Voices in Jewish Education

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the community. With a high retire-
ment rate and a low number of teach-
ers entering the field, preschool edu-
cation needs a shot in the arm,
Appelman said.
One of the strategies for improving
this situation is the Judaic
Enrichment Early Education Project
(JEEEP). (Related story: page 6)
More professional development
and improved salary and benefits are
other plans designed to attract young
people to Jewish education as a career.
In addition, the Alliance report rec-
ommends tuition scholarships for
preschoolers, just as scholarships are
available at other levels.

Day School Involvement

Even a quick glimpse at the Alliance
report shows the first year's initiatives
involve schools run by synagogues
rather than day schools. At one level,
this is because more than twice as
many students ages 5-12 attend con-
gregational schools as attend day
schools.
However, there are several more
important reasons to focus on congre-
gational schools, Naftaly said.
Federation's education division has
been concentrating on funding day
school improvements for several years
now. So some of the specific pro-
grams scheduled to start in the strate-
gic plan's first year are aimed at syna-
gogue schools -. The initiatives are
funded by the Davidson-Hermelin
Center for Congregation Excellence, a
new program launched this year by a
$3 million contribution to the
Federation and Foundation
(Federation's banking/real estate arm)
by former U.S. Ambassador David
and Doreen Hermelin and Palace of
Auburn Hills partner William
Davidson.
Judah Isaacs, executive director of
the Agency for Jewish Education, said
one could hardly accuse Federation of
short-changing day schools. For
2000-2001, Federation will allocate
nearly $1.7 million to five communi-
ty day schools — Hillel Day School
of Metropolitan Detroit, Yeshivat
Akiva, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, Yeshiva
Gedolah and Yeshiva Darchei Torah.
A three-year matching grant of
$750,000, allocated at $250,000 per
year, went to the Jewish Academy of
Metropolitan Detroit beginning in
1999-2000, as well as $350,000
toward renovations.
In addition, three major gifts to
the Federation and Foundation are
adding to gifts of other donors to

Evaluations are built into the
Hoffman, began Synagogue 2000.
help alleviate one of the major prob-
Synagogue 2000 and Family Life
"We
have
some
75,000
baby
lems affecting day schools — subsi-
(JEFF) elements of the strategic plan,
boomers who will become empty-
dizing scholarships for middle-class
Appelman
said. Doing these evalua-
nesters in the next 10 years," Wolfson
families. These gifts are the Cohn
tions
will
be
Dr. Amy Sales of
said. "Synagogues have to go beyond
Family's Samuel and Maly Cohn
Brandeis
University's
Cohen Center
Hebrew and day schools to adult
Millennium Fund, which benefits
for
Modern
Jewish
Studies.
Jewish education. We need to push
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah; the Schostak
"What I'm proposing is looking at
the envelope, find out how we can
Family Jewish Academy of
the
information we're gathering dur-
really energize synagogues."
Metropolitan Detroit Millennium
ing the process as well as at the end of
Wolfson
said
the
Detroit
area
is
the
Fund; and the Shiffman Family Day
the process — to climb the mountain
first in the United States to use
School Tuition Assistance Fund,
and see where we've been, so to
Synagogue 2000's educational compo-
established by Dr. Milton and Lois
speak," Sales said.
nent. Jewish communities in the
Shiffinan of West Bloomfield. This
Sales recommended not taking on
Denver/Boulder and Washington,
Fund benefits all day schools.
too
many initiatives at once.
D.C. areas already have begun their
As Alliance's strategic plan moves
"More
could be done," Naftaly
Synagogue 2000 programs, without an
into Stages II and III, day schools will
agreed. "But putting in more pro-
education
component.
New
York
City
be included in curriculum develop-
grams now would be counter-produc-
is next on the Synagogue 2000 list.
ment and teacher training, Isaacs said.
tive."
All
these
communities
will
be
Many day school teachers already
The new initiatives include sev-
watching
Detroit,
he
said.
have attended classes through
eral
new
positions. A director of
"So far, everything is shaping up
Alliance's technology initiative, he
youth
outreach
will work on informal
nicely. You have visionary leaders at
said, because they teach at one or
Jewish
education
during the preteen
all levels," Wolfson said.
more synagogue schools in addition
and teen years. The
to their day school affiliation.
Synagogue 2000 Program, to
jEwi. SH CONIMUI•itir'i OE METRO DETROIT.
Last year's classes concentrat-
begin in Year II, requires a
*
R
AGE
SPAN
kgiFf
NURSER ,SCOCg, TI
ed on general training, while
coordinator this year to
45%
this year the AJE will offer
begin linking up programs at
more individualized training.
area synagogues.
Rabbi Joshua Bennett of
Finally, the report recom-
Temple Israel in West
mends that Federation re-
Bloomfield will lead a new
institute the Florence
committee on integrating
Melton Adult Mini-School,
technology into classrooms.
*29W
a step-by-step series of classes
Computer labs are already
in Judaism. This, too, will
in place in all congregational
require a director.
schools, Isaacs said, helping
Bernard Mindell, chair
to make Jewish education for
of the adult-education work
children more exciting and
group, said the Melton ini-
relevant. Other recommenda-
tiative will likely need to be
tions for this age group
delayed because the
include providing stipends for
Alliance has been unable to
professional development and
find a qualified director.
awarding curriculum grants,
Like many others, he
65+
5
55-6
35-5
18-34
.
in both day and congrega-
echoed the complaint that
tional schools.
* 98 of about 190 teachers responded
it is hard to find Jewish

Down The Years

As executive director of
Federation's Alliance,
Appelman was the primary
writer for the "Strategic
Vision," the 39-page report
that blueprints three years of
programs and initiatives.
"There's no question that,
while we are concentrating on
children, we also have initia-
tives in other areas,"
Appelman said.
The Synagogue 2000 ini-
tiative includes adult educa-
tion as well as standard
Hebrew and day schools, said
Dr. Ron Wolfson of the
University of Judaism. He,
along with Rabbi Lawrence

Source: Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF METRO .DETROIT...
TARGET POPULATION (AGES 5,-112 YEARS)

% OF TARGET

8,700

1;627;

1,089

887

t:U .

9/15
2000

34

TARGET
POPULATION

AFTERNOON
SCHOOL

DAY
SC4-400L

:DAY
CAMP!

RESIDENTIAL
CAMP

education professionals.
"There were a number of
acceptable candidates, but
none was strong enough," he
said. "It's very important to
start off on the right foot."
Working with the com-
mittee was a very positive
experience, Mindell said.
"Everything was done very
professionally.
"Another thing — it
brought different groups
together," he said. "People are
beginning to realize there are
only a limited amount of
resources and that a sharing
of resources is possible with-
out losing their indepen-
dence." Cl

