NI

DE

t\la

rr iA .he

4.1 1 /.
Bill and Audrey Farber, center, surrounded by their family and Rabbi Harold Loss

of Temple Israel

Next Chapter

Akiva name change reflects
the Farber gift to a new building.

.,5t0Ac ., 5

JEWELRY

0

6881 Orchard Lake Rd.
on the Boardwalk
(248) 851-5030

2028020

Call us for

Ibarrick@ffrc.net
(248) 352-8000, ext. 314
29350 Northwestern Hwy.
Southfield, MI 48034

www.FranklinClub.com

24 November 26 2015

n Nov. 15, more than 300
guests gathered to witness
the groundbreaking for Akiva
Hebrew Day School's future building and
to honor the Farber family whose trans-
formative donation of $8 million to the
school allowed for its construction.
William and Audrey Farber, along
with family members including David
and Nanci Farber, Jeffrey Farber and a
number of the Farber grandchildren,
were present at the event and for the
announcement that the Southfield school
will be renamed the Farber Hebrew
Day School-Yeshivat Akiva starting in
September 2016 when the academic year
begins.
Community members and members
of the Akiva family, some of whom
witnessed the inception of the school 52
years ago, came to reflect on Aldvis rich
history and to embrace the exciting new
chapter for the school and for Detroit
Modern Orthodoxy.
During the ceremony, Nanci Farber
spoke on behalf of the Farber family
about "distinguishing lines" that can
easily separate and define people in our
community and throughout the world.
"The lines that distinguish us do not
define us," she said. "I think that when
Bill first made the decision to fund this
project, it was a bit of a surprise to some
people. It was just slightly unusual for
a Reform Jewish man to come forward
and make such an incredible gift to an
Orthodox private day school. I mean
who does that? I am very proud to say
that the Farber family does that"
Dr. Howard Korman, an Akiva past
president, acted as emcee at the event.
David Tanzman, Akiva's first president,
sang the American and Israeli national
anthems.
Korman recognized honorary guests
and gave thanks to the Farber fam-

ily for "catapulting Akiva into the next
generation of excellence" and for helping
to strengthen Modern Orthodoxy in
Detroit.
Leah Ann Kleinfeldt, current Akiva
president, thanked everyone who
attended and showed support toward
the school and also thanked the William
Davidson Foundation for its $2.5 million
grant toward aca-
demic improvements
at Akiva.
Akiva Interim
CEO Jordana
Wolfson led repre-
sentatives from the
Akiva school body
as they counted
down the digging
Akiva President
ceremony. The
Leah Ann
Farber family led the
Kleinfeldt
ceremonial ground-
breaking, along with
Jewish Federation leaders, community
rabbis and the Akiva senior administra-
tive team: Rabbi Noam Stein, Anita Batt
and Joanne Friday. (Rabbi Aaron Leib
was unable to attend.)
Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel
and his wife, Susan, attended the cer-
emony to support the Farbers, who are
Temple Israel members.
Following the ceremony, families
were invited inside the school gym to
enjoy refreshments and build a mosaic
Lego activity run by the Robot Garage of
Birmingham. Families built individual
Lego boxes that were placed together to
create a large mosaic of the rendering
of the new Farber Hebrew Day School-
Yeshivat Akiva building. The mosaic
will be placed in the new building for
the 2016-2017 school year with a plaque
honoring the students and families who
built the mosaic. *