DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD.
It Doesn't Have To Cost A Fortune...Only Look Like It!

Metro

Shake-Up from page A13

Complete kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as furniture
design and installations including granite, wood and other materials.

Lois Heron Allied Member ASID 248 851 6989

-

1$54830

-

Residential renovation
and restoration

Celebrating 25 years of
exemplary service, exceptional
quality and an extraordinary
passion for perfection.

(

248.788.0100

6400 Farmington Rd

We'll take it fio There)

Suite 114 I West Bloomfield, MI 48322

You fight Cancer...
You control Diabetes...

We help families succeed
against Alcohol or

Substance Abuse.

800-523-8198

www.brightonhospital.org

30-day treatment
programs.
Discreet. Effective.
Nationally recognized.

SCIOHN
HEALTH•
BRIGHTON
HOSPITAL

12851 Grand River
Brighton, MI 48116

Kosher meals available.

1351350

A14 January 31 • 2008

munity members have raised concerns
about the transparency of procedures
by the board, breaches in the strong
sense of community at FJA and about
sensitivity to Jewish values in handling
the situation.
"I don't like keeping people in
the dark about something that's
becoming personal to us," said Fran
Chudnow of West Bloomfield. Two
of her sons are FJA graduates and a
third is a senior.
"When David started there in the
second year, it was a family, a com-
munity. Now it's bigger and doesn't
have quite that same feel. But I like
the fact the Jewish community has
come to another level because of the
Academy, and I don't want that to be
destroyed?"
Students seem to be handling the
situation well.
"The school is functioning normally
now, and we have good administrative
staff to take us to the end of the year,"
said Lior Shtull-Leber of Ann Arbor,
FJA student body president.
"Everything will still happen
— graduation, prom, the senior trip to
Israel. Just because we have changes in
the administration doesn't mean the
rules don't apply anymore.
"I'd say the overall student reaction,
beyond the mere shock, is disappoint-
ment. Of course, we're kids and we're
going to talk; but we're trying not to
gossip too much?'
Students are being especially sen-
sitive about the Jewish concept of
lashon hora, or gossip, because three
of Buckman's children are students at
the school.
"We know we won't find out what
happened, but it doesn't matter;' Lior
said. "We can use this time of change
to work on our school and make things
good. We've already been talking about
how to make town hall have a good
vibe this Friday?'

Moving Forward
Borovoy said the board will conduct
an extensive search for a new head of
school. A search committee already is
in formation.
"We will be networking through
many Jewish organizations throughout
the world, including PEJE [Partnership
for Excellence in Jewish Education],
the Avi Chai Foundation, JESNA
[Jewish Education Service of North
America] as well as contacts we have
in the school community throughout
the country;' Borovoy said.
"We are looking for a leader who can
maintain and completely support our

current mission, vision and religious
philosophy, a leader who loves Jewish
life and is capable of reaching students
to share that love of Jewish life
Borovoy says he hopes to have some-
one in place at the beginning of the
next academic school year.
"It's certainly a challenge to find
heads of school:' said Jonathan
Woocher of the New York-based
JESNA. "It's always challenging. It's an
extremely demanding position that
requires multiple skills, and most
schools have high standards.
"This is not an isolated challenge
in Detroit. The best in the [Jewish
educational] field are trying to come
together around this issue. A couple
of programs prepare leaders for day
schools, but it's a narrower field [to
draw from] for day high schools and
community high schools?"
Woocher said each of the commu-
nity Jewish high school around the
country has a different history, but said
some schools have had the founding
head of school move on.
Rabbi Judah Isaacs, head of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Alliance for Jewish Education,
said, "We will work with the agency
to make sure the plans will allow the
school to grow and develop. We are
not involved in the operations of the
school or other agencies. We have to
believe the agencies are making deci-
sions right for them.
"It is a concern for Federation, but
we are looking for the school to pro-
vide plans for the future. We're all con-
cerned along those lines in making the
school the best it can be he said.
Dina Shtull-Leber reflects the opti-
mism in the school that Borovoy and
the board plan to build on as they
search for a new leader.
"No, I'm not concerned:' she said.
"I take my daughter's leadership as
an example. She is trying valiantly to
maintain the school's spirit despite her
sadness. Families will rise to the occa-
sion.
"Deep down, I wish they could have
found a different way to do it and not
to disrupt the students and faculty
mid-year. I don't know the details of
the situation, but I trust they were act-
ing in good judgment!"
Borovoy, father of two FJA graduates,
will end his term in June.
"I got involved because I love the
school and feel it's important for Jews
to be as educated as possible about
Judaism:' he said. "I'm optimistic
things will progress well and the
school will continue to flourish?'

❑