Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Pet Supplies New Here: jowls flap and fur flies for shake dog photos by c...
Pet Supplies New Here: jowls flap and fur flies for shake dog photos by c...: jowls flap and fur flies for shake dog photos by carli davidson all images @ carli davidson capturing the ridiculous and playful facial ...
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Google guarantees Chrome support for Windows XP through April 2015
Google guarantees Chrome support for Windows XP through April 2015
Jared Newman , PCWorld
Windows XP users will get another 18 months free of worry from security holes in Google’s Chrome browser.
Google says it will support Chrome for Windows XP until at least April 2015, one year after extended Windows XP support from Microsoft is due to end. (Microsoft ended mainstream support for the aging operating system in 2009.)
“We recognize that hundreds of millions of users, including a good chunk of current Chrome users, still rely on XP,” a Google blog post said. “Moreover, many organizations still run dozens or even hundreds of applications on XP and may have trouble migrating.”
The blog post explained that malware often exploits unpatched security bugs in Web browsers to infect computers. By keeping Chrome up to date until 2015, Google can at least prevent browser-based attacks from wreaking havoc while organizations move to newer versions of Windows.
Google also noted that IT pros can use Legacy Browser Support in Chrome for specific Web apps that only work in a different browser such as Internet Explorer. That way, users won’t have to rely on an unpatched browser when accessing other websites.
Microsoft has already stopped supporting Windows XP support in Internet Explorer 9 and later, but continues to deliver security updates for Internet Explorer 8.
Given that Google and other Web services have been dropping support for IE8 and older versions, users might want a browser that’s still getting feature updates instead of just security patches. Windows XP still enjoys a roughly 20 percent market share according to StatCounter, so Google may see an opportunity to lock those users into its browser-based ecosystem.
Jared Newman , PCWorld
Windows XP users will get another 18 months free of worry from security holes in Google’s Chrome browser.
Google says it will support Chrome for Windows XP until at least April 2015, one year after extended Windows XP support from Microsoft is due to end. (Microsoft ended mainstream support for the aging operating system in 2009.)
“We recognize that hundreds of millions of users, including a good chunk of current Chrome users, still rely on XP,” a Google blog post said. “Moreover, many organizations still run dozens or even hundreds of applications on XP and may have trouble migrating.”
The blog post explained that malware often exploits unpatched security bugs in Web browsers to infect computers. By keeping Chrome up to date until 2015, Google can at least prevent browser-based attacks from wreaking havoc while organizations move to newer versions of Windows.
Google also noted that IT pros can use Legacy Browser Support in Chrome for specific Web apps that only work in a different browser such as Internet Explorer. That way, users won’t have to rely on an unpatched browser when accessing other websites.
Microsoft has already stopped supporting Windows XP support in Internet Explorer 9 and later, but continues to deliver security updates for Internet Explorer 8.
Given that Google and other Web services have been dropping support for IE8 and older versions, users might want a browser that’s still getting feature updates instead of just security patches. Windows XP still enjoys a roughly 20 percent market share according to StatCounter, so Google may see an opportunity to lock those users into its browser-based ecosystem.
Ooh that smell: Mercedes-Benz S550 debuts with custom scents and hot-stone massage
Ooh that smell: Mercedes-Benz S550 debuts with custom scents and hot-stone massage
John Brandon , TechHive
Cross a luxury car with a spa, and you might get something like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S550 that hits U.S. showrooms Tuesday. This high-end car, with a base price of $92,000, now offers touchscreen control over some surprising creature comforts. Do we need this stuff? No, of course not. Is it fun to think about even if you could never afford this car? Absolutely.
What, no smell of money? Forget it then.
Just tuck one of four custom-made scents into its special place in the glove box, and inhale deeply.
New-car smell is so bourgeois. The S550 lets you activate a scent-control system to “perfume” the interior. Mercedes-Benz offers specially created scents including Sports Mood, Nightlife Mood, Downtown Mood, and Freeside Mood (that last scent’s name might make more sense in German). All of the scents are intended to be subtle fresheners. An empty vial is included with the purchase of the car for you to fill with your own alcohol-based fragrance.
