Metro

AROUND OWN

Back To School

Yeshivat Akiva hosts multi-generational reunion.

Sari Zalesin of Royal Oak

(class of 1982) and Jeff
Goodstein of Ferndale
(class of 1988)

T

hey go by in a flash, but our school days are some of the most formative days of
our lives. That's why about 150 Yeshivat Akiva alumni and their families flocked
back to the Modern Orthodox Zionist day school in Southfield for the "ultimate
class reunion." Students from 1964 to the present were invited to attend a barbecue and
celebration July 6 to share childhood memories and catch up on
current Akiva happenings.
"I fondly remember school assemblies, Lag b'Omer outings
and field trips:' said Jenny Mandelbaum Nadoff, a 1983 Akiva
graduate who now lives in Chicago. "I also look fondly on my
many teachers who worked hard to give us a great education in
both Hebrew and English studies."
Yeshivat Akiva has been providing a secular and Jewish
education to students from nursery school through 12th grade
for more than four decades. But this is the first school reunion
that's ever been held. Some former students came from faraway
places like New York; others still live and work here in Metro
Detroit.

"There was a good mix of people across the years:' said Executive Director Sidney
Katz of Southfield (a 1987 Akiva graduate). "What we're trying to do is let people know
what Akiva is about. A lot of people assume we're bringing up rabbis, but we have a lot of
doctors, lawyers and professionals among our alumni as well. We hope this was the start
of developing a stronger relationship with our graduates."
For Nadoff and many other attendees, it was the first time back on the school grounds
in years.
"I still recall the things I learned, and I enjoy sharing stories from my Akiva days
with my children:' she said. "It was great to see some former faculty members and other
faces from the past. They helped shape who we are and they hold a special place in our
hearts:'
Spotted in the ultimate reunion crowd were: Joey Selesny, Joseph Greenbaum and
Sara Kornblum, all of Southfield; Nancy Kleinfeldt of Huntington Woods; Becky
and Erie Skoczylas of Atlanta, Ga.; Debbie Schlussel and Brian Schon, both of West
Bloomfield; Jason Brown and Leah Unger, both of Oak Park; David Cohen of Berkley;
and Sari Zalesin of Ferndale.

❑

Na'RY Art: ,

Akiva flebrew Ddy :`

.Stjzostak

Debbie Kirshner, class of 1979, with her daughter, Elizabeth,

Brittney Kohn of West Bloomfield and

14, of Oak Park, Mira Glazer, class of 1979, of Cleveland, Cheryl
Jerusalem, class of 1979, and her daughter Noa, 15, of Oak Park

Steven Lefkowitz of Southfield, both
alumni class of 2004

Dr. Howard Korman, president of the board, and Sidney
Katz, executive director, both of Southfield

July 17 • 2008

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