I Spirituality

ON THE COVER

'Conservateens'

New Conservative Jewish learning program
unites high schoolers in one location.

Shell Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer

I

f "teens bring more teens:' as pro-
moters of an innovative commu-
nity-wide program expect, then the
newly formed Alliance for Teens in Detroit
(ATID) should tally a phenomenal number
of participants, with more than 200 in the
bag even before sign-up begins on April 7.
ATID (pronounced oh-TEED) will bring
students in grades 8-12 from three of
five area Conservative synagogues to a
Monday night program they will attend
together. Though the program is still in
formation, the synagogues committed
to ATID are Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills and Congregations Beth
Ahm in West Bloomfield and Shaarey
Zedek in Oakland County.
Congregations Beth Shalom in Oak
Park and B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield
may still sign on. If they don't participate
this year, they are welcome to join later.
In addition, even if their synagogues do
not become part of ATID, students from
those congregations may still participate.
So may teens not affiliated with any con-
gregation as well as those who belong to a
synagogue that is not Conservative. Some
members of area Orthodox and Reform
synagogues have expressed interest for
their children.
"This is not just 'bigger is better:" said
Rabbi Jason Miller, ATID's interim direc-
tor. "Detroit's Conservative movement is
unique in that colleagues all come togeth-
er on a regular basis for any major effort.
All of our synagogues get along great. This
is an opportunity to put all of our teens in
one great location, with a great faculty —
combining staff from several synagogues
— with great programs and resources and
an amazing curriculum!'
ATID will combine formal education,
such as Jewish text study and tradition,
along with informal Jewish education like
social action, all with the camaraderie of
these "Conservateens" — as Alan Yost,
executive director of Adat Shalom calls
them — coming together in the same
place.
The program will be based at Hillel

Adat Shalom members Mikole Levran, 16, of Farmington Hills and Rebecca Abrin, 17,
of Oak Park at a March 3 program for potential ATID teens.

Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in
Farmington Hills, deemed by ATID plan-
ners as the "physical and metaphorical
center of our Conservative Jewish com-
munity."
"We like it because it is a neutral site,
rather than holding classes at any of the
synagogues; and recent renovations offer
so much;' Miller said.
To promote ATID and to get teens
together in advance of the official launch
of the program this coming September,
a mega-kickoff event is planned Monday,

April 7, at Hillel. Israeli singer-songwriter
and recording artist Michael HarPaz, who
grew up in Metro Detroit, will perform live
with his band at his old alma mater. The
event also will include enrollment, refresh-
ments, iPod giveaways, prizes and games.
(See accompanying story on HarPaz.)

Why Now?
"Everyone says the Conservative world is
hurting;' Miller said. "How can we reverse
the trend? We start with the youth!'
He noted Jewish Theological Seminary

of America Chancellor Arnold Eisen's
vision to re-energize Conservative syna-
gogues and inspire Jewish leadership. "He
is pumping energy into the movement on
a national level; we can do it on a local
level:' Miller said. "Each of our local syna-
gogues already has a great program. We
are stronger together, so combining them
can only make it that much better. This is
not competitive. There is a vested interest
in Conservative Judaism in Detroit. This is
synergy at its best."
Miller says most parents of potential
students are excited about ATID.
"My grandsons are former Hillel stu-
dents who are not in a Hebrew school pro-
gram right now," said Maxine Gutfreund of
Oak Park, who read about an ATID infor-
mational program in the Jewish News. She
shared the information with her daughter,
Lynn Malkin of Oak Park, and Lynn's
sons, Jacob, 15, a student at Berkley High
School, and Benjamin, 14, who attends
Eton Academy in Birmingham.
"I was worried about them being in
a secular community in their schools:'
Gutfreund said. "I want them to have
friends of all backgrounds but it is also
important to have a place where they
can socialize with Jewish kids, especially
a place where they can meet a lot more
Jewish kids!'
Both teens attend Beth Ahm, where
they became b'nai mitzvah, and the
Conservative Isaac Agree Downtown
Synagogue in Detroit, neither of which
has a religious high school program. Both
boys will attend ATID this coming school
year, even after Jacob begins classes at the
Frankel Jewish Academy in the fall.
Outside of Michigan, enthusiasm grows
for ATID. Rabbi Robert Abramson and
Jules Gutin of the United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism (USCJ) in New York
made a trip to Detroit to meet with local
leadership about the new program.
Now director of the USCJ's department
of education, Abramson is a former head
of school at Hillel Day School.
Gutin, USCrs director of the depart-
ment of youth activities, said, "We came

'Conservateens' on page A42

March 27 • 2008

A41