Dr. and Mrs. Leon Herschfus

P'TACH dinner

furthers goal to help

learning-disabled students.

SUSAN TAWIL

Special to the Jewish News

T

he word p'tach means
"open" in Hebrew.
P'TACH also is the name
of the nationwide organi-
zation that "opens the doors" of
opportunity for Jewish children with
learning disabilities.
An acronym for Parents for Torah
for All Children, P'TACH's goal is
to ensure access to quality religious
and secular education for these so-
called LD students.
Michigan chapter of the national
P'TACH organization held its 22nd
anniversary fund-raising banquet
May 13 at Southfield Manor.
Dinner honorees were community
supporters Dr. and Mrs. Leon
Herschfus of Southfield and
P'TACH-Michigan founder and
education director, Bette Josephs of
Oak Park.
Dr. Herschfus, born in
Rotterdam, Holland, is a dentist and
oral surgeon who practiced in
Belgium before escaping the Nazis in
World War II. He is active in the
Orthodox Jewish community as a
member of B'nai Israel-Beth
Yehudah, Shomrey Emunah and
Shaarey Shomayim synagogues and
daily participant in the Detroit
Kollel's Baalei Batim learning pro-
gram for professionals.
His wife, Rayetta (Raye)

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2002

50

Herschfus, was raised in Detroit,
graduated from Wayne State
University with a bachelor's degree
in education and taught at Yeshiva'
Beth Yehudah, now based in
Southfield. She is active in many
communal organizations.
Bette Josephs, a native of
Lancaster, Pa., graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania School of
Education. She was the founding
principal of what is now the Torah
Academy of Philadelphia. After
moving to Oak Park with her family
in 1969, she became curriculum
coordinator at Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah, a position she held for
about 20 years.
Seeing the critical need for addi-
tional services for learning disabled
Jewish students, she and her hus-
band, Heshie, together with parents
and community leaders, founded the
Michigan P'TACH chapter in 1979.
Bette has served as educational
director since the organization's
inception.
Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, made a
special tribute at the dinner in mem-
ory of Yaakov Braver and Chesky
Shoenig, two young cancer victims
who were beloved members of
Detroit's Jewish community. Rabbi
Goldberg, formerly rabbi of Young
Israel of Southfield, now is director
of Kids Kicking Cancer.
The evening's guest speaker was
Rabbi Yaakov Bender, principal of

Yeshiva Darchei Torah of Far
Rockaway, N.Y. The school is
known for its special education
department. Rabbi. Bender stressed
the importance of early interven-
tion with children who are learn-
ing disabled.
Bette Josephs
"Each Jewish child is precious,"
he said. "It is our responsibility to
ensure that each receives the
Jewish education that is his lega-
Jewish studies.
cy.
The P'TACH Michigan Chapter
Tova Rosenberg of Southfield, a
has helped hundreds of LD students
poised 17-year-old Beth Jacob grad-
over the years with specialized cur-
uating senior, also spoke at the din-
ricula designed to meet their indi-
ner. She expressed gratitude to
vidual needs. The organization pro-
P'TACH for her academic success,
vides resource-room programs for
citing the patient, caring P'TACH
students in grades kindergarten,
teachers and learning strategies that
through high school at Yeshiva Beth
helped her succeed in her main-
Yehudah and its Beth Jacob School
stream classes. Tova's father, Dr.
for girls in Oak Park, as well as
Jerry Rosenberg, shares the presiden- Yeshivas Darchei Torah and Yeshivat
cy of the local chapter of P'TACH
Akiva, both in Southfield.
with Dr. Harvey Lefkowitz.
One-fifth of the program's budget
Experts define LD students as
comes from tuition, which families
normal children with near-average or pay over and above yeshivah tuition;
above-average intelligence. For vari-
the remaining operating expenses are
ous reasons, such as brain injury,
wholly communally funded.
minimal brain dysfunction and
"Over the last 22 years, P'TACH's
dyslexia, the children experience per- mandate has been to help the whole
ceptual problems that result in a gap
child," Bette Josephs said. "We work
between their potential and actual
together with schools and families to
achievement.
develop a complete support system
Although programs exist to help
for these children. They become bet-
the special needs of these students,
ter students and happier individuals,
P'TACH helps ,LD children to suc-
better prepared to face life as pro-
ceed, both academically and in terms ductive members of the Jewish com-
of self-esteem, in both secular and
munity and society at large."