Pomp, Circumstance Ruach Akiva's 29th graduation class is small in number, but large in enthusiasm. DIANA LIEBERMAN StaficWriter T he 2003 graduation ceremony at Yeshivat Akiva took place at the end of a long day, a day that had seen the dedication of the school's campus in honor of the Schostak family and the installation of a student-made mosa- ic. But, even though there were only two students in Akiva's senior class, the school community turned out in force for the occasion. "Yes, we have only two graduates," said Dr. Charles Domstein, secular studies principal at the 288-student school in Southfield. "But look around this room — it's a cele- bration for many, many people." Both Yakov Shamailov, born in. Azerbaijan, and Avigail Platt, born in Israel, had come to Akiva as high-schoolers. "We know this was not an easy road to take," Dr. Domstein said. "We know there were language barriers, classes that were difficult for you. But you strived — you struggled — you succeeded." Shamailov, who came to the United States as a 10 year-old, began at Akiva four years ago. "Since being in this country, I've been in four different school systems, including both secular schools and a boys' yeshivah," he said. "And I can say, without a doubt, this is the place that has best prepared me for the future." The son of Inna Peysakhova, he will attend Wayne State University in Detroit while working part-time. Avigail Platt is the third of five children of Dr. Murray and Ruth Platt. The family came from Israel in the fall of 2001, so Dr. Platt, a dentist, could have a heart transplant. Avigail will be returning to Israel, where she will complete her national service by working with children with learning disabilities and then go on to an Israeli university. Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi, Akiva's educational director, compared the graduates to the biblical figures who bear their names. Like Avigail, wife of King David, Platt is "diligent and gentle," he said. "But for all her gentleness, if something is not clear, she is not afraid to ask hard questions; she will persevere until she is absolutely sure of the answer." Shamailov, like the biblical figure Jacob, learned that, "if you will do the work, everyone will support you. God himself will support you." - An Upward Trend In 2002, Akiva graduated 23 students; next year's class will have 15-19, said Rabbi Tsaidi, who, along with Dr. Domstein, took over leadership of the modern Orthodox day school in August 2000. Morale problems in the late 1990s had con- tributed to the enrollment decline in the class of 2003, after an attempt had been made to segregate boys from girls. When Rabbi Tsaidi came to Akiva, the three remaining members of the 10th-grade class had left after the previous administration had been unable to devise a creative solution to meet their educational needs. "I myself do not believe in telling kids to look for in-depth analysis of the school by Israel's Bar-Ilan University. The Meer family presented the school with a new gymnasium. In January 2001, Akiva earned accreditation from the Michigan Non-Public School Accrediting Association. This year, the school's allocation from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit was $418,000, with an extra $62,700 from Federation's Shiffman Day School Tuition Fund. Rabbi Tsaidi and Dr. Domstein are "a great team, said Akiva President Marc Jerusalem. "They try very hard to find the educational solution for each child, From left: Akiva graduates Yakov Shamailov and Avigail Platt with Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi, Akiva principal. Benefactors Elyse and Jerry Schostak accept a gift fro m Marc Jerusalem at the June 16 ceremony dedicating AkivaS campus. another school," Rabbi Tsaidi said. Since 2000, enrollment has risen from 244 to its present 288. Classes in the primary grades are espe- cially large, and a third section of nursery school had to be formed. In June 2001, Akiva received an endowment of $1 million from the Schostak family; the endowment's earnings are matched annually by the United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit. A grant from the Loewenthal family financed an instead of saying, 'You're a third-grader; here's the third grade.'" This summer, Akiva leaders are seeking solutions to a problem that would have seemed unthinkable three years ago — they need more classrooms for their burgeoning enrollment. Rabbi Tsaidi is confident that this year's tiny grad- uating class is a fluke that will not reoccur. "But we do not appreciate a class because of its quan- tity," he said. "To us, each child is a whole world." ❑ Canadian Jews Compile Census Data, BILL GLADSTONE Jewish Telegraphic Agency Toronto 1 ewish officials hope that newly released census data will give them a more corn- prehensive picture of the Canadian Jewish community, helping them prepare better for the community's future needs. UIA Federations Canada, the umbrella organization for 11 fed- erated Jewish communities across the country, has paid about $300,000 to the federal census office, Statistics Canada, for the detailed numbers on the size, 43 shape, age and other variables for communities across Canada. Dubbed the National Jewish Demographic Study, the project constitutes "the largest comprehen- sive demographic study ever under- taken of the Jewish community in Canada," according to research coordinator Charles Shahar. In the 2001 census, 348,605 Canadians identified themselves as Jewish by ethnicity and 329,995 as Jewish by religion. According to Shahar, the num- bers indicate a total of 370,520 Jews in the country, reflecting a growth rate of 4 percent in the population since 1991. Overall, that growth "has not been spectacular" when compared to the 129 percent rise in Canada's Muslim community and the 89 percent rise in its Hindu community, Shahar said, noting that most of those communities' gains came from immigration. Roughly three-quarters of Canada's Jews are concentrated in Toronto and Montreal — 48 per- cent in Toronto and 25 percent in Montreal — the figures show. While the Toronto communi- ty increased in number by about 10 percent since 1991 to 179,100, Montreal dropped 8 CENSUS on page 16 7/11 2003 15