While driving fatigue seems unlikely in a car this luxurious, the S550 also offers optional massage chairs for the driver and passenger that can simulate, among other things, a hot-stone massage. There are six massage styles available in total. Fourteen different air chambers within the seats inflate and deflate to simulate the massage styles. You activate the massage and customize the treatment from the touchscreen display. The massage feature is also available to rear passengers with the car's optional Executive package. A few luxury cars, including previous models from Mercedes-Benz, offer a massage feature, but according to the automaker, the S550 is the first to offer this many massage styles, let alone a rolling hot-stone feel.
Optional massage chairs with 14 inflatable chambers let you choose among hot-stone or five other styles.
Oh yeah, the S550 also offers some new technical marvels that affect the actual operation of the vehicle. A feature called Distronic Plus with Steering Assist that keeps the car centered in your lane automatically. It works at speeds up to 124mph. Similar to the Lane Keeping Assist System in the 2014 Acura RLX, the S550 sedan uses sensors to monitor the lane markings. The technology is one of the leading precursors to future autonomous driving.
If that’s not enough to help you drive more confidently, the car can brake automatically in an intersection to avoid a side collision, maintains your speed using adaptive cruise control, and can fully brake at city speeds below 31MPH if it detects an object or person in the road. A new suspension feature called Magic Body Control scans the road ahead and adjusts the suspension accordingly—making a rougher patch of road more bearable.
The center touchscreen controls the fragrances, massages, and other creature comforts.
Sit back and relax…breathe deeply…
Go ahead and scoff at the S550’s spa-like experiences, but think about it this way. As cars become more connected to the roadway, other cars, and the surrounding environment, we will likely benefit from more of these comfort settings—especially if they encourage us to spend even more time driving. Hmmm, maybe that smell is one of conspiracy.
John Brandon , TechHive
Cross a luxury car with a spa, and you might get something like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S550 that hits U.S. showrooms Tuesday. This high-end car, with a base price of $92,000, now offers touchscreen control over some surprising creature comforts. Do we need this stuff? No, of course not. Is it fun to think about even if you could never afford this car? Absolutely.
What, no smell of money? Forget it then.
Just tuck one of four custom-made scents into its special place in the glove box, and inhale deeply.
New-car smell is so bourgeois. The S550 lets you activate a scent-control system to “perfume” the interior. Mercedes-Benz offers specially created scents including Sports Mood, Nightlife Mood, Downtown Mood, and Freeside Mood (that last scent’s name might make more sense in German). All of the scents are intended to be subtle fresheners. An empty vial is included with the purchase of the car for you to fill with your own alcohol-based fragrance.
While driving fatigue seems unlikely in a car this luxurious, the S550 also offers optional massage chairs for the driver and passenger that can simulate, among other things, a hot-stone massage. There are six massage styles available in total. Fourteen different air chambers within the seats inflate and deflate to simulate the massage styles. You activate the massage and customize the treatment from the touchscreen display. The massage feature is also available to rear passengers with the car's optional Executive package. A few luxury cars, including previous models from Mercedes-Benz, offer a massage feature, but according to the automaker, the S550 is the first to offer this many massage styles, let alone a rolling hot-stone feel.
Optional massage chairs with 14 inflatable chambers let you choose among hot-stone or five other styles.
Oh yeah, the S550 also offers some new technical marvels that affect the actual operation of the vehicle. A feature called Distronic Plus with Steering Assist that keeps the car centered in your lane automatically. It works at speeds up to 124mph. Similar to the Lane Keeping Assist System in the 2014 Acura RLX, the S550 sedan uses sensors to monitor the lane markings. The technology is one of the leading precursors to future autonomous driving.
If that’s not enough to help you drive more confidently, the car can brake automatically in an intersection to avoid a side collision, maintains your speed using adaptive cruise control, and can fully brake at city speeds below 31MPH if it detects an object or person in the road. A new suspension feature called Magic Body Control scans the road ahead and adjusts the suspension accordingly—making a rougher patch of road more bearable.
The center touchscreen controls the fragrances, massages, and other creature comforts.
