New MEAP Dates Hillel Board Off Base Special Writer Don Cohen wrote about the scheduling of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program and celebration of the Jewish High Holidays this fall ("MEAP Conflict," July 14, page 24). Parents of Michigan's public school children are well acquainted with MEAT. This program is used to assess the instructional effectiveness of schools, as well as establishing compliance with federal No Child Left Behind regula- tions and even eligibility for Michigan scholarship money. In recent years, the MEAP has been, rightfully, referred to as "high-stakes testing." It is no surprise then that members of the Jewish community expressed con- cern when the Michigan Department of Education scheduled the testing window in October at a period encompassing the High Holidays. In the J/V, our spokesperson, Judy Evola, is accurately quoted as saying in the Walled Lake Schools, "We will work to ensure Jewish students and staff are not adversely affected" by this potential scheduling conflict. I am now pleased to report that our request for an additional week in which to test our students has been granted by the Michigan Department of Education. This will allow us to begin our MEAP testing on Oct. 6, the day after the observance of Rosh Hashanah. We will do no MEAP testing on Oct. 13 and 14, to accommodate the observance of Yom Kippur. The Walled Lake Consolidated School District celebrates diversity and consid- ers it an asset for all of our students. As a result, we are pleased to make these accommodations in our calendar to ensure the many religious traditions rep- resented in our student body are respect- ed and accommodated. Praise to Robert Sklar and his excellent Kol ha kavod to my friend and fellow Editor's Notebook, "Snubbing Detroit Hillel alum-parent Naomi Levine for Jewry" (Sept. 1, page 5). If the Jewish her letter ("Hillel And Labor Day," community were to invite an avowed Sept. 1, page 8) decrying the decision racist to Detroit and give that person a by the board of Hillel Day School of key to the city and treat that person Metropolitan Detroit to withdraw with respect and dignity, the African recognition of the Hillel Federation of American community would be in an Teachers. uproar. My daughter Amy attended Hillel The Jewish community should raise from second grade through eighth their common voice loud and clear to grade, graduating in 1995. My family was proud that Hillel teachers were part the city of Detroit for their pathetic embrace of Rev. Louis Farrakhan. He of a union and that the school recog- and his cohort in the Black Panther nized and negotiated with the union, Party, Malik Zulu Shabazz, have a long, despite some rocky moments and even loud and clear history of anti-Semitism. the occasional strike. Their anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rheto- Here in Michigan — where many ric is undeniable. brave working people risked (and in The Anti-Defamation League is some cases, lost) their lives to organize a appalled that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick labor union movement and through it and the city of Detroit would insult the to achieve decent working conditions 'Jewish community by honoring a man and justice for millions of American like Rev. Farrakhan. workers — the board of directors of a Let the ADL be the first to sign on to Jewish school whose mission is to teach Torah to the next generation seems, to me, to have lost its way. Many grandparents and great-grand- parents of today's middle-aged genera- tion of American Jews, including, I would guess, at least some members of the Hillel Day School board, were part of the labor movement and recognized labor's critical role in the unending challenge to fulfill the Torah's mandate, Tzedek, tzedek tirdof— "Justice, justice you shall pursue. I regret that the Hillel teachers felt under such pressure this past week that they gave up the fight and accepted individual contracts in lieu of union representation. I had hoped there would be such support for their cause in the Hillel and Detroit Jewish com- munities that the Hillel board would reverse its decision and continue to rec- ognize the union. Sadly, we will never know if this might have been the case. James R. Geisler 9/ 8 2005 6 officially rebuke the city of Detroit. There are black leaders in this country that deserve our praise and recognition. Louis Farrakhan is not one of them. Betsy S. Kellman ADL regional director Bloomfield Township My Grandfather's Photo! In the Aug. 25 issue, there appeared a picture of a group of Detroit philan- thropists who were instrumental in the establishment of Israel's' Bar-Ilan University ("A Proud Legacy" page 62). Among that group, one tall, dis- tinguished gentleman was unidenti- fied. That man was my maternal grandfather Louis Nosanchuk, who was a cousin of the Stollman family. His generosity was exceeded only by his piety. Dr. Manuel Sklar Franklin LETTERS on page 8 " superintendent Walled Lake Schools Nancy F. Kaplan Jewish.com dotCOM SURVEY • Softball In Yiddish At a vacation center near Albany, N.Y., every activity, from morning cal- isthenics to volleyball to roasting marshmallows under the stars, takes place entirely in Yiddish. Read about it on Jewish.com . No To Farrakhan West Bloomfield Do you blame the Bush administra- tion for the slow response to Hurricane Katrina? To vote, click on JNOnline.com. This 1951 photo taken in Abe and Laura Nusbaum's basement includes Professor Pinkhos Churgin, Bar-Ilan's first president, seated. Surrounding him, from left, are Phillip Stollman, Irving Schlussel, Max Stollman, Arthur Gellman, David I. Berris, Morris Berris, Abe Nusbaum, Louis Nosanchuk, Morris Kaner, Rabbi Samuel Prero and Daniel Temchin. Last Week's Results Do you have a close friend or relative who was affected by Hurricane Katrina? 37% said yes 63% said no How To Send Letters: We prefer letters relating to JNarticles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Brevity is encouraged. Letter writers are limited in frequen- cy of publication. Letters must be received by 9 a.m. Monday for consideration that week. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. 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