too jews d in the continued from page 22 Upscale Consignment & Auction House ICONIC 20 th CENTURY FURNITURE, FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING “The years I spent learning at Hillel were some of the most formative of my life.” — BRIAN HERMELIN NOW BUYING AND ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENTS Tues-Sat 12-6, Sun 12-4 3325 Orchard Lake Rd, Keego Harbor, MI 248-481-8884 WWW.LESHOPPETOO.COM CHANGING HANDS ESTATE SALES We specialize in mid-century modern estate sales Let our experienced team handle all of your estate needs: ǵLjǵHands free-hassle free estate sales Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation 248-709-9648 changinghandsestates.com JOIN US ON WEDNESDAYS FOR APPRAISALS WITH TERRI STEARN! visits by former students well into adulthood who are leading Jewish lives, which she says they attribute to her kindness and her teachings. Over the years, Perlstein says she has noticed students are replacing academic competitiveness with kind- ness and collaboration, leading to a supportive learning community. “The nature of teaching has changed,” she said. “No longer are kids encouraged to be bigshots and know-it-alls. Now, every child is taught that there are areas where they shine and areas where they may need more help and guidance. In the areas where they shine, they need to use their knowledge to help their peers to reach similar successes. In areas where they need help, they need to know it is OK to get help from oth- ers. As peers help each other, with the support of the teaching staff, all the individuals of Hillel become wrapped in a collaborative community of learners.” MALKA LITTMAN Born in Netanya, Israel, Malka Littman followed her father, Menachem Glaser, a revered Hillel teacher, into the classroom in 1989, when she joined Hillel’s faculty as a Judaic Studies teacher. Since then, she has spoken exclusively in Hebrew to her students, who have emerged with language skills they use to this day. What makes her happiest, she said, “is to hear a student has made aliyah or has studied in Israel. It makes me feel like ‘Aha! We got it done!’” RIVKA SCHUCHMAN Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Rivka Schuchman served in the IDF before moving to the United States. She joined Hillel Day School as a Judaic Studies teacher in 1989. Her two sons, Michael and Gabriel, are Hillel gradu- ates, and her five grandchildren are current students. “We are a very close family,” she said. This closeness extends to her students in whom she instills a love of Israel and Hebrew language. “This is my mission — to give kids tools they need to ensure Jewish continuity.” BRIAN HERMELIN — DREAM MAKER Brian Hermelin fondly remembers his formative years at Hillel as he played in the first kindergarten class when the new Farmington Hills building opened in 1970. His knowledge and apprecia- tion of Judaism — from developing Hebrew skills that helped him feel comfortable in synagogue as a boy at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, to pursuing learning Hebrew further as a conversational language in college, all the way though his many philan- thropic endeavors within and outside the Jewish community — stem from his earliest years of Jewish learning at Hillel Day School. Hermelin and his wife, Jennifer, have three children, Max, Isabel and David, who all attended Hillel. “The years I spent learning at Hillel were some of the most formative of my life,” said Hermelin, a mem- ber of Hillel’s Goldman-Hermelin Endowment Board. He says he is “humbled” by the recognition. “What I learned there was the foundation of my Judaism, which evolved through boyhood to adult- hood and in the raising of our own Jewish family. Hillel has grown since my schooldays with its extra-curric- ular clubs and activities and has so much to offer in a well-rounded edu- cation of a Jewish child. It is a diverse, dynamic place.” • How To Go DFAA: 248-672-3207 DetroitFAA.com DetroitFineArtAppraisals@gmail.com 24 April 26 • 2018 jn Hillel Day School’s 60th Anniversary Gala will be held at the Farmington Hills school Sunday, May 6, beginning with a strolling dinner and silent auction at 5:30 p.m. followed at 7:30 p.m. by a concert from Israeli musician Michael HarPaz, a 1987 Hillel graduate. During the evening, Distinguished Alumni Awards will be given to Rachel Lutz, class of 1994, and Mark Schostak, class of 1977. To register, go to hillelday.org/gala.