This Week

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Insight

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Ideas & Issues •

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The Voice Of Experience

An innovative educator shares his ideas on improving
Jewish education in the United States.

DIANA LIEBERMAN
StaffWriter

II

abbi Yonah Fuld of
Israel came by his
expertise in Jewish
education honestly.
Before making aliya in 1993, he spent 23
years as principal and associate principal at the
600-pupil Salanter Akiva of Riverdale on Long
Island, N.Y. Known as the SAR Academy, the
school boasts open classrooms, a pod structure
and, most importantly, an award-winning reli-
gious and secular curriculum.
"It was the joy of my life for 23 years," said
Rabbi Fuld.
For the past six years, he has led the Senior
Educators Program at Bar-Ilan University's
Lookstein Center for Jewish Education in the
Diaspora in Ramat Gan. The full-year program
works with senior Jewish educators from the
United States, those who, as Rabbi Fuld described,
"have gotten their teeth into education."
This work is rewarding as well, he said,
because it puts him in the forefront of the most
exciting development in Jewish continuity —
providing exciting, quality education.
On Feb. 23,-.1-Rabbi Fuld told a lunch meeting
of the Detroit Friends of Bar-Ilan University
that there are several specific routes that educa-
tors in the United States can take to improve the
level of Jewish education.
Audience members included someone who
had attended the SAR Academy, Judah Isaacs,
who is executive director of the Agency for
Jewish Education of Metropolitan Detroit.
Rabbi Yonah Fuld
In his presentation, Rabbi Fuld said major
changes are certainly needed to improve Jewish
• Plans to reward teachers and administrators, both with
education in the U.S. Above all, "the lack of centralization
salary and benefits, will help meet the geometrically
is one of the things that holds us back from what we need
increasing needs for quality staff
"Fringe benefits would certainly combat the malaise
to do," he said. .
"There is no way I believe Jewish education is the failure
that's taken place," Rabbi Fuld said. "The personnel issue is
that it is sometimes made out to be," he maintained. "On
not money, because people can make a decent living as a
the other hand, it's not the beacon of success it could be."
full-time Jewish educator.
Although there is no quick fix, Rabbi Fuld had a few
"Instead, it's largely a status issue," he said. The educa-
tors "are never asked to appear on panels; not asked for
specific suggestions:
their opinion; spend all day with children."
• Too many Jewish educators lack any rudiment of formal
educational training, he said.
• Administrators are further discouraged because, to advance
"Without this, teachers and rabbis are just going to per-
their careers, they must change jobs all too frequently, riding
petuate the same mistakes that were made in their educa-
"a merry-go-round chasing across the country," he said.
tion to another generation," he warned.
• Even after 50 or 60 years of day-school education, no
standard curriculum exists.
Diana Lieberman can be reached at (248) 354-6060, ext.
"The Bible is the best product," the rabbi said. "Now, how
247, or by e-mail at dlieberm@thejewishnews.com
do we use it?" ❑

Remember
When

From the pages of the Jewish News for
this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.

,

••

,

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e

The first demographic study of the
Jewish community in 30 years
identifies 96,000 Jews living in the
tri-county area.
Rabbi Ernest E. Greenfield is
installed as president of the Hebrew
Benevolent Society.

Canadian Premier Pierre Elliott
Trudeau names two Jews to his new
cabinet.
Tourists to Israel begin to receive
a refund of the value-added tax on
goods purchased in the country.
Lee D. Stein is appointed chair-
man of the Metro Detroit State of
Israel Bonds Construction and Real
Estate Division.

Emma Schaver, national chairman of
American Friends Builders of Scopus,
is given the Hebrew University's
Torch of Learning Award.
State Rep. Daniel S. Cooper
introduces a resolution condemning
airline bans on mail and freight
flights to Israel.
Michael Fox wins top honors in
the Detroit News Scholastic Writing
Awards Contest.

i.

Jack Guttenplan is elected com-
mander of the Oak Park Post of the
Jewish War Veterans.
Frank E. Leiderman is appointed
resident director of Camp Shor,
sponsored by Midwest branches of
Young Israel.

The Greek government arranges for
Salonika Jews to vote in polling
places instead of the two to which
they had been restricted since 1946.
Rabbi Sidney Akselrad of Temple
Beth El is representing the Jewish
Chataqua Society as a lecturer at
Michigan State Normal College.
Debater Betty Provizor will rep-
resent Wayne University at a ..
nationwide speech tournament at
the University of Wisconsin.

— Compiled by Sy Manello,
Editorial Assistant

3/10
2000