28 | NOVEMBER 16 • 2023
J
N
J
ewish day schools
across the country are
quickly mobilizing
to enroll Israeli children
who have been displaced by
the ongoing Israel-Hamas
war. As Israeli families
resettle in the U.S. — some
permanently, some to ride
out the crisis — schools
like Hillel Day School help
ensure young children
continue to have an
opportunity for education.
To date, Hillel Day
School has welcomed 25
Israeli students and their
families who are currently
sheltering in Metro Detroit
with relatives. Ranging
in age from preschool to
eighth grade, Hillel Day
School anticipates the
children, who arrived in
Michigan in the week or
two prior to enrolling,
are only the first wave of
Israeli refugees that Hillel is
gearing up to welcome.
“Hillel is prepared to
have them here for as long
as they need to be here,”
explains Hillel Day School
director of enrollment
management Arielle
Endelman. “Most of them
came on a one-way ticket.”
A WELCOMING
ENVIRONMENT
Endelman anticipates that
over the next few weeks,
Hillel Day School will see
even more Israeli students,
all of whom the school is
ready to enroll. The school
is currently in talks with
several other families who
plan to take refuge in the
area.
“Most are staying with
relatives, either cousins
or siblings who live
in Michigan and have
children who attend Hillel,”
Endelman explains. “Or
maybe they have a relative
who works at Hillel —
that’s how they were
connected to us.”
Endelman says Hillel
Day School’s main goal is
to simply provide Israeli
children with a warm and
welcoming environment,
one that she likens to
“wrapping them in a warm
hug.”
As for how students and
families prefer to go about
their education, Endelman
says it’s ultimately up to
them. “We bring them in
and follow their lead,” she
explains. This could mean
attending two hours of
school per day or enrolling
in full-time education.
Still, even students who
start with minimal hours
often end up staying at
school for the duration of
the day. “They’re having
such a good time and
the kids have been so
welcoming,” Endelman says
of the school’s students.
She says Hillel isn’t
exclusively focused on
maintaining academics for
Israeli students (which is
still important), but simply
giving them a safe outlet
where they can socialize
and be kids.
AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY
Hillel Day School’s parent
teacher organization has
also played a tremendous
role in helping Israeli
students quickly get
situated. In the weekend
prior to the students’
Welcoming
Israeli
Students
Hillel Day School ready to enroll
many more as Israeli families
flee the crisis.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
PHOTOS COURTESY HILLEL DAY SCHOOL
Students are
reaching out
and making
friends with the
Israeli students.
A Hillel Early
Childhood Center
class shows off a
welcome sign for
an Israeli student
who will join them.