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Sally Allan Alexander Beth Jacob
seniors before the local convention
in Oak Park. Top row: Sara Feiga
Gliksberg and Leah Mondroe,
both of Oak Park; Tikva
Feigelman and Naomi Gotlib,
both of Southfield; and Sara
Kaplan of Oak Park. Second row:
Jennifer Stern, Shoshana
Kuper-man, Sara Frayda Gasner,
Tzipporah Pirutinsky and Esther
Se mar, all of Oak Park. Third
row: Chana Gittel Rothstein,
Adele Jundef, Dennie Nachlas,
Bracha Baum and Deenie
Gottlieb, all of Oak Park. Bottom
row: Shevy Blitz of Southfield,
Batsheva Roberg of Oak Park,
Ahuvah Weingarden of Southfield
and Shoshana Rose of West
Bloomfield.

earning Togeth

Beth Jacob girls, 600 strong, assemble for study, inspiration and fun.

SUSAN TAWIL
Special to the Jewish News

he 41st Beth Jacob
convention was in
town Nov. 11-14,
bringing together 600
high school students from 52
Orthodox girls' schools across
North America. The Sally Allen
Alexander Beth Jacob School for
Girls in Oak Park, a division of
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, was the
high-energy headquarters for
Divrei Torah workshops, choir
and drama performances,
singing, dancing and sharing
friendship.

The convention was the brain-
child of the late Rabbi Shalom
Goldstein, past principal of the
local Beth Jacob. The
educator felt it was
important to bring
together girls from
across the country —
to deepen their appre-
ciation for their educa-
tional experience and
to give each other
chizuk (inspiration and strength).
These goals were especially
important when Detroit's
Orthodox community was small.
It remains important today for
girls from smaller Jewish commu-

nities outside New York.
"It's the most wonderful thing
to see all these girls here, to see
so many girls like
you," said Adina
Goldwasser, a senior at
Beth Jacob in Miami.
Classmate Malka Leah
Gibber agreed: I t
gives you a lot of
strength and support."
Four girls attending
the convention flew in from the
former Soviet Union. Sara Meta
Baum, a local Beth Jacob teacher
who formerly taught in Kiev,
invited them. Aviva Alperina of
the Ohr Somayach school in

‘'w

Odessa was inspired to see "so
many Jewish girls together." Said
Esther Medovaya, a 10th-grader
at the Jewish School for Girls in
Kiev: "The girls are so friendly
— its beautiful!"
Detroit hosts the convention
every fifth year, rotating with
Montreal, Toronto, Baltimore
and Cleveland. Schools from host
cities send about 20 delegates;
other schools send about 10.
Preparation began last spring
with "convention tension," as the
girls called it. Planning intensi-
fied when school began in the
fall.. Local Beth Jacob students
split into committees to share

