Metro

Joining Forces

Brent Hertz, Ben Peven, A.J. Dembs, Danny Keen, Noah Eubanks, Lauren Hertz, and Lauren Hackel
during last year's pilot program with Shir Tikvah and Kol Ami.

Innovative, cross-denominational program includes
students from six synagogue high schools.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Staff Writer

T

his fall, more than 100
local high school stu-
dents will be attending
classes that will include a reli-
giously based curriculum with
catchy titles like "Judaism Meets
the Fockers" (a movie reference)
and "Jews in Outer Space."
The students — coming
from six area congregational
schools — will collaborate in
a first-time program, bridging
religious streams as it connects
the teens in both academic and
social programming.
Beginning in November, four
Conservative and two Reform
supplemental, religious schools
will merge their student bodies
into N'siyah: A Journey in Jewish
Education for High School
Students.
Born out of a series of meet-
ings of the multi-denomination-
al Metro Detroit Board of Jewish
Educators (MDBJE), the schools
will include some or all of their

22

August 10 • 2006

grades for a choice of five- or
10-week blocks of classes. They
will be taught by clergy, teachers
and educational directors from
each participating school.
After several discussions
among MDBJE members over
the last several years, the reli-
gious high schools at the Reform
synagogues Congregation Shir
Tikvah in Troy and Temple Kol
Ami in West Bloomfield ran a
pilot program combining their
65 students in a four-week-
long experimental -high school
learning opportunity. "They
reported their success back to
the group and said they planned
to repeat the collaboration
again this year," said Daniella
HarPaz Mechnikov, director of
education at Congregation B'nai
Moshe in West Bloomfield.
The group decided to expand
the Kol Ami-Shir Tikvah pro-
gram, inviting other Jewish
congregational high schools
to participate. Conservative
high schools at Bnai Moshe,
Congregation Beth Ahm in

West Bloomfield, Congregation
Beth Shalom in Oak Park and
Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills signed on.

Expanding The Fun
N'siyah classes will range from
those with more traditional top-
ics like prayer, theology, Zionism
and Talmud to those with atten-
tion-grabbing titles like, "Sex
in the Text;' "Judaism Rocks"
and "Blood in the Bible." A
kosher dinner will kick off each
Monday evening session.
Students in classes on
Halachah (Jewish law), prayer
and other topics that may
differ between Reform and
Conservative will be divided by
denomination.
The code of conduct for
N'siyah is a blending together of
those used by the Conservative
United Synagogue Youth and
the Reform North American
Federation of Temple Youth.
Rabbi Aaron Starr, direc-
tor of Shir Tikvah's Sam and
Jean Frankel Family Education

Program, created
N'siyah classes will
the N'siyah mis-
I be held at Temple
sion statement. He
Beth El, which has
and Mechnikov
the space to accom-
worked on the
modate the group and
curriculum, while
is , centrally located
Kol Ami's direc-
to the included syna-
tor of education,
gogues. "The program
Andrea Liberman,
may not fit for Beth El
who ran last year's
right now but they are
Daniella Mechnikov
pilot program with
participating by offer-
Rabbi Starr, oversees
ing us their building
administrative issues.
for only operational costs:' said
After N'siyah was founded,
Mechnikov. "And the kids in
Mechnikov said, "I thought we
our program may also have the
needed to also invigorate our
opportunity to interact socially
eighth-grade programs." So,
with the students at Beth El.
with suggestions
"At this age, the
from Liberman, she
social benefits of
created a multi-
interacting with a
school curriculum
large group of Jewish
for eighth-graders
kids gives a lot of
as an offshoot of
energy. All the kids
the high school pro-
involved in N'siyah
gram.
go to public schools,
Most of the six
and some are not in
N'siyah participant
schools with large
schools have already Rabbi Star r
groups of Jewish
signed on for the
students. So anything
program which
that fosters a large
. will begin this fall. The schools
community for them is great?"
will rotate hosting the group,
At the end of the school year
with frequent off-site visits
the future of the program will
incorporated into the program.
be evaluated. Mechnikov said,
Each area of the curriculum
`My personal hope is for it con-
will include a related hands-on
tinue — and with more schools
learning experience, such as a
becoming involved!' fl
visit to a kosher bakery follow-
Great Sale At JCC
ing a lesson on kashrut. The
On Sunday, Aug. 20, from 10
group will learn about Jewish
a.m.-3 p.m. there will be a
culture and visit Jewish com-
Community Garage Sale and
munal agencies, a funeral home
Bookstock Judaica Book Sale at
and a mikvah and will have a -
the Jewish Community Center
session taught by a mohel (ritu-
in Oak Park:
al circumciser) and learn a basic
The Bookstock sale will
training routine from a member
continue through Aug. 22. In
of the Israel Defense Forces.
addition, food for purchase
N'siyah's mini-sessions will
will be available from 173
take place twice a year, sand-
Express.
wiched between five-week
Space is still available for
blocks of classes that each group
vendors who wish to sell their
takes with only their own fellow
items; call Penny, (248) 967-
congregants.
4030.
"This gives the students
Admission is free to this
the best of both programs,"
sale,-which is spdnsored
Liberman said.
by Bookstock, the Jewish
"Students will gain a greater
Community Center and JARC.
understanding of their congre-
All proceeds from this sale go
gations, principles and move-
to support programming at the
ments as they learn and share
local sponsoring organizations.
together with others."

