the 500 girls who traveled to
Detroit for the annual
International Bais Yaakov conven-
tion, Dr. Snider finds her memo-
ries of her days at the Yeshiva
refreshed.
"I choke up every time I come
into the building where my kids
go to school, remembering when I
was a student there, too — in
some of the same classrooms, with
some of the same teachers," she
said.
"Watching all the girls at the
convention, I see all these future
mothers of the Jewish people."
Said Gary Torgow, a Yeshiva par-
ent as well as the school president,
Beginnings
"The Yeshiva provides an extreme-
Many Detroiters who once attended
ly positive and uplifting view of
the Yeshiva were students in its after-
Jewish life and scholarship. It is a
noon Hebrew school that ran from
window to the beauty of our Torah
1916 until the early 1970s or its
and its traditions. At every level
Leia Shepherd, 14, of Southfield and Esther Klein, 14, and Chaya Nerenberg, 16, both of
summer program that ran from the
and in every program, the Yeshiva
Oak Park chat outside their school during the international Bais Yaakov convention there.
1940s to 1970s.
strives for excellence, both in its
It wasn't until the early 1940s that
religious and secular programs."
the Yeshiva became a day school.
The last two decades have pro-
with a curriculum blending traditional
Yeshiva now serves 802 students
Shortly after it was established, several
duced
more
graduates working in pro-
and progressive, secular and religious
between its girls' campus in Oak Park,
students were sent to help out by Rabbi
fessional
fields
– medical, legal, educa-
studies, in Hebrew and English, was an
the boys' campus in Southfield and the
Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, founder of
tional
—
than
previously,
according to
easy
one.
Norma Jean and Edward Meer Early
Torah Umesorah.
"What the Yeshiva has and why some- Rabbi Dov Loketch of Agudas Yisroel
Childhood Development Center next to
Some of those rabbis later left Detroit,
one would want to send their child there Mogen Abraham. "If you take a look at
the boys' school.
but two who stayed were Rabbi Sholom
the alumni roster of the Yeshiva, the
is that it promotes — from A to Z —
While the Yeshiva was once a tenant
Goldstein and Rabbi Avrohom Abba
majority on the list are not in Jewish-
the way that Judaism is our total life,"
of Agudas Yisroel Mogen Abraham, the
Freedman.
related fields," he said.
Dora said. "My husband went to public
synagogue affiliated with the school, the
"Their mission was to bring students
"Perhaps this is how the Yeshiva was
school and I went to a Yeshiva-like
synagogue is now the tenant.
to the school," Rabbi Fishman said.
viewed
in days past, but now we see our
school
in
Cleveland,
and
we
understand
The Yeshiva is named for Rabbi
'They actively recruited for after-school
student body graduates to be respected,
Yehudah Levin, one of the first rabbis of what is involved in making the decision
and summer learning programs."
gainfully employed, productive citizens
of where to send our children to school.
the synagogue — who also founded the
In time, Rabbi Goldstein became the
who take leadership roles in our com-
"People are trained for whatever it is
Yeshiva's after-school program. Rabbi
long-time principal of the Yeshiva's Beth
munity and beyond. Some may not nec-
they go to school for, but at some point
Levin held several pulpits and was chief
Jacob School for Girls (Bais Yaacov),
essarily think our combination of Jewish
they retire. A school that promotes
rabbi of United Hebrew Congregations
now in Oak Park. He served until his
and secular studies are suited for their
Judaism gives children something that
of Detroit.
death in 1984. Rabbi Freedman held the
own child, but they respect our role in
will be with them for the rest of their
He was a founder of Mizrachi, the
position of assistant principal of the
the community and many support it."
lives,"
Dora
said.
"The
Yeshiva
does
religious Zionist movement, and was
boys' division in Southfield as well as
With a focus on both religious and
that, while still preparing them to be
among a group of Orthodox Jews who
interim principal when called upon. He
secular education, the entire graduating
integrated into the secular world."
led a march down Hastings Street in
was also one of the school's primary
class of the girls' school spends a school
"I love this school," said Dr. Snider,
Detroit in 1912, carrying placards read-
recruiters.
year
at various teacher seminaries in
who attended the Yeshiva from kinder-
ing "buy a brick to save the sick," cam-
"Rabbi Freedman — who came to the paigning for contributions for a Jewish
Israel
before continuing on toward pro-
garten through graduation. Now a pedi-
school in 1944 — wanted every child to
fessional
career training.
atrician, she said, "The Yeshiva trained
hospital that would eventually become
be at the Yeshiva," Rabbi Fishman said.
Many
come
back and attend Maalot
me
with
a
great
academic
secular
educa-
Sinai Hospital.
Rabbi Freedman taught by day and
Detroit, a branch of the Neve
tion, and prepared me to do whatever I
went door-to-door by night, not solicit-
Yerushalayim Jewish Educational
wanted to do. But it also instilled in me
ing funds but encouraging families to
Network in Jerusalem, based on both
Going To School
that whatever I decided to do, my prior-
enroll their children.
Yeshiva
campuses. Maalot offers classes,
ity would be Jewish observance and
Neither Dora Kurz nor her husband Dr.
From a small after-school/summer
including
those in computer science,
Larry Kurz attended the Yeshiva, but the Jewish family life."
program begun in 1916 to a 162-stu-
economics
and math, leading to college
Having spent much of last week with
choice to send their children to learn
dent day school in the early1940s, the
BALANCE on page 18
Fishman, executive vice president of
Torah Umesorah: The National
Society for Hebrew Day Schools in
New York, which establishes new
schools and acts as a service agency
for 660 Orthodox day schools across
the country
"That's an astonishing accomplish-
ment. The success of Partners in
Torah and of the school, to be able to
reach out to the community, is due
to the spirituality and the message of
the Torah they have been able to
bring to the Detroit community.
And that's part of the greatness of the
school."
11/26
2004
17