Special Report

ENGAGING YOUTH

Education from page 19

Ortonville, just down the road from
Tamarack Camps.
His formal education included stud-
ies at the University of Pittsburgh and
Harvard University and more study at
Hebrew University.
Professionally, his circle of influence
has consistently grown. He has been a
classroom teacher and a school principal,
headed the Jewish agencies coordinat-
ing community education in Milwaukee
and Columbus, and served as executive
director of the national Coalition for
the Advancement of Jewish Education
(CAJE) and as a consultant for PELIE, the
Partnership for Effective Learning and
Innovative Education.
Don Sylvan, director of the Jewish
Education Service of North America
(JESNA), a well-respected national
organization spearheading constructive
change in Jewish education, says Detroit
has provided leadership on Jewish educa-
tion nationally; and that it has the "very
strong" professional it deserves in Lasday.
"In an era with as much change — and
the many opportunities — facing Jewish
education today, Jeff seems to me to be
the perfect professional to lead Detroit's
Jewish education efforts:' Sylvan says.
"Jeff's range of experience, both as a
local and national leader, has allowed him
to see and be part of many of the innova-
tions that have taken place Sylvan says.
"He brings both the broad view about
what innovations have worked throughout
North America as well as the experience
about how to make things work on the
community lever
Michael Eizelman of Oak Park is co-
chair of the board of Federation's Alliance.
He thinks having a new director will help
the board and community look at things
in new ways.
"The Jewish community is in a period
of change in our educational institu-
tions, our synagogues and organizations,
and change is difficult;' Eizelman says.
"While Jeff brings tremendous experi-
ence in Jewish education, working across
the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox
spectrum, being new to Detroit gives him
a greater ability to look at things without
the shackles of pre-existing relationships
with people and institutions. This can help
effectuate any changes that are needed:"
Alliance Co-Chair Karen Alpiner
of Franklin is pleased with Lasday's
approach, saying he "has already begun to
roll up his sleeves and begun moving our
Jewish education efforts forward:'
"Jeff is the consummate professional
and team player, understands the key
issues facing our Jewish community
and has a pragmatic, thoughtful approach
to addressing issues;' she says. "This

20 December 16 • 2010

allows him to be proactive, rather than
reactive to the issues we need to address,
including prioritizing communal needs
amidst great economic challenges and
demographic shifts:'

Finding Answers Here
Lasday would be the first to tell you he
doesn't come with a ready plan for Detroit
or Jewish education in general, but he
increasingly knows the questions and how
a community develops and implements
the answers. And he sees Detroit as a great
place to develop answers.
"I was very impressed with the commu-
nity's commitment to Jewish education,
the amazing institutions that are here and
the amount of funds being spent:' he says.
This coincides with the rise of national
foundations investing heavily in formal
and informal Jewish education, everything

from day schools and camps to Birthright
Israel.
Lasday also likes heading a central com-
munal agency because of the diversity it
represents. "You get to cross all the lines
— Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and
others — and work with the entire Jewish
community:' he says.
Besides ideological lines, he wants to
cross institutional lines, too. For example,
he asks, "What would a year-round learn-
ing experience for kids look like?"
He envisions the Jewish Community
Center, Tamarack Camps, synagogues,
schools and youth groups working on an
integrative experience for kids. He sees
making advances in Jewish education as
similar to making advances in medicine,
where specialists increasingly collaborate
to work on different components of the
body, breaking down walls to promote

better overall health.
Collaboration also can be strengthened
by Federation departments working
together. "We have a very strong Israel
department; and Detroit is a Zionist,
Israel-oriented community:' Lasday says.
"We want to be working closely with
them."
Not surprisingly, Federation CEO Scott
Kaufman likes the idea of bringing the
community together to offer a wide range
of high-quality offerings.
"Under Jeff's stewardship, I see the AJE
as the connector of a strategic mosaic
where all of our community's formal and
informal educational outlets [schools, con-
gregations, camps, the JCC, the Federation
and other organizations] will together
create a richness of Jewish experience that
will be second to none says Kaufman. "I
think Detroit can be to Jewish education

JTS honors Hillel's Head of School Steve Freedman.

Jennifer Arapoff

Special to the Jewish News

hen Steve Freedman took a
job as a camp counselor cho-
reographing musicals as a
high school student, he had no idea
his life's work would revolve around
leadership and education. But it
was indeed the first of a succession
of positions where he taught, led,
inspired and motivated students to
reach their full potential.
Today, Freedman is head of Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit – a
Farmington Hills-based Jewish com-
munity school.
Among his various achievements
since taking the position at Hillel six
years ago are a new math curricu-
lum, revamped Judaic curriculum and
Hebrew immersion programs, reno-
vated science labs, the introduction of
an Early Childhood Center and state-
of-the-art technology throughout the
school.
Now Freedman can add the title of
doctor to his list. He was awarded an
honorary doctor of pedagogy degree
from the Jewish Theological Seminary
(JTS) during convocation for Jewish
educators on Nov. 1 in New York City.
JTS awarded honorary degrees to
Freedman and 12 other distinguished
members of the Jewish Educators
Assembly (JEA) in recognition of their
years of service and their contribu-

W

tions to the field of Jewish education.
Freedman earned his master's
degree in Jewish education from JTS
and is a past president of the JEA.
"Steve received an honorary doctor-
ate from JTS in recognition of all that
he has done to raise the standards for
Jewish education, not only at Hillel,
but in Detroit and other communi-
ties where his leadership has made a
difference," said Michele Siegal, JTS
Great Lakes Region assistant director.
Before taking the position as head
of Hillel Day School, Freedman served
as educational director at Beth
Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park,
Pa., for more than a decade. He also
held several other leadership posi-
tions at synagogues and schools in
Pennsylvania and New York. According
to Freedman, these positions were the
foundation for his 21st-century learn-
ing approach and his ultimate vision
for Hillel.

Providing Direction

"Twenty-first century education is
about innovation, critical thinking,
problem solving, collaboration, cre-
ativity and discovery," Freedman said.
"In a complex world, all learning must
be built on a foundation of moral and
ethical behavior, which a Jewish day
school like Hillel is uniquely qualified
to provide.
"At Hillel, technology is a power-
ful tool to provide opportunities for

authentic 21st-century learning. Our
approaches to this kind of education
are based on solid research that our
teachers learn from and then apply in
the classroom."
A contingent of 20 parents, alumni,
Hillel leaders, supporters and family
as well as former heads of Hillel – Dr.
Mark Smiley, who also was honored,
and Rabbi Robert Abramson – attend-
ed the JTS convocation.
"At Hillel, we inspire a passion for
learning, responsibility to self and
community, and devotion to Jewish
living in a warm and engaging environ-
ment," said Nancy Adler, president
of Hillel's board, who attended the
convocation. "No one embodies those
ideals more than Steve himself, and it
translates to everything he does here
at the school."
Clara Gaba, who also attended the
convocation, agrees. A teacher at Hillel
for more than 19 years, she has seen
the school evolve and is proud to be
part of the dual-curriculum day school.
"Hillel is a learning community
where the school's pedagogical vision
comes to life within the classroom,"
she said. "As a teacher under Steve's
leadership, I have watched the school
create and implement many new ini-
tiatives. Whether these initiatives
are technologically based [including
SMART Boards in every classroom],
reflections of Hillel's ideology or apply
to professional development, they are