HEBREW FREE LOAN
is moving on December 28
to the
and get high school credit," Caroline
said. "They have to ask themselves: Am
I going to take English literature or the
history of my people?'"
This class is not the only choice
for teens wanting to enrich their
Jewish knowledge. Synagogues offer
post-b'nai mitzvah classes, and
NCSY, an Orthodox-sponsored
youth group, long has provided
enrichment courses in Jewish sub-
jects.
What makes the new class different is
its intensity.
"I had been at Hillel Day School,
so when I started taking Hebrew
school courses elsewhere, they were
not at a high enough level," said Rivka
Garver, 16, a junior at Andover High
School. She called this class more in-
depth."
Another MJI student, Andover
junior Jackie Goldis, 16, said her inter-
est in Jewish history had been sparked
by her participation in last year's
March of the Living to Poland and
Israel, where she got to know the rab-
bis teaching the course.
"I think both are very good teachers,"
Goldis said. "This is a good opportunity
to prepare for the future, by teaching us
the roots of how we live now
Aliyana Traison, 17, a senior at West
Bloomfield High School, said she found
out about this course by taking another
NCSY-based course last year.
"That one was more discussion-
based," she said. "Here, I feel I'm really
Jewish Federation Building
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 140
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
Phone: (248) 723-8184
We will re-open for business
•
in our new location
on January 4, 2000
HFLA
Den.,
ink
Wift
1111111111
1
•
)All Spruced Up At The VanderBear Lodge
Complete
Selection of
Muffy
VanderDear®
& Family, Plus
Accessories...For
Child's Play or a
Collectors heart!
°
r
Mon., Tue., Wed. & Sat. 10-6
Thur. & Fri. 10-8 • Sun. 12-4
SOLDIER
Check us out! Toy-shoppe.com
Same great selection, never closed!
4a.vosm:Am
41o,
mks'b,t Seh4.*
„
„.<
up to 75% OFF
Dresses - Suits - Coats - Shirts - Slacks - Sweaters
Women's sizes 2-14
COMPLAISANT
Bloomfield Plaza (next to Deli Unique)
48-855-6566
;;711:9
..
gR,;"
a.
4 W1
12/24
1999
38
8
adding to my knowledge." Rabbi Burg
said NCSY's other offerings include a
class for younger children at
Congregation B'nai David as well as
theWednesday night Latte and
Learning, which takes place at a local
Starbucks coffeehouse.
"We were looking for incentives for
students to take our classes, so we got
together with MJI," Rabbi Burg said.
"They had the college accreditation and
we had the kids. So it's a great course
born out of a partnership between two
great organizations." 1-1
For information about high school
courses offered by Michigan Jewish
Institute/National Conference of
Synagogue Youth, call Rabbi Steven
Burg, at (248) 557-NCSY, or Ari
Caroline, at (248) 414-6900.
Michigan Jewish Institute
Bestows Four-year Degrees
3947 W. 12 Mile Rd. • Berkley
(248) 543-3115
SHOP
Jackie Goldis and Rivka Garver, students
in the Jewish history survey course offered
by the Michigan Jewish Institute, confer
with teacher Rabbi Steven Burg.
W. `
ounded in 1994, the
Michigan Jewish Institute is a
four-year college granting
bachelor's degrees in comput-
er information systems, business infor-
mation systems and education. It is
sponsored by the Chabad-Lubavitch
organization.
The school, which this year has about
150 students, offers a full curriculum of
humanities and science. Classes general-
ly meet at night to accommodate stu-
dents and teachers, most of whom have
day jobs.
Along with technical and traditional
college offerings, students can take
courses in Talmudic law, Judaic studies,
English as a Second Language and other
subjects especially suited for a student
body that consists largely of fervently '
Orthodox Jews and recent immigrants.
Because of its religious sponsorship,
MJI has gender-segregated classes that
do not meet on Shabbat or Jewish holi-
days.
In 1998, the MJI received national
accreditation. This enables students to
receive financial assistance, such as Pell
grants, from the federal government.
So far, all MJI graduates have been
hired right out of college. Employers
have included Compuware, Gale
Research and Chrysler Corporation.
Since its inception, the school has
held classes in a modest building in Oak
Park. But a more permanent home is in
the works.
Next year, the Lubavitch community
hopes to have completed its Synagogue
Campus for Living Judaism on Maple
Road, west of Drake, in West
Bloomfield. MJI will be the centerpiece
of the 40-acre center. El
— Diana Lieberman