Strategic Thinking
New committee on Jewish education is urged to be patient.
JULIE WIENER
aran-:n-- ina as well as fostering a sense of
Staff Writer
community and belonging. He theo-
rized that the reason Jewish camps, day
schools and Israel experiences have all
been powerful remedies for assimilation
is because they immerse youngsters in
Jewish life and build community.
Alliance members who spoke to
The Jewish News after the meeting
gave high marks to the speaker and
said they were excited about the new
committee's potential for revitalizing
Jewish education.
"It's an amazing group of people
and the meeting was very well attend-
ed," noted Steven Margolin, presi-
dent of Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit Executive
Director David Sorkin said he was
pleased to see so many players from
the community involved in the process
and found Ruskay's comments inspir-
ing. "He pointed our that Jewish edu-
0
n Tuesday, approximately 40
Jewish community leaders
met for the first time to
explore how Jewish educa-
tion can be improved in Detroit.
In what was the first of several brief-
ing sessions planned over the next two
months, members of the newly formed
Alliance for Jewish Education, a com-
mittee of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, listened to John
Ruskav of the UJA Federation of New
York speak on his community's recent
efforts to revitalize Jewish education.
According to Alliance members,
Ruskay urged Detroiters to develop a
strategic plan before moving forward
and encouraged patience, noting that
a central agency cannot enact revolu-
tionary changes overnight.
_ Ruskay also stressed the importance
of infusing Judaic content into pro-
cation isn't an activity or a program.
Its the creation of a Jewish community
within a community," he said.
Sorkin noted that he plans to apply
some of Ruskay's ideas toward improv-
ing the JCC's summer camp this year.
Led by AJE President Lynda Giles
and Robert Naftaly, the Alliance was
created this summer after outside eval-
uators reported widespread dissatisfac-
tion with the Agency for Jewish
Education and a "fuzziness" in the
community's overall planning for
Jewish education.
Alliance members were selected to
represent a broad cross-section of the
Jewish community.
The Alliance will eventually break
into working groups to develop a long-
range plan for all aspects of Jewish learn-
ing here. It also will oversee the AJE,
educational initiatives and the Jewish
Life Fund, a 525-million Federation-
inspired endowment for new initiatives
in Jewish education and culture. Li
The Alliance For Jewish Education
}Y.
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Downtown Birmingham
248.258.0212
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22 Detroit Jewish News
...11.1111 ■■■■■
Following are members of this new
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit committee, with their insti-
tutional affiliation, where available:
Co-chairs:
Lynda Giles, Agency for Jewish
Education (AJE) of Metropolitan
Detroit president, Federation; and
Robert Naftaly, Federation, immedi-
ate past president
Members:
Irwin Alterman, Federation; Jewish
Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit vice president
James M. August, Federation
Elissa Berg, chair of Jewish Educators
Council; Adat Shalom education
director
Rabbi Aaron Bergman, Congregation
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses
Mandell Berman, Federation
Douglas Bloom, Federation
Penny Blumenstein, Federation presi-
dent; United Jewish Foundation
Mark Canvasser
Rabbi Avi Cohen, Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah faculty; Partners in Torah
director
Barbara Cook, Federation Education
Division chair; United Jewish
Foundation
Harvey Finkelberg, Fresh Air Society
executive director
Joan Firestone, AJE
Robert J. Gordon, Federation
Nancy Grand, Federation; United
Jewish Foundation
Joseph Greenberg, AJE
Rabbi Irwin Groner, Congregation
Shaarev Zedek
Sharon Hart, United Jewish
Foundation; Jewish Community
Center; Jewish Academy of
Metropolitan Detroit (new high
school)
Arthur Horwitz, AJE
Judah Isaacs, AJE interim director
James L. Jonas, AJE
Norman D. Katz
Dr. Richard Krugel, Federation;
United Jewish Foundation Sharon
Lipton, Federation
Rabbi Harold Loss, Temple Israel
Paul Magy, Adat Shalom Synagogue
Steve Margolin, Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit president;
Federation
Bernard Mindell, AJE
Mitchell A. Mondry, Federation,
United Jewish Foundation
Allan Nachman, Federation, chair
I 998 Teen Mission 2 Israel; United
Jewish Foundation
Frances B. Pearlman, Temple Israel
education director
Jerome Schostak, Federation; United
Jewish Foundation
Rabbi Dannel Schwartz, Temple Shir
Shalom; Michigan Board of
Rabbis president
Milton Shiffiiian, Federation
Michaelyn Silverman, Temple
Emanu-El nursery school director
Robert Slatkin, United Jewish
Foundation president; Federation
David Sorkin, Jewish Community
Center executive director
Gary Torgow, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
president; Federation
Dorothy Wagner, Congregation
Shaarey- Zedek president
Rabbi Steven Weil, Young Israel of
Oak Park
Janis Wetsman