don't have a wait list and we'd hope to
help the families from the JCC" —
should they choose to call the temple.
Cong. Beth Shalom in Oak Park
plans to start a nursery school in the
fall; it's not known if younger-aged
children will be served.
The JCC's other child development
program, at the D. Dan & Betty Kahn
Building in West Bloomfield, has more
than 250 children. Officials say that it
could accommodate any JPM families
who want to switch after July 1.
But "that's not satisfactory," said
Lauren Hirsch, who needs infant care
for her 7-and-a-half-month-old
daughter Alyssa. "We live in
Huntington Woods, I work in Troy
and my husband works at 12 Mile
Road and Northwestern Highway.
Business doesn't take us to Maple-
Drake, not even occasionally.
"We're looking to switch to an in-
home care situation," said Hirsch,
who spent the day after she heard the
news scrambling to try and get care
for her daughter lined up. "Would
that have been my first choice a year
ago? Probably not."
The JCC board approved the clos-
ing at its March 17 meeting, but
according to Sorkin, the decision was
two or three years in the making.
While the agency did not announce
publicly that it was considering a shut-
down, he said, all of its committees
have been involved.
Miriam Bergman, who chairs the
JCC board's childhood development
committee, noted that her committee,
along with the finance and budget
committee, made the recommenda-
tion to the board of directors to end
the JPM programs.
The 10 JCC staff members that work
in the programs, including JPM coordi-
nator Dee Lewin, are being offered the
opportunity to transfer to the child-care
service at the Kahn Building.
Some parents said they would try
to get the decision reversed.
Mark Israel, for example, said he
has been loyal to the programs over
the years, with one child already grad-
uated, one currently enrolled and two
more who would have started in the
fall. "I've never had to research anoth-
er program," he said, even at Temple
Beth El in Bloomfield Township,
where his family are members.
He has started writing letters to
JCC leadership, trying to get them to
reconsider.
"I'm trying to find out why this was
axed instead of something else," he
said. "I would think they would take
ds as high priorities." ri

Please join us in supporting the children
of Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem as we honor

PHIL

and

IRENE ELKUS

Tuesday, May 4, 1999

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

Oak Park, Michigan

The SOreereljS

6:00 Pin.

For more information
call Doris Blechman
at (248) 737-6954

Supper

Vollowed by a special

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7.30 pm.

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26618 Southfield Rd. • Visit Our Showroom, 2 Blocks South of 1-696 • Lathrup Village • (248) 424-7300

3/26
1999

Detroit Jewish News

7

