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Shattering Myths

T

he heart of a school is its teachers;
its students comprise the soul. And
Hillel Day School is instituting a
. tuition change designed to assure a
strong student base on its Farmington Hills
campus.
School leaders call the graduated
tuition scale a national model for mak-
ing a Jewish day school education more
we
Lea
affordable for middle-income families.
And the 10-tier scale may well be just
that.
But that's not as significant as Hillel dis-
pelling the perception that it is an elitist school
— in reach of only the wealthy. Thirty percent
of the school's 525 families qualify for financial
aid based on adjusted gross incomes of less
than $60,000. No child there is deprived of
any service or activity — whether it's lunch, a
field trip or a graduation-class visit to Wash-
ington_ because of inability to pay. But until
now, many families, including some new
Americans, have been either hard-pressed, or
simply couldn't afford, to become a "Hillel
family," or be one for all their children.
A quality Jewish education is one of the cor-
nerstones of Jewish survival. It's at the core of
creating the foundation for Jews in their for-
mative years to understand and appreciate
their cultural and religious heritage..
For some, that education comes through
day school. For others, it's afternoon school.
Still others learn through a supplemental
school. •
The kind of school matters less than the
quality of the school. As Jews, we have nothing
if we're devoid of who we are as a people, and
what has kept us bonded for 4,000 years.
Now 770 students strong, Hillel has a repu-
tation for quality Judaic and secular course-

IN FOCUS

Related story: page 14

work buoyed by high-profile families and sup-
porters. Its graduates enjoy business, civic and
communal success.
The downside was that the yearly
tuition topping $7,000 was pricing the
school beyond the means of middle-
income families, especially thOse with
more than one child.
. Enter the Shiffman Family Day
School Tuition Assistance Fund — the
gift of Lois and the late Dr. Milton Shiffman to
the Detroit Jewish community, through the Jew-
ish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. As the
Shiffmans saw it, the thirst for Jewish learning,
not family wealth, should drive school enroll-
ment. The couple's generosity underscored that
the Jewish community is ultimately responsible
for helping children learn Jewishly.
Hillel's slice of the Shiffman pie, not yet
fully endowed, is $75,000. But instead of
divvying it up in the shadows of a competitive
tuition that's beyond many families, the school
board took a more innovative approach. The
upshot is a graduated-tuition scale, further
blunted by multiple enrollment discounts,
which mirrors creative planning and business
acumen. It makes tuition more equitable
because it's tied to income.
Let's not kid ourselves. The new tuition
structure won't meet everyone's needs. For a
family whose adjusted gross income is
$60,000, even $4,200 might be too much.
But for the Hillel board, under the watchful
eye of president Frederick Blechman, to boldly
demonstrate a desire for broader appeal is to
acknowledge that it can no longer ignore the
economic tugs of middle-income families —
the majority of the Jewish population. 111

Celebrating
Nature

45

'

Right, Suzan Curhan of
West Bloomfield claps
with daughter Stephanie,
4, at a Tu b'Shevat seder
Sunday at the Jewish
Community Center in
West Bloomfield. The
seder honored the envi-
ronment and the Jewish
New Year of Trees. Below,
guitarist Josh Cohen of
Birmingham leads the
group in song. The Jewish
Federation • of Metropoli-
tan Detroit's Avenues and
Teva groups, the South-
east Michigan Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
and Hillel of Metropolitan Detroit were seder sponsors.

0
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0

A Very Special Man

E

very once in a while, someone
Related story: page 60
comes along with a knack for
building bridges of religious
Saturday night in Bloomfield Hills.
harmony instead of moats of
Held the week of the Dr. Martin Luther
social discord.
King Jr. holiday, the interfaith call to
The Detroit Jewish community's Mr.
peace united 540 people in prayer "for
Interfaith Ambassador, Arnold Michlin, is
the victims of religious and ethnic perse-
such a person.
Arnold Michlin
cution."
So what a delight it was for this caring,
It was an inspirational start, buoyed by a stirring
humble man, whose passion for bringing people of
sermon by the Rev. Kenneth Flowers of Detroit's
different faiths together is infectious, .to earn the
Greater New Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.
first World Sabbath of Religious Reconciliation
"I had hoped this could happen, but wasn't sure
Peace Maker Award.
it
actually
could," said Michlin, tired but thrilled at
A tribute to his dauntless resolve, this handle-
the closing reception. "Remember, this service was
bar-mustachioed giant of ecumenism left his hospi-
inspired by Christians, so I've never felt so positive
tal bed 24 days after a stroke to personally receive
about what we can do together."
the award. One of the World Sabbath's organizers,
What did the service achieve? "Now we're on the
the Rev. Rodney Reinhart, presented the award on

way to stopping hatred, meanness and war. Without
them, we may yet bring on a messianic age," he said.
Dogged but never pompous, Michlin, 79, has a
clearer view than most of the beauty that ecu-•
menism can foster. The Congregation Shaarey
Zedek member has played a hand in student essay
contests, adult award dinners and inter-congrega-
tional events involving Jews, Christians and Mus-
lims. His celebration of unity and condemnation of
apathy resonate in what the Peace Maker Award
describes as "his many contributions to peace, social
justice and interfaith understanding."
The Peace Maker Award refers to "Rabbi" Arnold
— in honor of this selfless man who has
taught so many how to design a common comfort
zone heated by diversity, not intolerance.
Enjoy your moment in the sun, Arnold.
You richly deserve it.

❑

'TN

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2000