Focus from page 38

12th-grade option.
Meanwhile, Detroit's Hillel Day School
has been tracking our metropolitan area's
disturbing demographic trends for years
and, among other things, has marketed
"lateral entry" opportunities for students to
switch from public schools. Middle school
(grades six through eight) is a logical "lateral
entry" point. Upon graduation from eighth
grade, approximately half of Hillel students
choose to attend Frankel Jewish Academy.
Enrollment figures show that Hillel's eighth-
grade classes will not be as large as in the
past, requiring Frankel to secure students
from other sources.
In a nutshell, students from Ann Arbor
who continue their Jewish educations at
Hillel and Frankel would pay tuition dollars
to those schools that, because of how classes
and sections are structured, would provide
needed black ink for their financial state-
ments.

Benefits For All

Here is a scenario to illustrate this. Imagine
if just two students each year from the
graduating fifth grade at the Ann Arbor
Hebrew Day School choose to come to Hillel
Day School. Assume that a midpoint for
annual tuition (factoring in scholarship eli-
gibility, etc.) is constant at $12,000. By the
end of year three, Hillel would have received
$144,000 in tuition payments and $72,000
annually thereafter.
Frankel would obtain similar financial
benefits, receiving $240,000 over a four-year
period and $96,000 annually thereafter, if two
students a year continued to come from Ann
Arbor, via Hillel Day School, to Frankel.
In talking with parents and school adminis-
trators, the enabler for this scenario is reliable
transportation, particularly for those who
are below the legal driving age. This is where
the creativity and resources of the Detroit
and Ann Arbor Jewish communities could be
tapped and a viable option formalized, such as
a sponsored van or mini-bus service.
The interactions required, especially
between the Ann Arbor Hebrew Day School
and Hillel Day School, would generate addi-
tional dividends. They might include cost
savings from joint purchases, technology
support, teacher training and development,
teacher sharing, curriculum enhancement
and marketing coordination.
Leadership from the Ann Arbor Hebrew
Day School, Hillel Day School, Frankel
Jewish Academy, Federation's Alliance for
Jewish Education and the Shiffman Day
School Tuition Assistance Fund should con-
vene to further explore, rework and refine a
kindergarten through 12th-grade day school
continuum. It would create benefits for both
communities, model collaborative behavior
that shatters artificial barriers and enhance
our narrative — especially to young adults
and young families — about the options
for living Jewishly in Detroit and our entire

Guest Column

Rethinking Israel Advocacy
On The College Campus

T

he college campus has long been known as a
tolerable hub for anti-Israel sentiment. Young
minds passionate for a cause and willing to
work diligently and shamelessly to see it come about
have historically been welcomed with open arms in the
world of academia.
Thus, it is no surprise that many anti-Israel move-
ments at universities are led by bright, charismatic
young men and women possessing a wealth of lead-
ership skills. Israel Apartheid Week, the Free Gaza
Movement and the Students for Justice in
Palestine have emerged as just a handful
of highly organized and strategic anti-Israel
campaigns active on campuses throughout
the country.
Yet when it comes to the Arab-Israeli
peace process, there is another breed of
college student – perhaps the one often not
given enough attention by the pro-Israel
community. It is the student who does not
feel any cultural or personal connection
to the Middle East conflict and whose only
source of information on the matter comes
from the casual flipping of television stations and
newspaper articles. And while some students make
more of an effort to stay informed of current events
than others, there are so many events taking place in
our world it is difficult, if not impossible, for any col-
lege student to give the conflict the proper attention or
thought it deserves. I think when it comes to the Arab-
Israeli conflict, most students don't possess an opinion
at all.
So why should the 20-something, worried about an
organic chemistry quiz, where to go to lunch and scroll-
ing down his iPhone to check his email, bother to even
approach the Israel advocacy table you have set up in
the quad – aside from the great free pens and delicious
blue and white cupcakes you have so meticulously
frosted? Why should he even care?
Throughout my college career, and greatly influenced
by the Hillel of Metro Detroit Israel Fellowship, I have
become more convinced that if we are to devise an
effective strategy for advocating on behalf of Israel,
we should highlight the aspects of Israel that will serve
best to captivate others' interest and, ultimately, their
support.
Instead of war crimes, settlements and the Apartheid
Wall being synonymous with Israel, images of high-tech
startup clubs, the Tel Aviv art scene or even supermod-
el Bar Rafaeli should instead pop up in people's minds.
We should promote the fact that Israel has the high-
est ratio per capita of university degrees, household
computers, biotech startup companies and Nobel Prize
laureates than any nation in this world. Definitely popu-
lar amongst college students would also be Israel's
women's rights laws, which are even more strict than
certain U.S. policies, its extension of voting rights to
the Arab community and its highly skilled disaster
response teams – the same teams that assisted Boston
in the recent marathon bombings.
Many may find this approach superficial and trivial-

izing – especially considering the holiness of the Land
of Israel, its biblical ties, its history and the lives that
have been lost to guarantee its independence and
security. Yet times are different now, and Israel's public
image is critical to our continued survival as an auton-
omous nation.
I think of it as a true form of kiddush Hashem (sanc-
tifying God's holy name) – simply under the guise of a
very clever PR scheme.
When this view of Israel as a technological and
cultural mecca becomes more and more
ingrained in the public's mind, we can then
begin to put forth another image of Israel –
one that transcends SodaStream bottles, USB
drives and Eilat beaches – one that we hold
far more dear to our hearts. Indeed, a com-
pletely apolitical approach that imbues noth-
ing to the student body other than a univer-
sal love of Sabra hummus would ultimately be
an injustice to Israel and completely demean
the intelligence of college students. We must
address political issues surrounding Israel –
yet still take careful and decisive measures to
highlight the positive.
Making the public conscious of the fact that we are
the only democracy to exist in the Middle East is cru-
cial. And while, yes, Israel possesses countless flaws,
the tremendous progress it has made is unique for a
country just 65 years old, and considering the rather
bleak neighborhood it finds itself in, nothing short of
remarkable.
We can illustrate to the world how crucial it is for
such a presence to exist in the Middle East and what
a mutually beneficial relationship Israel and America
possess. And, ultimately, we should discuss our sin-
cere longings for peace – or a day when neither Israeli
nor Arab mother be forced to send her child to battle.
While this combined apolitical/political approach
of Israel advocacy is the most effective strategy the
media at large could use for garnering support for
Israel, I think an excellent place to start is the col-
lege campus. Not because the college student's mind
is impressionable and easily swayed, but just the
opposite. Unlike many members of our community,
college students possess a true intellectual curiosity.
Skeptical by nature, students are more willing than
most to engage in a dialogue in order to uncover the
real story.
So why don't we provide them with precisely that
– the real story. Let's take them beyond the limited,
often biased portrayal of Israel in the media and make
them aware of Israel's true objectives for peace, its
advanced technology, its thriving art and cultural
scene and so much more. After all, it is truly a combi-
nation of all of these elements that comprise the real
Israel story. ❑

Eryn Fox just finished her second year at Wayne State University

and lives in Oak Park.

May 30 • 2013

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