In Jewish Education
NATIONAL ROLE
from page 59
"We need to inspire more teenagers to
study beyond their bar and bat mitzvah
so that they have a better understanding
of what it means to be Jewish before
they ever get to college," Naftaly said.
The range is broad, he said, because
" we need to have many entry and rein-
forcement points along the way. There
),
are no silver bullets.
The "family" represents the founda- •
tion for the national models that Naftaly
describes. "The family is crucial to sus-
taining a community of Jews and spread-
ing the answer to why be Jewish," he
said.
The bedrock of that foundation is
Detroit's five day schools, 17 congrega-
tional and supplemental schools, and
many adult education programs.
During Naftaly's presidency a year
ago, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, in response to a
broadly critical report of the Agency For
ity to attract money
Jewish Education, cre-
and do the kind of
ated a new board for
programming it
planning and evalua-
needed would be
tion: the Alliance For
strengthened
by
Jewish Education. The
linking up directly
AJE is an umbrella ser-
with Federation. It
vice that funnels pro-
was a gutsy move on
gramming and support
her part but she got
to individual schools,
her board to under-
congregations and
stand."
other groups.
The alliance has
Naftaly said he's
spent
its first year
gratified that individ-
Robert Naftaly: "There are no silver
educating its 80
ual egos were cast aside bullets."
members. Several
for the sake of the larg-
work groups are expected to reconvene
er community. He traced the bonding
in the fall. "We need to understand
between the two AJEs to Lynda Giles,
what's
going on nationally," Naftaly said.
his co-chair on the alliance and immedi-
But
in
the end, its a local issue."
ate past president of the AJE.
Collectively, Detroit's day schools
"When Federation moved the AJE
enroll more than 2,000 students.
under the alliance's wing last summer,
Federation has boosted this year's Allied
Lynda showed great leadership. She. had
the foresight to see that the agency's abil- Jewish Campaign day-school allocation
by $172,000 to S1.7 million.
The Campaign's scholarship funding
for congregational schools, serving more
than 5,000 students, remains at
$300,000 this year. But Federation pre-
viously ticketed $1.25 million over five
years from the United Jewish
Foundation to fund more congregation-
al and day school scholarships, more
classroom equipment and offerings, and
more Jewish education and Jewish life
programs.
Meanwhile, Federation and the
Foundation are midway into a $50-mi1-
lion millennium campaign to improve
facilities and enrich programming at the
Jewish Community Center and to
endow a Jewish Life Fund for a range of
Jewish life experiences, including stu-
dent scholarships and student travel to
Israel. Several million-dollar-plus dona-
tions from local philanthropists under-
score the depth of support for the mil-
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Congregation
Shaarev Zedek
Southfield
8/6
1999
64 Detroit Jewish News
Congregation Shaarey
Zedek B'nai Israel
Eugene & Marcia
Applebaum •
Jewish Parenting Center
West Bloomfield
Ire ing & Beverly Laker
Education and Youth
Complex
West Bloomfield
4
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7
•
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