EDITOR'S WATCH

Agency for Jewish Education
Could Play Even Stronger Role

sure that Jewish education becomes a
here's an Agency for Jew-
communitywide priority."
ish Education in our
In the wake of increased assimila-
future. With Jewish edu-
tion,
we as a people must rethink
cation a key player in the
what
works in attracting the less-
search for Jewish continuity, there's
affiliated
to the chime of Jewish
clearly a need for an advocate
communal
life. We must be daring
agency.
enough
to
dream.
Dr. Lynda Giles, AJE's upbeat
And we can't discount
president, says the Detroit
the
impact of Jewish educa-
Jewish community ulti-
tion.
AJE Executive Com-
mately will be measured by
mittee member Gary Tor-
the vibrancy of its educa-
gow calls it "the No. 1
tional components at all
tool, proven by all statistics,
age levels.
for keeping Jews Jewish."
And she's right.
He said it's "very important
AJE, meanwhile, will be
for encouraging Jewish
judged by how adeptly it
awareness, continuity and
develops and delivers pro-
tradition."
grams and services.
ROBE RT A.
Torgow echoes Howard
Armed with a $1.57-mi1-
S KLAR
Gelberd, outgoing executive
lion operating budget, AJE
Ed' itor
director, who wrote in
is a constituent agency of
AJE's 1997-98 Annual
the Jewish Federation of
Report: "Ensuring the future of our
Metropolitan Detroit. Educational
people will mean giving our children
partners include the Jewish Commu-
the most compelling case for them
nity Center of Metropolitan Detroit.
to choose to be Jewish.
As a signal of its deepened com-
"The AJE has just completed a
mitment to education, Federation is
year of programs and services
poised to grant stipends to syna-
designed to assist our teachers, fami-
gogue schools, just as it does to day
lies, adults, teens and children to
schools. AJE's response should
grow Jewishly and radiate an excite-
include helping advance Jewish iden-
ment about being Jewish."
tity through its vision, programming
AJE won't name a new executive
and leadership.
director until after results of a Feder-
Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, executive
ation-commissioned evaluation of
director of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, an
AJE by Jewish Education Services of
AJE partner in education, percep-
North America (JESNA) are ana-
tively hopes "AJE and Federation
lyzed. Gelberd is leaving AJE after
work more closely together to make
six years for an educational post at

T

Radical Initiative
Is Defeated

o•

Americans can breathe a sigh of relief
that U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook's mislead-
ingly named "Religious Freedom
Amendment" [to permit prayer in
school] has been defeated.
The amendment would have done
considerable damage to the American
tradition of separation of church and
state, which has allowed so many
faiths. to flourish and thrive through-
out our history.
This radical initiative went down to
defeat thanks largely to the wisdom of
our founding fathers, who made it dif-
ficult — though not impossible — to
tamper with the Constitution and the
freedoms enshrined in the Bill of
Rights.
While the proposed amendment

did not muster the 2/3 majority neces-
sary for passage, the fact that more
than 50 percent of the U.S. House
voted in its favor is frightening. Of
local concern is that Representative
Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills,
voted for the amendment, notwith-
standing solid Jewish opposition and
strong opposition from much of the
religious leadership in his very diverse
district.
The future will no doubt bring
more attacks against the separation of
church and state. Americans who
cherish our tradition of religious liber-
ty must remain vigilant in the fight to
protect this most fundamental of free-
doms.
Donald H. Cohen
Director
Anti-Defamation League
/Michigan Region

By all accounts, AJE has the
the Stephen G. Wise Temple in Los
wherewithal to honor Gelberd's lega-
Angeles.
cy by becoming a national model for
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple
program development,
Israel credited Gelberd
educator recruitment,
with planting the concep-
Rabbi El i Mayerfeld teacher training and
tual seeds that led to the
of Yeshiva Beth Yehu- fund-raising.
Teen Mission to Israel and
dah, an AJE partner Who replaces Gelberd is
the March of the Living to
in eel ucation.
key. Says Yedwab, "Give
Poland. Yedwab called Gel-
me a superstar — one
berd "a superstar in bring-
dynamic person who can change the
ing new ideas to bear."
face of Jewish education profound-
AJE succeeded the United
ly."
Hebrew Schools in 1992. It sprouted
Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of
from a Federation-commissioned
Temple Shir Shalom praised Gelberd
study headed by Dr. Conrad Giles,
for bringing Jewish education to
Lynda's husband..

JAC Tries
To Educate

As the host of the Joint Action Com-
mittee for Political Affairs (JAC) cof-
fee Julie Edgar reported on in the
May 29 Jewish News, "A Power Pock-
et," I was very pleased with Ms.
Edgar's coverage of the scope of
JAC's political agenda and the
impact it has had on electoral poli-
tics at the federal level. Unfortunate-
ly, Ms. Edgar omitted an important
point.
While JAC depends on contribu-
tions from its members to advance its
agenda and support candidates for
federal office who are pro-Israel, pro-
choice and in favor of an absolute sep-
aration of church and state, we don't
just ask people to write checks. We

also strive to educate our members
about current legislation and key
political races, and we encourage them
to get involved at the grass roots level
to lobby members of Congress.
Abbe H. Sherbin
West Bloomfield

Letters' Claims
Are Questioned

Your May 29 issue includes two let-
ters in answer to the article on Ze'ev
Chafets ("Bitter Winds" May 22).
Unfortunately, letters of this type
from Orthodox sources have become
all too common. Let's look at the
claims of these letters.
One asks "why air such divisions
among our people?" Well, why not?
After all, these divisions are real.

6/12
1998

33