PLAN OF ACTION from page 17
director at Congregation Beth Sholom
wage and benefits.
in suburban Philadelphia. "The working
"It's a theoretical and philosophical
conditions are every bit as important as
discussion, but it's also a financial discus-
the salary," he said. "Synagogues must
sion," said Pearlman, who also is presi-
go out of their way to treat their teachers dent of the Coalition for. the
as professionals."
Advancement of Jewish Education.
At Beth Sholom, teachers received
"Probably the most important thing in
complimentary memberships and tickets keeping teachers is supplying a mentor
for High Holiday services and special
for new teachers. Book learning is book
events. Freedman also was able to recruit learning, but someone fresh out of grad-
teachers from among synagogue mem- .- uate school couldn't just.step in."
bers. "If they had the right personality
The people at the Fort Lauderdale
and knowledge, we'd take people who
conference went over the problems and
were willing and.able and work with
possible solutions "with a fine-tooth
them, give them the professional. teach-
comb," Pearlman said. "Now we have to
ing background they needed," he said.
Work on implementing the ideas."
Hillel is very successful in teacher
A Plan OfAction
longevity, Freedman said. "Hillel is cer-
tainly competitive as far as salary and
Hundreds of pages of notes from the
benefits," he said. "But again, it's not
JESNA meetings will be incorporated
just a question of money — it's nurtur-
into the Jewish Educator Recruitment-
ing and shared values that make for job
Retention Initiative Action Plan. The
satisfaction."
idea is to mount a national drive to find
Fran Pearlman, educational director at
and keep top Jewish teachers.
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, listed
Marc Kramer, executive director of
many of the same factors for retaining
Raysak, a network of 82 multi-denomi-
teachers — personal satisfaction, living
national day schools across North
America, announced a "substantial"
grant from the Avi Chai Foundation to
give heads of Jewish day schools' Judaic
studies programs a better Jewish educa-
tion themselves.
Many school chiefs are skilled at
administration or fund-raising, but per-
sonally lack a solid Jewish grounding, he
said. The administrators can attend sum-
mer and winter courses and use a new
online distance-learning service called
JskyWay to enhance their own Jewish
education.
"We won't be creating great Talmudic
minds, but we can strengthen their
capacity to advocate for their schools,"
Kramer said.
Helene Kalson Cohen, dean of the
Jewish Academy of Metro Detroit, •
said she tells candidates that what they
get as Jewish educators can't be found
in secular or other private schools. The
school offers a "supportive communi-
ty" with mentoring programs, profes-
sional development efforts, and
involved and motivated students and
parents.
Kalson Cohen, who also is a JESNA
board member, said she is optimistic
about the effects of the action plan
and hope that its recommendations
will really be used.
The plan's impact will depend on
how it is delivered, she said. Educators
like her are busy professionals who
may ignore a massive, national plan
that fails to include components that
target specific local areas, she warns.
"I almost want to say that I never
want to see the whole thing together,
otherwise it will be a trophy that will
end up on shelves and then it will lose
its power," Kalson Cohen said.
Still, much talk at the conference
reflected what some hope will be a
"tipping point" in Jewish education,
Where educators devise a real action
plan that rallies philanthropists.
"The belief and the hope is that this
might be one of those moments in
time where a number of factors con-
verge to allow systemic change to
occur," Kalson Cohen said.
-
❑
Staying Power
Chaye Olam begins a search for synagogue's first rabbi.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff Writer
B
egun in late 2002 with a determined
cantor and a rented room, Congregation
Chaye Olam quickly has become 100
families strong, with a board of directors
and a building of its own.
Next on the congregation's list is the search for a
rabbi.
"As membership is steadily increasing, so are the
needs of our congregation," said the synagogue's
cantor, Stephen Dubov. "It is time for us to build a
clergy team. A rabbinic colleague is the next logical
step for us to take."
A search began after the early February unani-
mous approval of the position by the congregation's
board. For now, Cantor Dubov said, "We are look-
ing for a part-time position. Our ultimate goal is to
hire a full-time rabbi."
The search will begin with Detroit-area unaffiliat-
ed rabbis, then spread to both Reform and
Conservative rabbinical schools.
The new rabbi's position will include joining
Cantor Dubov in leading religious services and may
involve assisting in lifecycle events and participating
in other aspects of congregational life, including
hospital visits, adult education and counseling.
In its search for a rabbi, the congregation is open
to
14
2/27
2004
18
to those of various backgrounds.
"We. are not going to limit the activities of
the rabbi," said Jeffrey Burg of Birmingham,
who heads the rabbinic search committee.
"What the rabbi does will depend on his or
her character and past practices. A newly
ordained rabbi may want to start by only
leading services. An experienced educator
may want to teach in our school or adult
education program."
AOMParkktW
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,\ \
Robert and Ginger Penfil of Brighton with their
granddaughter Isabella Rosenberg and Cantor Dubov
in the Chaye Olam sanctuary.
Inside The Synagogue Walls
Since its first service, held Rosh Hashanah 2002,
Chaye Olam has grown into a busy, inclusive syna-
gogue.
Right from the start, Cantor Dubov said, "we saw
the need for a place for the unaffiliated to worship
and have a place to call their spiritual home. We
then evolved into a group that wanted to meet
more than once a year. To fill that need, we started
having services weekly."
Next came the establishment of a religious
school, first meeting weekly at Green Elementary
School in West Bloomfield, then moving to its cur-
rent building at Inkster and Maple in Bloomfield
Township in the summer.
"We have tripled our enrollment — to 55 youth
— and opened our Monday night high school,"
Cantor Dubov said. Grades span from pre-kinder-
garten to 10th grade, with the first confirmation
ceremony to be held this May.
Cantor Dubov also has trained the eight young
congregants who have become b'nai mitzvah at
Chaye Olam this year.
The synagogue has formed a youth group.
Recently, they began an adult education program,
with classes varying to include an Introduction to
Judaism course, a Pilates exercise program, adult
Hebrew and adult b'nai mitzvah classes.
Chaye Olam also offers a Yiddish class in con-
junction with B'nai B'rith.
Artist Pablo Davis has been commissioned to
paint a mural inside the synagogue and also teach a
special unit in the religious school on art, spon-
sored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.