vva li,c
he
We
Learn
lennium campaign.
Whether to send a child to a day or
congregational school should be based
on desire, not finances, Naftaly said.
"My sense is that \ve should be doing
more to assure a Jewish education is
there for every child."
.
Which is why Federation has upped
its ante to congregational schools by
$390,000 to $500,000 and has kicked
in an additional $550,000 to upgrade
classroom computers in all congrega-
tional and day schools, including Web
site capability.
Endowed gifts would fund the
national models that Naftaly envisions.
"We need endowments to ensure the
education of our families for the long
term.
N-
Jewish education
has got to start
long before
college.
Education is riot a thing, like a room
or a tree. "There are many components
to ir," Naftaly said. ''We must do a bet-
ter job explaining why it's important to
fund a program paying for Hillel direc-
tors' salaries or youth advisers' salaries or
•preschool activities — things you can't
touch like a building or a tree.
"As a communiry," he said, "we need
to sit down with Federation leadership
and say, He in addition to sending
money to Israel and funding local ser-
vices, education also is important, and
we need your help in finding it.'
"But we need the right road map,
one that doesn't look just to the
Campaign but also to donors who want
to set up endowments ro help fund the
. future of the Jewish community"
Naftaly discounts the skeptics who
claim that the forces of assimilation and
intermarriage have intertwined to
diminish Jewish identity forever.
Without missing a beat, and with an eye
always on the rhythms of Detroit's
Jewish community of 96,000, he said:
"Our model for the future will show
that when a community works together,
it can make things better."
To fill reaching positions, he said,
Detroit needs to develop closer ties to
the Conservative movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary, the Reform
movement's Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of Religion, the
Orthodox yeshivas and the University of
Judaism in Los Angeles. "If we don't do
our part to help these schools recruit
rabbis and teachers who make their
children of many different faiths. And
students, we shouldn't expect others to,
classes available, but who are perceived
together, they can learn about the evils
he said.
to be limited in availability to their con-
of inhumanity and atrocities."
Naftaly envisions optional accredita-
gregants or groups.
As for Middle East studies, he said,
tion of day and congregational schools
We also need focus groups to make
one person's balance isn't necessarily
here — but down the road. "It's being
sure we're hitting all areas of interest,
another's. So in the public schools, it
done effectively in Los Angeles but
and sufficiently We've got a lot of pro-
would be more difficult to get the story
don't see us 0
going
gramming out there, but is it the right
0 there in the short
out. Nonetheless, the history of the
term. It's not so simple to have a stan-
programming and the right amount?"
birth of Israel is a great story. Told cor-
dardized program for accreditation. But
Turning to the public schools,
rectly, it could be a positive thing for the
it's worth noting that all of the elements
Naftaly said he believes Holocaust stud-
general community
we want to address — curriculum quali-
ies are important. "We not only can
"So yes, the Jewish community
ty, staff professionalism, reacher training
touch Jewish children there, but also
should do what it can, through Jewish
— are elements of accredi-
school board members and
tation. -
Jewish educators and activists, to
Jewish education has
raise our voices and attempt to
got to start long before
make sure our viewpoint is
college. "You can't expect
heard."
ISAAC LAKRITZ -
young people without a
• Synagogue 2000, a national
Special to the Jewish News
Jewish education, or only
outreach that's geared to energiz-
a couple years, to go, off to
ing shuts of the 21st century, pro-
f I were in charge of the Jewish community's alloca-
college, face anti-Semitism
vided the impetus for the nation-
tions, I would introduce one element that is hereto-
and other cultures, and
al models that the Alliance For
fore non-existent in Jewish affairs — competition.
know how to respond,"
Jewish Education hopes to create.
Such benign rivalry is part of our daily lives, an
Naftaly said. "They need
"It's a way to-tie the Jewish com-
aspect of our society with which we are all familiar, one
to be grounded in what it
munity to our synagogues and
that we constantly take advantage of both as consumer and
means to be Jewish."
create a climate and a culture for
entrepreneur, and something that most of us believe helps
Unfortunately, he said,
change," Naftaly said.
to insure that excellence prevails.
we don't centrally track
He sees the outreach tapping
Why not apply the same considerations to Jewish educa-
kids who drop out after
not only seminaries but also 20
tion? Rather than providing carte blanche to programs that
their bar or bat mitzvah or
affiliated synagogues around the
have provided minimal effectiveness for decades, I would
teens who go on to youth
country as well as rabbis and lay
provide funding only for formal (full- or part-time schools)
group. "We need to do a
leaders here. "Imagine the collec-
or informal (youth groups, Israel experiences, camping
better job of knowing
tive wisdom," he said. "That
experiences) educational programs that would be able to
what happens along the
would help us build exciting
meet specific, objective criteria.
/3
way: Some synagogues
models for the country
These criteria include scholastic achievement, level of
track this, but there's no
At the moment, the Alliance
participation/membership, ability to retain enrollees/mem-
central clearinghouse."
for Jewish Education has more
bers/students who maintain connection with the commu-
Campus Hillels are
questions than answers. But, said
nity, etc. Just as formal educational attainments can be
part of the educational
Naftaly, Federation President
quantified, it would be possible to creatively develop crite-
spectrum — but only a
Penny Blumenstein and Executive
ria that measure the effectiveness of programs that serve the
part, Naftaly said. "The
Vice
President Robert Aronson
community's goals of continuity, education and involve-
stronger a person's Jewish
are supportive, which gives us
ment.
education, and how pleas-
the backbone we need. Beyond
I would also massively redirect funds so Jewish persons,
ant and uplifting it was,
that, the Jewish Life Fund (half of
from preschool through college age, could avail themselves
the more likely it is that
the $50-million millennium cam-
of educational programs at no charge. Both academic stud-
he or she will feel good
paign) clearly is being put into
ies as well as practical experience in communities of various
about being Jewish and
place to address the very issues we
sizes have shown that decreasing the costs of such programs
will seek out Jewish expe-
are dealing with."
dramatically increases participation. No cost" means just
riences throughout life."
Setting priorities will play a
that: zero dollars.
On the heels of the
crucial
role. "We're only limited
It is not a question of affordability. Western Jewry com-
popular Seminars for
by the limits we set for ourselves,"
prises the most affluent Jewish community in history.
Adult Jewish Enrichment
Naftaly said.
It is one of accessibility. If we want to put into practice
program at the Jewish
Willing to take calculated
what our professional and lay leadership espouse ad infini-
Community Center of
risks, Naftaly isn't concerned
tum, we need to market our "educational products" to as
Metropolitan Detroit last
about impediments.
large an audience as possible. How? Every seller knows the
winter, Naftaly sees better
As he put it:
answer — lower the price!
promotion and marketing
"If we stay with the alliance s
In case anyone doubts that we have the means to
in the cards for adult edu-,
vision, devise a long-range plan
accomplish this, we need only calculate the tens of millions
cation.
and raise our voices, we'll have a
of dollars that this community has spent on its buildings
"So many people aren't
tremendous opportunity to build
and facilities. Isn't it time that the programs that take place
taking advantage of what's
Jewish identity through Jewish
in those edifices are as ornate and have the same level of
already available, and not
education in a very big way.
financial support? Li
just through SAJE," he
"I'm still the optimist."I I
said. "There's a tremen-
Isaac Lakritz of West Bloomfield is a former Jewish com-
dous amount of adult pro-
munal professional.
grammin g, with talented
"
"
Rethinking Allocations
l
'
8/6
1 999
Detroit Jewish News
65