I
Letters
Sacred January
Kraft wrote that students are performing
poorly
on international exams and over-
For the 12th time in so many years, united
crowded
classrooms are not conducive to
we walked the 1.5 miles of Orchard Lake
learning.
Road from the West Bloomfield High
As supporters of ORT, the global educa-
School to the corner of Walnut Lake, which
tional
and training network, we have a
for the duration of the Jan. 16 walk was
special
stake in Israeli education — the
closed and became a pedestrian mall;
ORT
Israel
network has 160 schools and
what a pleasure.
colleges
that
enroll some 100,000 students.
We walked together all bundled up in
To
meet
the
needs
of this diverse popula-
the January Michigan cold weather — actu-
tion
—
including
students
with learning
ally it cooperated this year and wasn't as
disabilities,
advanced
students
and immi-
bad as other Martin Luther King Jr. holi-
grants
from
the
former
Soviet
Union
and
days. There were young and old, entire
Ethiopia
—
ORT
has
developed
some
inno-
families, Jews, Christians of all stripes and
vative programs that help students over-
colors, Muslims, Hindus and at least one
come the challenges of living in a society
Iranian of the obscure Bahaii religion.
fraught with the uncertainty of terror.
How do I know that? Because later on dur-
Through small study groups and indi-
ing the dialogues, I was briefly paired with
him and he was extremely excited when he vidualized attention, "Climbing the Math
Ladder" encourages students to study
found out that I am Israeli and very much
higher
levels of math and science, with the
aware of his rather obscure religion
goal
of
pursuing careers in these fields. To
because of the most beautiful Bahaii
assist
learning-disabled
students,
Temple and Persian Garden in Haifa.
Learning
Skills
Centers
provide
small
In front of me and my son Avi were a
group
tutorials,
counseling
and
workshops
couple of men carrying a B'nai B'rith ban-
ner. Right behind us, three Muslim women so that students can achieve their poten-
tials. ORT Israel's Moshinsky R&D
in Muslim traditional headdress carried a
Training
Center in Tel Aviv develops new
Muslim parents sign.
curricula
and offers teacher-training semi-
What a beautiful human sea of diversity
nars.
this was. During the morning program in
Initiatives such as Climbing the Math
the standing-room-only school auditorium
Ladder,
as well as ORT supported after-
students from a myriad of backgrounds
school
tutoring
sessions, have resulted in
annunciated this year's slogan "Walk in
ORT
students
having
the highest math and
Peace" in a myriad of languages, some of
English
test
scores
in
the
country. We are
them rather obscure; one of these lan-
confident
that
ORT's
programs,
which
guages was Hebrew, of course.
have
been
hailed
as
a
model
by
the
I do look forward to celebrate the life of
Ministry of Education, will help improve
this great leader whose message resonates
student performance and develop the next
this year even more than ever. Next year
generation
of leaders in technology. Israel's
will be the local walk's bar mitzvah year.
future
depends
on it.
Rachel Kapen
Women's American ORT
Joe Cohen, president
American ORT
We were disheartened to read about the
sad state of Israel's school system in Dina
Kraft's JTA article ("Struggling To Make
The Grade," Jan. 5, page 35),"With its edu-
cational system in dire straits, Israel ranks
near bottom of the developed world." Ms.
Jewish.com
Making Their Mark
There are only a few female
mohels in the United States, but
they feel they bring a new
warmth and sensitivity to the
ritual.
Sandra B. Shecter, president
Michigan Region Women's American ORT
Correction
• The Jan. 19 cover photo of Woody
Allen was taken by Clive Coote.
6 January 26 2006
ZOA Scholarships
Scholarship grants to students planning
to go on educational programs in 2006
to Israel will be offered by the Zionist
Organization of America.
Applications are available at the ZOA
office, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 350,
in Bloomfield Township.
Each applicant is required to submit
an application and an essay on "What
Isriel and Zionism Mean to Me,'_' the
financial cost of their study in Israel
and a recommendation letter from a
Jewish teacher or rabbi. Primary. con-
sideration will be given to the students
with Zionist motivations and ideals.
Application and essay deadline is May
19.
For information, contact ZOA, (248)
282-0088 or zoa@estart.com .
dotCOM SURVEY
Akiva Open House
Yeshivat Akiva will open its doors for
past, present and prospective parents on
.Tuesday, Jan. 31; Wednesday, Feb. 1; and
Thursday, Feb. 2.
Participants . may visit the school any
time between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and
observe classes, both Judaic and secular,
from early childhood through 12th grade.
Last Week's Results
Were your views of Judge
Samuel Alito changed by the
U.S. Senate confirmation hear-
ings?
The North American
International Auto Show opens
this week in Detroit. Will you
buy or lease a new car this year?
To vote, click on
JNonline.us/Opinion
86 percent said no
14 percent said yes
Read about it on Jewish.com .
Day ,of Remembrance
A program for Holocaust survivors and
their families will be held Monday, Jan.
30, 1-2 p.m. at the Jewish Community
Center in Oak Park.
The event, to mark United Nations
International Holocaust Remembrance
Day, will feature Hannan Lis speaking on
"The Holocaust and the Birth of the State
of Israel:' There will be a candlelighting
ceremony.
The World Federation of Jewish Child
Survivors of the Holocaust has selected
Detroit as the site for the annual interna-
tional conference Aug. 25-28.
For information about this gathering,
.see www.wfjcsh.org or call Rene
Lichtman, (248) 932-1834.
Judy Menikoff, national president
West Bloomfield
ORT Can Help
Digest
Yeshivat Akiva is a college preparatory,
dual curriculum pre-nursery through
12th grade Zionist day school at 21100 W.
12 Mile Road, Southfield.
Akiva's early childhood center offers
half- and full-day programming, and
Hebrew immersion and enrichment class-
es for children ages 3 through kinder-
garten.
For information, call Akiva, (248) 386-
1625.
Literacy Agenda
Volunteers will gain techniques for suc-
cessful tutoring at the Detroit Jewish
Coalition for Literacy (DJCL) Tuesday,
Feb. 7, workshop to be held from 4-5:30
p.m. at the Max M. Fisher Federation
Building in Bloomfield Township.
"SAIL: Students Actively Involved in
Learning," will be the focus of Annena
Z. McCleskey, regional Literacy Training
Center director of Wayne County RESA
and past president of the Michigan
Reading Association. She will share
tools to help students connect to text
and improve their word attack skills.
Free books for DJCL students, many
of whom have never owned a book, will
be distributed to the volunteers, cour-
tesy of First Book of Metropolitan
Detroit.
Founded and facilitated by the Jewish
Community Council, the DJCL engages
400 volunteers from 40 local Jewish
organizations, impacting students in
close to 40 schools in Detroit and
Oakland County through tutoring and
enrichment programs and book drives.
Council board member Irma Glaser
and past board member SallyJo Levine
co-chair the DJCL, which is an affiliate
of the National Jewish Coalition for
Literacy.
To register for the workshop or to
learn more about DJCL, contact Phyllis
Jarvis, (248) 642-5393, ext. 8, or
Jarvis@jfmd.org .
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