Sit back and relax…breathe deeply…
Go ahead and scoff at the S550’s spa-like experiences, but think about it this way. As cars become more connected to the roadway, other cars, and the surrounding environment, we will likely benefit from more of these comfort settings—especially if they encourage us to spend even more time driving. Hmmm, maybe that smell is one of conspiracy.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Wireless Cell Phone Charger
Wireless Cell Phone Charger - Qi Certified Wireless Charger - Charging Qi-Enabled Phones - Black / White
- Vitgear® Qi Certified Wireless Charger Charging Pad with 1A output for LG Revolution/Spectrum 2/Google Nexus 4&5/Optimus Vu II/LTE2/D1L / HTC Thunderbolt/Incredible 2/Rezound/Droid DNA/8X / Nokia Lumia 920/810/822/ / Motorola Droid Bionic/Droid 3/4 / Samsung droid charge/Galaxy S3/Note 2 / Sharp SH- 02D/04D/05D/07D/09D/13C/EX SH-04E / Fujitsu F-03D/09D/10D and Other Qi-Enabled Phones-Black or White
Technical Details
- Compatible with any Qi-enabled device or a device equipped with embedded chip or Qi-compatible cover
- Charge your smartphone without cables or a USB interface
- A flickering blue light tells you it's wireless charging
- AC adapter Output: 19V / 1A; Wireless Charger Output: 5V / 0.5A ; Dimensions: 6.50 x 3.74 x 0.39 in
- Package includes: 1 x Vitgear Wireless Charger, 1 x AC Adapter, 1 x User manual, 1 x Warranty Card
Product Description
- The Vitgear Wireless Charger Pad is Qi Certified and compliant with the Qi standard developed. With the Vitgear Qi Wireless Charger to power your cellphone wirelessly. No worry about the different cables, No need to remove the cable any more when you want to use your phone, just pick it up and make your call. Protect the charging port of your cellphone all the time.
Direct Charge Models:
- 1.LG Revolution/Spectrum 2/Google Nexus 4&5/Optimus Vu II/LTE2/D1L
- 2. HTC Thunderbolt/Incredible 2/Rezound/Droid DNA/8X
- 3.HTC Droid DNA / Rzound / Incredible 4G LTE
- 4.Nokia Lumia 920/810/822/
- 5.Motorola Droid Bionic/Droid 3/4 / Samsung droid charge/Galaxy S3/Note 2
- 6.Sharp SH- 02D/04D/05D/07D/09D/13C/EX SH-04E
- 7.Fujitsu F-03D/09D/10D
- 8.Other Qi-Enabled Phones
Models that Require a Wireless Charging Case / Cover Adapter:
- Samsung Galaxy S4 i9500 use directly if the QI receiver built-in back-cover case of the phone, if not QI wireless receiver is required
- Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300
- Samsung Galaxy Note II (A receiver tag is required)
- iPhone 4 4s 5 (A Charging case is required)
- Nokia Lumia 820
Note:
- 1. Please confirm that your cellphone is Qi-compliant. Otherwise, please supply your own Qi-compliant back-cover adpater to enable your device to charge.
- 2. Please remove protective cases that exceed 5 mm / 0.2 inch thick before charging.
Wireless Cell Phone Charger - Black
Wireless Cell Phone Charger - White
Monday, October 7, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
AMD, Nvidia ramp up Linux driver support after Valve's SteamOS announcement
AMD, Nvidia ramp up Linux driver support after Valve's SteamOS announcement
Brad Chacos @BradChacos
Well, that didn't take long. Less than a day after Valve announced SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system based around the incredibly popular Steam PC gaming service, both AMD and Nvidia stepped up their driver support for the open-source OS.
Driver support for graphics cards can be a major stumbling block for would-be Linux gamers. Since fewer people use Linux (and most games are created with Windows in mind), driver support for the operating system can be a bit, well, hit-or-miss.
AMD has actually been pretty active in the Linux community in recent memory, though its open-source Linux drivers still lag behind its Windows drivers. Just a few months back, the company released a massive set of 165 kernel patches that enabled some key features in Linux Radeon drivers, such as dynamic power management and initial support for the "Sea Islands" family of GPUs.
Steam for Linux has been available since February and offers around 200 games.
