This April, we will hold our annual fund raiser for the Frankel Education Fund at Meadowbrook Theater. This event raises thousands of dollars that support our education program, and so we enthusiastically invite congregants and friends to join us to see “From My Hometown,” a wonderful play about the Motown era. Last year’s event proved successful and entertaining, and I have no doubt that this year’s event will be even better!
This year, the fundraising committee, led by the incredible and tireless leadership of Phil Bernstein and Adam Kollin, determined that we should honor someone within our community that makes a profound impact on us at Shir Tikvah. Immediately we knew who that should be: The Alliance for Jewish Education, led by Jeffrey Lasday, Harvey Leven, and Lisa Soble Siegmann. Jeffrey, Harvey and Lisa have dedicated countless time, support, ideas and energy into making Shir Tikvah’s education program superb. We are so delighted to have an opportunity to recognize their efforts.
The Alliance for Jewish Education (AJE) is one of many agencies at the Federation of Metropolitan Jewish Detroit, but one our education program is reliant on. Allow me to wax on!
I meet monthly with Lisa, the Associate Director of Family Education, to talk over program ideas. She is my sounding board on ideas, problems, and the overall big picture. Her office is also a tremendous resource for us. Our pamphlets on holidays, numerous publications and CD’s come from her office. She is also instrumental in helping CST receive grants that provide opportunities for our families. This year three of our special programs are funded through AJE: our partnership You Tube program with Oakland University that we are running with our Monday Night School; our Family Camp at Butzel; and, our L’Dor V’Dor cooking class we are launching with our Monday Night school students and parents this spring.
Harvey is the Associate Director of Alliance for Jewish Education. He oversees the immense three year study of CSI2. He works with our facilitators and me to keep us on track and problem free. This study has allowed us to take an intensive look at our education program and to ask tough questions amongst a broad group of invested congregants as to who are we, what are we teaching and are we prepared to meet the needs of our Jewish future? Harvey has also guided us through three years of grants that we have received from the Hermelin Davidson Committee. We have been fortunate to receive thousands of dollars that have helped improve our program: computers, new prayer books, curriculum, projector and screen, the list goes on. Without this funding, we never could have afforded these luxuries in this tight economy.
Jeffrey Lasday oversees the whole picture. He meets with the synagogues in the community, allowing him to know our strengths and weaknesses, and then he goes about strengthening us. Jeffrey has been responsible this year for creating a program of “conversations” within our community. He has drawn in some of the biggest names in Jewish education to come and talk with us and to ask and answer our questions. Jeffrey is helping to propel us into the future, with the knowledge and preparedness needed to meet the needs of our Jewish community.
B’shalom,
Wren
SCHOLARSHIP REQUESTS
The Youth Scholarship Fund of Congregation Shir Tikvah and CST’s Sisterhood Scholarship Fund are for kindergarten through High School age youth who need financial help with expenses relating to a Jewish day or overnight camp, trip to Israel, and/or a NFTY kallah or camp. Please contact our administrator, Lorelei Berg, at 248-649-4418 x1 or lorelei@shirtikvah.org to receive the application form that needs to be sent in with your request for scholarship money. (Both the Executive Committee and Sisterhood will look at all requests at one time). All requests must be received in the office by March 1, 2012.