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Solon says 'shalom' to Hebrew school
(by Sue Reid - June 04, 2009)
Solon says 'shalom' to Hebrew school
By SUE REID
It all comes down to demographics and numbers, Cleveland Hebrew School President Michael Penzner said of the reason behind closing the Solon branch and its two others. The closings put an end to a 119-year association with Greater Cleveland.
"We have less people and less students in three buildings than we used to have in one," Mr. Penzner said. "You need a critical mass of students in order to provide a quality education.
"The way to think of this is a consolidation," Mr. Penzner said. "There are empty seats that need to be filled. This is demographics."
Locations in Beachwood and Hudson also will cease to operate and not reopen in the fall. The 18,000-square-foot building in Solon, which opened in March 2005, is at 6545 SOM Center Road (Route 91).
Mr. Prenzer said the Cleveland Hebrew School had attendance of 332 students at its only location, in Beachwood, during the 1993-1994 school year. Despite adding the Solon location, he said attendance dropped to 200 between 2001 and 2004, and stood at 134 for the three locations this school year.
Mr. Penzner said that, despite the school's closure, Jewish education will continue in Solon, but with a different provider. Congregation Kol Chadash, a Reform congregation that leases space in the Solon building, will remain there, he said.
"They will provide the education without all the overhead and bureaucracy that running a school in three locations with an independent entity carries with it," Mr. Penzner said.
Even though Cleveland Hebrew School did not have the numbers, "we had to make sure we had a place, an alternative for parents and for kids," he said.
Mr. Penzner said a task force was formed to study the school and had spent the last few months making sure there are alternatives.
"Not only do the folks in Solon in particular have the same physical location for them to go to, whether they are members of the congregation or not, there are alternative locations in the community," he said.
What's left in the building at 6545 SOM Center Road (Route 91) is what is there now, Mr. Penzner said, which is Congregation Kol Chadash.
"They will run a community school and make it available to the students who are not their members. The rest of what happens to that building," is up to the Jewish Community Federation, which is the majority owner of the facility, Mr. Penzer said.
"As long as we ran a school there, we own a building," Mr. Penzner said. "Once we stop, two-thirds of the title transfers to the Jewish Community Federation."
In general, Mr. Penzner said, the number of kids in Jewish day schools has increased, while the general school-age population has shrunk. "Most supplemental schools, whether inside or outside a congregation, are smaller," Mr. Penzner said.
Despite that, the Jewish community in Solon continues to thrive, he said. "It's highly affiliated." There are growing congregations within the city, he said. "Kol Hadash is bigger than it was five years ago and Solon Chabad is bigger."
Also, Temple Emanu El, which moved from University Heights to Orange, has grown, Mr. Penzer said.
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