AMD's holding a GPU showcase in Hawaii on Wednesday. A new series of graphics cards are almost certainly going to be the stars of the show, but corporate VP Raja Koduri said there will also be news concerning Linux driver support, according to AnandTech. The AMD GPU showcase is expected to start around the same time that Valve unveils its second Steam-related announcement for the week.
Update 9/25/13 at 11 PM ET: It's official: On Wednesday, AMD announced 'Mantle,' a new low-level programming API/GPU driver combo designed to eek extreme performance out of systems using Radeon graphics cards built with the GCN architecture.
AMD claims that by being so optimized for the specific hardware, Mantle can issue nine times as many draw calls per second as rival APIs like Microsoft's DirectX, and better yet, games built using Mantle should theoretically be easy to port across all Radeon-powered platforms, including the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 4, and both Windows PCs and Steam Boxes using AMD APUs or GPUs. Yes, folks, AMD's console wins just transformed into something a whole lot more interesting—and possibly something a whole lot more meaningful for SteamOS, if AMD can truly deliver far superior performance to OpenGL and convince developers to actually use Mantle.
Nvidia's relationship with Linux has been a bit more, shall we say, tense.
In July 2012, after a woman at a group chat session described her frustrations trying to use Nvidia's power-saving Optimus technology, Linux creator Linus Torvalds launched into an expletive-riddled tirade.
"Nvidia has been the single worst company we've dealt with," he said, before turning towards the video camera and extending his middle finger. "Nvidia… F*** you!" he hissed, uttering the words slowly and sharply.
To be fair, Nvidia does a decent job of supplying basic (or better!) Linux drivers for its latest graphics cards, and the company took issue with the remarks. Nvidia's drivers, however, are closed source, and unlike AMD, it hasn't traditionally offered open source drivers or documentation, which doesn't sit well with fanatical Linux lovers.
That changed on Monday—the same day SteamOS was announced.
That day, Nvidia's Andy Ritger messaged members of Noveau—the group that reverse-engineers Nvidia's closed-source Linux drivers to create an open-source alternative—and said Nvidia developers working on the closed-sourced Linux GPU drivers will start paying attention to the Noveau mailing group, offering assistance when possible. Additionally, Ritger said Nvidia will provide more official help:
NVIDIA is releasing public documentation on certain aspects of our GPUs, with the intent to address areas that impact the out-of-the-box usability of NVIDIA GPUs with Nouveau. We intend to provide more documentation over time, and guidance in additional areas as we are able .
ArsTechnica coaxed Torvalds out of his shell to comment.
"I'm cautiously optimistic that this is a real shift in how Nvidia perceives Linux," the Linux creator said. "The actual docs released so far are fairly limited, and in themselves they wouldn't be a big thing, but if Nvidia really does follow up and start opening up more, that would certainly be great."
A sign of things to come?
Amittedly, these are baby steps down a long road. It's still too soon to know if Valve's new endeavor will be a success, and you definitely can't call 2013 the oft-dreamed-for "Year of the Linux desktop" just yet, but one thing is for certain: SteamOS is already making an impact on Linux gaming, and AMD and Nvidia's driver support will only get better if the Steam Box concept takes off in the living room. (Here's how to make your own Steam Box if you're interested.)
Brad Chacos @BradChacos
Well, that didn't take long. Less than a day after Valve announced SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system based around the incredibly popular Steam PC gaming service, both AMD and Nvidia stepped up their driver support for the open-source OS.
Driver support for graphics cards can be a major stumbling block for would-be Linux gamers. Since fewer people use Linux (and most games are created with Windows in mind), driver support for the operating system can be a bit, well, hit-or-miss.
AMD has actually been pretty active in the Linux community in recent memory, though its open-source Linux drivers still lag behind its Windows drivers. Just a few months back, the company released a massive set of 165 kernel patches that enabled some key features in Linux Radeon drivers, such as dynamic power management and initial support for the "Sea Islands" family of GPUs.
Steam for Linux has been available since February and offers around 200 games.
