the World of Difference Insti-
tute. Two years later, Detroit
followed as the second city to start the
project.
But grants ran out in 1993, forcing
the ADL to charge schools for the
program. And even though it's been
up and running since then, the World
of Difference Institute has been in low
gear.
Until now.
Deena Lockman, a fifth-grade
teacher in Royal Oak and an ADL
board member, has been hired to lead
its revival.
"This is one of the proactive arms
of the ADL," she said. "We don't try
to fix the disorder but get to it before
it starts."
At the heart of the project is a pro-
gram called "A Classroom of Differ-

I

ence," which develops discussions of
diversity with students from kinder-
garten to 12th grade. Workshops also
have been developed for teachers, sup-
port staff and administrators.
Thus far, Lockman and Sheri
Schiff, one of the trainers, have con-
ducted the six-hour programs at West
Hills Middle School in Bloomfield
Hills and at Hamtramck High School.
The Kentwood School District, near
Grand Rapids, previously used the
program, and has now institutional-
ized diversity training, making it
mandatory for all employees, from
teachers to bus drivers.
At West Hills, "We had been talk-
ing about doing it for a few months
by the time we had made the decision
to go ahead," said Principal Ed Bret-
zloff. "The responses we got were gen-
erally positive — it was well-designed
and constructive."
There were 40 students and 10 adults
from West Hills who participated.
"The schools identify student lead-

Deena Lockman: Providing a head
start against racism.

ers, and those kids we train will teach
other students," Lockman said. "I've

been surprised with the sophistication
of the students so far. They have
brought an understanding to what
prejudice and stereotyping means."
West Hills began picking its stu-
dents from the student council
because of their leadership qualities
and ethnic diversity.
One of the issues Lockman faces,
however, is the lack of trainers. Schiff
has been conducting the training for
students since the program originally
started, and Lockman completed a
training course in Los Angeles.
"The role of trainer will be on a
free-lance basis," Lockman said.
"When sessions are scheduled, we will
let people know when they're needed."
The cost of the Institute is $1,200
for a school, which includes two train-
ers, materials and research.
A potential funding source is the
Jewish Fund, established following the
sale of Sinai Hospital in January 1997,
Lockman said. She is planning a course
for prospective trainers in May.

❑

A Passion For The Past

Local history buff Larry Wallach displays his collection of World War I items.

JULIE WIENER
Staff Writer

Gilbert's The First World War is his
favorite — and collected a basement
full of memorabilia from both world
wars, all carefully stored in boxes and
plastic to shield them from the dam-
aging effects of time and light.
Many of these items — which
Wallach has gathered through flea

arry Wallach grew up inti-
mately familiar with World
War II and its conse-
quences.
The son of a Holocaust survivor,
Wallach's childhood history
lessons at the knee of his
mother and her European
friends sparked his desire to
learn more about the global
circumstances leading to their
plight.
Eventually, that led him to
the conflict that set the stage:
World War I. Although he has
never visited Europe, Wallach,
a West Bloomfield attorney,
has turned the continent's
modern history into an avoca-
tion. He has devoured more
than 30 books about World
Larry Wallach with a World War I uniform.
War I alone — Martin

L

market searches and word-of-mouth
— are currently on display at the
Rochester Hills Public Library in an
exhibit Wallach designed to com-
memorate the 80th anniversary of
WWI's end. The exhibit focuses on
the United States' role, something
Wallach feels the world never fully
,9 recognized.
"We turned the tide for the
= British and French, but neither
ever appreciated our role," he
said. He notes that what was
t referred to at the time as "the
war to end all wars" was piv-
otal, not only because it led to
WWII, but because it pio-
neered many warfare tech-
niques still in use, such as air-
planes, modern artillery and
poison gas.
The exhibit includes pho-
tographs, souvenirs that Amer-
ican soldiers sent home from
Paris, uniforms, a soldier's mess

o

kit and examples of wartime propa-
ganda.
"I've been able to pick up this stuff
and link it together to tell a story,"
Wallach said.
This is not the first exhibit for
Wallach, who serves on the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan's advi-
sory board. He has displayed other
war items in libraries throughout
Oakland County, and helped organize
the Jewish Community Center's
WWII anniversary exhibit.
The next project: an exhibit on the
Jewish experience in WWI. According
to Wallach, Jews comprised six per-
cent of the American soldiers in the
war, sending 2,000 troops from
Michigan alone. ❑

Wallach's exhibit is at the
Rochester Hills Public Library
(500 Old ToWn Road) through
March 31. Call, (248) 656-2900,
for hours.

3/20
1998