his e el

•

ne Nation, One Voice

West Bloomfield teens give Israeli educators
a lesson in diversity, American-style.

Kaufman from Madonna University
— are working with the Israeli edu-
cators on the project. Together, the
two groups will assemble and ana
hree Israeli educators spent
lyze data from last week's visit,
time at West Bloomfield
meeting again in Israel in early May.
High School last week
After a-morning of conversations
looking for new ways to
with West Bloomfield parents, corn-
deal with intolerance and violence
munity leaders and school person-
among Israeli students:
nel, the Israeli educators exchanged
"During the past few years, we are
ideas
with people who really know
seeing a situation where there is an
what's
going on — the students
increase in verbal abuse and fight-
themselves.
ing," said Amos Rolider,
"A good thing about
chair of the faculty of
our school is we're very
behavioral sciences at
diverse," said 12th-grader
Emek Yezreel College in
Ryan Stybel.
the central Galilee. "We
Fights and quarrels
came here because we
have
decreased since
want to change the situa-
freshman
year, Stybel said,
tion."
and when they do occur,
Through an exchange
Students at West they're not caused by eth-
sponsored by the Jewish
Bloomfield
High
nic differences.
Federation of
School
say
that
"It's usually a
Metropolitan Detroit's
tensions between
boyfriend/girlfriend
Partnership 2000 pro-
ethnic groups have
thing," he said.
gram, the educators hope
decreased
in
recent
Senior Mike Tounsel
to develop new strategies
years.
Do
you
agree?
acknowledged
that "every
to improve discipline and
Give
examples
from
group
has
its
rebels
and
understanding in Israeli
your own experience there will always be some-
schools. School is where
at West Bloomfield one who wants to start a
young people of different
or other schools.
fight. But we're starting to
backgrounds in Israel face
wean
them out."
each other for the first
Give your opinion on
Compared
with West
JN Online at
time. Partnership 2000 is
Bloomfield,
where
high
www.detroit
a cooperative social, cul-
jewishnews.com
school
students
speak
tural, economic and edu-
about 50 languages,
cational venture between
Israel's middle and high
Michigan Jewry and the
schools are remarkably homoge-
central Galilee.
neous.
Along with Edsel Ford High
Separate public schools are main-
School in Dearborn and Beechview
tained
for Arab and Jewish Israelis,
Elementary in Farmington, the edu-
Rolider
told the students. Only at
cators chose West Bloomfield High to
the
college
level do the two groups
study on their weeklong visit. The
attend
class
together.
three schools all provide examples of
Now with the recent influx of
interaction between students of vari-
immigrants from such countries as
ous ethnic backgrounds.
Ethiopia and the former Soviet
Three Michigan educators — West
Union, Israeli schools are being
Bloomfield Schools' community liai-
forced to deal with more cultural dif-
son Sharkey Haddad, along with
ferences than ever before. Rolider sees
Marjorie Checkoway and Laurie
much of the increase in negative
Diana Lieberman can be reached at
behavior as an outgrowth of this
(248) 354-6060, ext. 247, or by e-mail
unprecedented diversity.

DIANA LIEBERMAN
StaffWriter
Staff

.

at dlieberm@thejewishnews.com

2/18
2000.

16

Top to bottom:

Israeli educator Amos Rolider speaks
frankly about inter-ethnic tensions in
central Galilee schools.

Dalya Eyal is sports instructor at the
Na ala School on Moshav Nahalal.

Kwala Abu Baker, professor at Emek
Yezreel College, is an Arab-Israeli.