AMD's holding a GPU showcase in Hawaii on Wednesday. A new series of graphics cards are almost certainly going to be the stars of the show, but corporate VP Raja Koduri said there will also be news concerning Linux driver support, according to AnandTech. The AMD GPU showcase is expected to start around the same time that Valve unveils its second Steam-related announcement for the week.
Update 9/25/13 at 11 PM ET: It's official: On Wednesday, AMD announced 'Mantle,' a new low-level programming API/GPU driver combo designed to eek extreme performance out of systems using Radeon graphics cards built with the GCN architecture.
AMD claims that by being so optimized for the specific hardware, Mantle can issue nine times as many draw calls per second as rival APIs like Microsoft's DirectX, and better yet, games built using Mantle should theoretically be easy to port across all Radeon-powered platforms, including the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 4, and both Windows PCs and Steam Boxes using AMD APUs or GPUs. Yes, folks, AMD's console wins just transformed into something a whole lot more interesting—and possibly something a whole lot more meaningful for SteamOS, if AMD can truly deliver far superior performance to OpenGL and convince developers to actually use Mantle.
Nvidia's relationship with Linux has been a bit more, shall we say, tense.
In July 2012, after a woman at a group chat session described her frustrations trying to use Nvidia's power-saving Optimus technology, Linux creator Linus Torvalds launched into an expletive-riddled tirade.
"Nvidia has been the single worst company we've dealt with," he said, before turning towards the video camera and extending his middle finger. "Nvidia… F*** you!" he hissed, uttering the words slowly and sharply.
To be fair, Nvidia does a decent job of supplying basic (or better!) Linux drivers for its latest graphics cards, and the company took issue with the remarks. Nvidia's drivers, however, are closed source, and unlike AMD, it hasn't traditionally offered open source drivers or documentation, which doesn't sit well with fanatical Linux lovers.
That changed on Monday—the same day SteamOS was announced.
That day, Nvidia's Andy Ritger messaged members of Noveau—the group that reverse-engineers Nvidia's closed-source Linux drivers to create an open-source alternative—and said Nvidia developers working on the closed-sourced Linux GPU drivers will start paying attention to the Noveau mailing group, offering assistance when possible. Additionally, Ritger said Nvidia will provide more official help:
NVIDIA is releasing public documentation on certain aspects of our GPUs, with the intent to address areas that impact the out-of-the-box usability of NVIDIA GPUs with Nouveau. We intend to provide more documentation over time, and guidance in additional areas as we are able .
ArsTechnica coaxed Torvalds out of his shell to comment.
"I'm cautiously optimistic that this is a real shift in how Nvidia perceives Linux," the Linux creator said. "The actual docs released so far are fairly limited, and in themselves they wouldn't be a big thing, but if Nvidia really does follow up and start opening up more, that would certainly be great."
A sign of things to come?
Amittedly, these are baby steps down a long road. It's still too soon to know if Valve's new endeavor will be a success, and you definitely can't call 2013 the oft-dreamed-for "Year of the Linux desktop" just yet, but one thing is for certain: SteamOS is already making an impact on Linux gaming, and AMD and Nvidia's driver support will only get better if the Steam Box concept takes off in the living room. (Here's how to make your own Steam Box if you're interested.)
Sunday, September 22, 2013
New hope for struggling Jewish day schools: Non-Jews
New hope for struggling Jewish day schools: Non-Jews
By Uriel HeilmanSeptember 11, 2013 1:56pm
AKRON, Ohio (JTA) — During a High Holidays discussion about repentance in Sarah Greenblatt’s Jewish values class, not all the students are listening. One girl stares out the window at the azure sky. Another sits in the back doodling.
But a boy in the front row wearing a creased black skullcap sits transfixed, notebook open, pencil poised.
Why is reflection and repentance so important around Rosh Hashanah? Greenblatt asks. The boy’s hand shoots up.
“The Torah, and also the Bible, tells us how to live right, how to get right and how to stay right,” he says.
This might be a typical scene in any Jewish day school except for one thing: The boy isn’t Jewish.
Fifth-grader Seth Pope is one of 58 non-Jewish students at the Lippman School, Akron’s only Jewish day school.
