Gideon Levinson,. 14, of Royal Oak puts on
tafillin during Millers daily morning service.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
S
hortly before Passover, 6-year-
old Emma Claire Zdrojewski
was having dinner in a local
restaurant with her mom and sister when
suddenly she began to belt out the "Four
Questions" for all to hear.
A woman from a nearby table came
over to them. "She looked right at Emma
Claire and said,`You must go to Hiller said
Emma's mom, Alisa, of Farmington Hills.
"Then she said to me,`I am a Jewish educa-
tor and I can always spot a Hillel student!"
Indeed, Emma Claire is student at Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in
Farmington Hills, nearing the end of first
grade.
"I wasn't surprised' Zdrojewski said. "On
occasion when people hear my kids talk
about what they are learning or hear the
questions they ask, it is generally assumed
they attend Hillel. I am always very proud!'
Emma Claire's sister, Zoe, 8, is a current
Hillel third-grader, and Tara, 21, and Rana,
18, both are Hillel graduates.
Beyond understanding the values of
Hillel for her children, Zdrojewski knows
them firsthand as a former Hillel student.
Like many at the school, hers is a multi-
generational Hillel family. Her brothers
attended Hillel and in turn, all her siblings
sent their children to Hillel, meaning some
Tara, Rana, Zoe and Emma Zdrojewski at Tara's 2008 Michigan State University
graduation.
cousins shared the school's hallways at the
same time.
"There was never any question that my
kids would attend Hillel," Zdrojewski said.
"I have nothing but great memories, and it
is fun to see my kids going to school with
the children of my Hillel classmates."
From '58 Forward
Founded in 1958 by the late Rabbi Jacob
Segal of Adat Shalom Synagogue, along
with a group of parents, educators, rabbis
and lay leaders, Hillel opened its doors
with three teachers, Principal Naomi
Floch and 29 students, who studied in two
rented rooms in a Labor Zionist building
in Detroit.
Since then, the school has moved twice
and expanded at the current location five
times.
Hillel was named in memory of a sage
who believed in the strength of commu-
nity and was known for his humility, pa-
tience and love of fellow human beings.
This year, the school — with its 578 kin-
dergarten through eighth-grade students
— commemorates its 50th anniversary.
Celebrations will culminate today, May
29, with a gala dinner at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. The Rabbi
Jacob Segal Award will be presented to past
Hillel parents, communal leader Susan Loss
and Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield. Past Hillel parents and
longtime supporters Robert and Marcie
Orley will receive the 2008 Dream Maker
Award. Marcie serves on Hillel's Goldman-
Hermelin Education Foundation, and
Robert is a past Hillel board president.
"We believe that a Hillel education is
transformative — not just for the stu-
dents, but for the family and ultimately for
the entire community:' Robert Orley said.
"Over the past 50 years, Hillel has a proven
track record of producing future Jewish
communal leadership. Hillel alumni are
making a difference in this community as
well as other Jewish communities all over
this country as well as Israel."
Rabbi Judah Isaacs, director of
Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education,
calls Hillel"a testament to the strength and
entrepreneurial spirit of our Detroit Jewish
community. At the time Hillel was founded,
the notion of a day school education com-
bining Judaic and secular learning and
integrating them into one school was a new
concept in America and in Detroit," he said.
50 And Counting on page A16
May 29 2008
A15