'Terns
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pscaLe.
-
say
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price

THe

James Olekszyk of Shelby Township, Julia Hunko of Sterling Heights,

THC

TaGS

OTHCTWISC

Danielle Bluford and Michael Brown, both of West Bloomfield

to find the presumed second gate,"
said Pytlik."Our group worked long
and hard and the students did a tre-
mendous job. By the end of our all-
too-brief week, we managed to find
what appears to be the outline of the
city gate, which is very similar, thus
far, to the gate already found on the
other side of the site. The dig direc-
tor from Hebrew University was
quite excited, but we must let them
announce any final interpretations."

Steady Growth

Oakland University's Judaic Studies
Program was launched within the
university's College of Arts and
Sciences in 2007. It started out
small, with an initial contribution
from Birmingham attorney and OU
Trustee Henry Baskin in memory
of his late parents, Max and Gladys
Baskin.
"When I was first appointed to
the board of trustees in 1996, I real-
ized there was this vast population
of kids; but there was no Hillel and
there was no recognition of Jewish
people?' Baskin recalls. "I was hop-
ing to foster a better understanding
of the Jewish religion, history and
culture and allow people who'd never
met anyone Jewish to find out more?'
When the program began, six
classes were offered with 104 stu-
dents participating. In just two short
years, the number of courses has
doubled to 12 and 172 students are
currently enrolled. The university is
also working to strengthen its Hillel
chapter on campus through Hillel
of Metro Detroit and is exploring
partnerships between its medical

Julia Hunko by the Mediterranean

Sea in Tel Aviv

school and Hadassah Medical Center
in Israel. The program continues to
educate students with the goal of
((appreciation for differences and the
discovery of similarities?'
"This academic year alone, three
new courses were offered — Women
in the Bible, Archaeology of Israel,
and Jewish Literature?' wrote Ronald
Sudol, dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, in a recent letter to
Baskin. "The upcoming fall schedule
includes two new courses which are
Jewish Ethics and the History of
the Hebrew Language. The financial
and volunteer support of the Jewish
community has nurtured this vital
program. We look forward to seeing
the Judaic Studies Program continue
to grow and flourish."

BARGAINS EVERYWHERE
OUTDOOR DINING
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
KIDS' BIKE PARADE
FREE PARKING ALL DAY

IT ALL SRTS HERE

❑

Oakland University is located at 2200 N. Squirrel Road in Rochester. For
information about its programs and courses, go to www4.oakland.edu or
call (248) 370-2100.

For more info, call 248.530.1200 or visit enjoybirmingham.com

July 23 • 2009

A13