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.