in changing the face of religious education in Israel
was officially recognized. Frankel school was one of
14 winners of the National Excellence in Education
Prize, awarded annually by the Israel Ministry of
Education. The school was cited for excellence in
elementary school education.
Rocking The Boat
While Jewish Americans have grown up with the tra-
dition of a pluralistic religious education, the idea was
quite shocking to Israelis and shook the foundations
of the nation's educational system. Until then, reli-
gious and secular education were kept on different
tracks, with religious schools strictly under the thumb
of the Orthodox establishment and secular schools
just dabbling a bit in teaching the Jewish traditions.
Parents mostly stayed out of the educational process.
Levin and other parents wanted more.
"We started to look around and thought, 'My
goodness, we could give our children a better Jewish
education in the U.S. than we could here!' There was
no option here for Jewish education unless it was
Orthodox," said Levin, sitting in her office, shelves
lined with books and walls decorated with pictures
and posters touting the importance of education.
Establishing the Frankel Traditional School was an
uphill climb and getting permission was really a
"cruel, harsh battle," said Levin. Permission was given
only days before the school's designated start date.
"I couldn't tolerate the idea that the religious tra-
ditions belonged to only one segment," Levin said.
"In our school, the child learns that people's differ-
ences enrich our society and can energize our talents.
"Seventy percent of Israeli children go to secular
schools and do not get a good Jewish education.-
There are generations raised in ignorance of the
beauty of Jewish tradition. We present the three
worlds of Judaism, Zionism and the modern world
both in the curriculum and the school ambiance and •
experiences," she said.
"It certainly was looked at as a strange chicken,"
STORY on page 9
Left to right: Frankel students get hands-on experience
in zoology in a jungle-simulated room, complete
with pond, trees and tree stumps that serve as chairs.
Dr. Naphtali Primor of Hebrew University
teaches zoology integrated with Judaic studies.
Frankers diverse population includes Jewish
immigrants from many countries. Here, Shaun Yong
Wan from Korea participates in the ceremony when
first-graders receive their first prayer book and a Bible.
Special-needs children are mainstreamed at
Frankel, including these autistic children.
Frankel first-graders celebrate receiving their
first prayer book and Bible on the eve of Shavuot.
Top: Frankel students read Torah from the scroll given
6/30
to the Israeli school by Adat Shalom Synagogue in
2000
Farmington Hills.
7