great example of crossing the communi- tY. oino- fund-raising is over- While ongoing seen by Yeshiva board members as well as Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Eli Mayerfeld, the Yeshiva's executive direc- tor, gathering donations from alumni is not the main reason the school tries to keep them connected. "Our primary responsibility is to ele- vate each child to his or her highest Jewish potential," said Rabbi Avrohom Fishman, dean of the Yeshiva. "We work hard to continue these relation- ships throughout their lives so each individual is touched positively by the traditions and teachings of our people." In his dinner speech, Cummings )7 Eliyahu Goldstein and Zalmy Bresler, both truck during special program. in the area — Oak Park, Southfield and Berkley — using federal Title I finding. As administered by Anita Batt of Southfield, this program gives additional academic help to first- through fourth- graders at both the boys' and girls' schools on an as needed" basis. After eighth grade, about half the boys from Yeshiva Beth Yehudah attend the Oak Park-based Yeshiva Gedolah. The others attend upper-level yeshivot in other cities, including South Bend, Baltimore, Denver, Philadelphia and Scranton. The boys' principal, Rabbi Avrohom Fishman, and assistant principal, Rabbi Menachem Z. Greenfield, work on placements. After graduating from 12th grade, the boys of Beth Yehudah usually spend a year or two in Israel, then go to college, where many train to become account- ants, lawyers or physicians, Rabbi Mayerfeld said. Graduates of Beth Jacob School for Girls also spend a year or two studying at Israeli seminaries. Most then come back to metropolitan Detroit to live with their families while attending local colleges or earning college degrees called the teachers and families of the Yeshiva, "the keepers of the flame. Their dedication to teaching and to nurturing a new generation of observant Jews makes a difference for all Jews — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform. "Beyond this, I think their ability to teach and nurture a new generation makes a difference to our larger com- munity in Detroit. "Whatever our faith, we are inevitably drawn to those who put their faith and their values first — values such as devo- tion to God, family and community. Detroit is a better community because the Yeshiva is in it, and we are better people for having supported their cause. I I EVERYTHING 25%th40% OFF! ALL... 5 and of Oak Park, check out the fire online. In addition, Beth Jacob offers a post-high school Maalot program through Neve Yerushalayim at which girls can study for the College Level Examination Program at the school itself. This nationwide program has been approved by the American Council on Education as comparable to the instruc- tion at major American colleges and uni- versities. The most common courses of study for Beth Jacob graduates are physical therapy, speech, special education and computer-related fields, Rabbi Mayerfeld said — "the types of jobs women with families like to have because of flexible hours, and also they are not sure where they are going to end up living, so they are getting creden- tialed for jobs they can carry with them." Yeshiva Beth Yehudah is more than a school, Rabbi Mayerfeld said. "We are not here just to make sure they have a body of knowledge, but a way of life," he said. "Study is valued highly, but the key is that everyone is valued. The obligation for each of us is to become lifelong learners and lifelong teachers." II JIMMY CHOO FOR TENDER Etc. Etc. Etc. JAMES DESIGNS FINE JEWELRY Old Orchard Mall 6659 Orchard Lake Rd. West Bloomfield MI 48322 24E1.626-44E14 VISA 913700 11/26 2004 19