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Amalya Winer, 6, of Oak Park enjoys holding a toy Torah during an Akiva
Rosh Hashanah program.

instruction, as well

as from hands-on

experience in a strong

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West Michigan economy.

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GRANDVALLEY

STATE UNIVERSITY

Nine years ago, Professor Jeffrey
Haus started a Jewish Studies program
from scratch at Kalamazoo College.

Today, K offers an array of classes, including
modem Hebrew, and other opportunities for
students, such as study abroad in Israel.

!k i

"It's been very rewarding, especially when
we can trace students' post-graduation career
entry directly to our program."

Professor Haus says Jewish Studies at K has
contributed to campus intellectual and
cultural life, and raised the College's profile
beyond the campus.

by Eugene Sherizen, is working with
architect Paul A. Corneliussen of French
Associates Inc. in Rochester and with
Andrew Klein, president and CEO of
Rand Construction in Brighton.
"The community response and
the generosity of the Farber fam-
ily and the Davidson Foundation, in
conjunction with the contributions of
the Federation and its all-important
Centennial Fund, are a stirring acknowl-
edgement of the vital role that Akiva and
Modern Orthodoxy play within the land-
scape of the greater Detroit Jewish com-
munity:" said Korman, ad hoc committee
member and past Akiva president, who
now serves as an executive board vice
president.
"We are humbled by and grateful to
all our donors, no matter the amount
given. The success of the Akiva 50th
Anniversary Improvement Plan is a
game changer for everyone at Akiva,
most importantly our students, and is
critical to attracting even more Modern
Orthodox families to migrate to Detroit
in the future:'
At a cost of $12.5 million, the
68,621-square-foot building will be 3,000

A side benefit for him has been advising the
Jewish Student Organization and other K
students.

"I am a Jewish Studies professor and an
academic, but also a mentor who
plays a facilitating role," he said.

Mor

kzoo.edu/Admission

Grace Kleinfeldt and Nava Feldman,
both 8, both of Huntington Woods,

KALAMAZOO
COLLEGE

have fun in matching blue-and-white
skirts at an Israeli-themed Akiva
program.

square feet larger than the current one,
which will remain fully functional dur-
ing construction. The new two-story
building is expected to be completed
in time for the 2016-2017 school year,
with a ribbon cutting-opening ceremony
slated for next fall.
The old building will be demolished,
except for the 9,257-square-foot gym,
which was built 10 years ago. Two mul-
tipurpose rooms and classrooms will be
added.
The school hopes to salvage the origi-
nal stained glass from the sanctuary as a
way to preserve a piece of history from
the synagogue once housed in the build-
ing.
The old parking lot area will be filled
with a soccer field, garden and green
spaces.

Inside The Building
Among the 275 students enrolled for the
upcoming school year are those from
third-generation Akiva families. There
are 70 students in AldvSs Lowenthal
High School. Akiva, Metro Detroit's first
and only Orthodox, Zionist, Jewish day
school, provides for academic needs of
students with special needs. An enrich-
ment program allows gifted and talented
students to attend sessions in math and
language arts.
Current Akiva tuition ranges from
$10,980 for ECC students to $17,400 for
the high school. Each family also con-
tributes to a building fund annually.
Tuition does not cover the expense
of educating the student body, but
Akiva has no debt. Tuition assistance
comes from the annual Lead the Way
fundraising campaign and the Shiffman
Family Tuition Assistance Fund. This
school year's combined allocation from
Federation's Annual Campaign and other
funding sources to Akiva is $828,392.
A search is under way for a new head
of school after Rabbi Tzvi Klugerman
stepped down from this position at the

Ready, Set, Build! on page 20

18 August 20 • 2015

JN