Headmaster as dreamer

At services this November Monday
morning, the headmaster, Rabbi
Daniel Lehmann, wearing tefillin and
following along in his Siddur, circu-
lates among the students.
A Yeshiva University-trained rabbi
who used to head Beth Tfiloh,
an Orthodox day school in
Baltimore, Lehmann is an
approachable man who lunches
regularly with students, stops
in the halls to chat and gets
excited trying to locate specific
passages in the Bible and
Talmud. His fans describe him
as a visionary and note that
while his religious background
brings the school credibility
within the Orthodox commu-
nity, his commitment to plural-
ism puts more liberal Jews at
ease as well.
Raised Conservative,
Lehmann, 36, says he has
never felt comfortable in
strictly denomi-
national envi-
ronments.
"Even in col-
lege when I was
doing outreach
work to univer-
sity students all
over the coun-
try, I didn't see
myself as bring-
ing Orthodoxy
to them. I saw
myself as trying to engage them in
serious conversations."
Lehmann sees New Jew as a "labo-
ratory" for American Jewish commu-
nal life.
"This was an opportunity to be
able to develop an educational envi-
ronment that could serve as a model
for the broader community with issues
of spirituality, Jewish education and
religious pluralism," he says.
New Jew President Linda Greenseid
describes Lehmann as "a dreamer
whose mind is constantly flowing with
innovative ideas that actually happen
and don't stay in the dream stage."
Monday's liberal minyan takes place
in the school library, its wooden
shelves still unvarnished and empty
save for a few volumes.
Before the Torah service, Rabbi Jeff
Foust, a rabbi with ties to both the
Reform and Conservative movements,
facilitates a discussion about the par-
sha. Girls and boys read the portion in
both Hebrew and English before pro-
ceeding with the rest of the service.

Headmaster Lehmann, noting that the
application process merely weeds out
"the small percentage of people who
won't be successful here.
"We're not trying to be exclusive,
but you have to be willing to go to
school from 8 to 5," says Lehmann.
Despite the daunting workload,
enrollment has far exceeded New Jew's
expectations.
"We started with a sense that if we
had 20 kids sign
up for the first
year that would be
viable, but got
over 50 kids and
now have 125
kids," says NJHS
Chair Bohnen.
"I'm fairly confi-
dent that in two to
three years, we'll
be at 200 to 250."
The board is
now discussing
whether to cap
enrollment at 250
and maintain the small atmos-
phere or keep growing and
educate all that are interested.
"There's an argument to be
made for capping to 250 and
an argument to go to 400,"
says Lehmann. "We have to
see if there's enough interest
and what are the educational
implications. The schools that
are similar to us in other cities
have about 300 students."
With 233,000 Jews,
Boston's Jewish population is
more than double Detroit's
96,000, but its Federation is
less generous in funding day
schools. Boston's Combined Jewish
Clockwise, from top left: work), but it's a
Philanthropies, which allocated
lengthier day than
$43,000 to New Jew this year, allocates
Talya Bock places the
at secular public
a total of $906,700 to day schools.
scrolls for the women's
and
private
schools.
The United Jewish Foundation of
Rosh Chodesh service.
Some New Jew
Metropolitan Detroit, the local
During the prayer service, students commute
Federation's real estate/banking arm,
Nathan Beit-Aharon
as much as an hour
awarded the Jewish Academy of
caught last night's "X-Files." He takes a moment to check
and a half each way
Metropolitan Detroit a $750,000 grant
on the action in the street. and many tack on
did and proceeds — sotto voce
over the next three years; Federation
— to provide an update.
Ilya Zaychik lays tefillin. electives, sports,
allocated $1,528,200 to Detroit's
lunch meetings and
Jewish
day schools for 1998-99.
Adina Schreiber prays in extra-curricular
Academic demands
While New Jew's tuition, at
the traditional service.
activities to the load.
$10,900, is higher than other area
At New Jew the teachers and stu-
"The
work
is
Headmaster
Rabbi
Jewish
day schools, it is lower than
dents are not just happy but star-
unbelievably
Daniel
Lehmann
calls
most
New
England prep schools. So
about
their
school,
tlingly glowing
for the students' attention. intense; it's really
far, the school has been able to pro-
with many commenting that it
hard," says sopho-
vide scholarships for all in need; some
feels like a large family. Students
more Nate Ciccolo.
40 percent of the students received a
interviewed were hard-pressed to
"It's a sacrifice to go here because you
total of more than $250,000 in
find criticisms, most concluding after
spend
so
much
time
doing
homework."
tuition assistance this year.
some contemplation that there might
The academic demands make New
be too much homework.
Jew students a self-selected group, says
ACADEMICS on page 10
The New Jew school day runs from

The range of Jewish observance
varies even within the room, with
some boys not wearing kippot and oth-
ers laying tefillin.
Of course, not everyone is paying
attention. A few teens are on the verge
of nodding off, and in the back of the
room, one girl asks her neighbor if he

8 to 5 and is filled with as many as
nine academic classes. Students get a
scant half hour for lunch and have
three hours of homework daily. That's
standard for a dual-curriculum Jewish
high school (Akiva Hebrew Day
School in Lathrup Village, Mich., runs
from 7:30-4 and secular principal
Rosalie Lake esti-
mates three hours
of student home-

11/2
199

Detroit Jewish News

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