Four years ago, the school — then known as the Jerome Lippman Jewish Community Day School — was teetering. Enrollment had tumbled to 63 students, 33 of them Jews, and it was unclear whether the school could survive in this Rust Belt city 40 miles south of Cleveland.
Like a number of day schools in Jewish communities with dwindling populations, Lippman for years had been accepting a few non-Jewish students, but without any modifications to the Jewish-focused curriculum.
With the 46-year-old school at a crisis point, however, board members decided some fundamental changes were necessary. They changed the school’s name, began marketing to non-Jews, and created a dual-track curriculum that offered a choice between Judaic studies and global studies.
The school quickly saw positive returns. Enrollment climbed, and not just among non-Jews. This year, the school has 101 students; 43 are Jewish.
“The fear was Jewish families would not want to participate,” said Sam Chestnut, head of the school. “In fact, we’ve seen the opposite.”
Lippman is one of more than a dozen Jewish day schools in North America that accept students from non-Jewish families. In many cases, their presence is relatively small, at 5 or 10 percent, but at some schools non-Jews comprise 50 percent or more of students.
For struggling schools, the issue often is survival. Non-Jewish students can be a lifeline, bringing in much-needed cash and helping schools with shrinking enrollment achieve critical mass. In other cases, schools accept non-Jews as a matter of principle.
“The move toward more schools opening up in this way has been driven by the pragmatics of declining Jewish demographics in certain cities,” said Marc Kramer, executive director of Ravsak, a networking organization for 130 Jewish community day schools.
Kramer said there has been a recent uptick in the number of nondenominational Jewish day schools that accept non-Jews. In a recent survey of 50 Ravsak schools, 18 reported accepting non-Jewish students.
At Arizona’s Tucson Hebrew Academy, head of school Arthur Yavelberg says the 20 non-Jews among the school’s 164 students have boosted his school’s viability.
Sam Chestnut, head of the Lippman School in Akron, Ohio, says Jewish enrollment grew after the school began admitting non-Jewish students. (Uriel Heilman)
Sam Chestnut, head of the Lippman School in Akron, Ohio, says Jewish enrollment grew after the school began admitting non-Jewish students. (Uriel Heilman)
“Between the money they bring in and accessing scholarship services, you’re talking about $200,000-plus per year,” Yavelberg said. “A lot of families are concerned about social interactions as their kids get into adolescence, so the sheer numbers [of non-Jewish students] can make the school more attractive to Jewish families because they know there’s a larger social circle available.”
In New Orleans, the local Jewish day school’s decision four years ago to market to non-Jews had the opposite result: The number of Jewish students plunged to 15 from about 50. Only 29 students overall remain.
“There are going to be some hard decisions that the board is going to have to make,” said Deb Marsh, director of admissions at the school, which a year ago changed its name from the New Orleans Jewish Day School to Community Day School. “Is the Jewish day school a viable long-term school?”
The success of opening a school to non-Jewish enrollment often hinges on proportion. A small percentage of non-Jewish students can help stabilize a struggling school. But if a certain threshold is passed, the non-Jewish presence can alter a school’s culture.
“At what point does a notable presence of gentile children dissuade Jewish families from sending their kids there?” Kramer said. “Some families enroll their children in Jewish day schools because they want their environment to be defined by Jewish classrooms, Jewish values, Jewish conversations on the playground. What happens when the conversation about what did you do this weekend includes did you go to church?”
Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito, Calif., just north of Berkeley, has had non-Jewish students since its founding in 1979. Head of school Bathea James says the diversity of the 250-strong student body — about five percent of whom are not Jewish — reflects the school’s values.
“I don’t believe you should take non-Jewish students purely for financial reasons,” James told JTA. “If you believe it enhances the community of your school somehow, then I think you should do it. If we can expose the beauty of Judaism to more people in the community, why wouldn’t we?”
At Tehiyah, all students study the same curriculum. About 30 percent of the day is spent on Judaic subjects, Hebrew or prayer. Non-Jewish families are among those chairing an upcoming Sukkot dinner.
At Lippman in Akron, 65 percent of students are in the Jewish track, including more than two dozen non-Jews, and some Jews have chosen the global studies track. Even those in the global program study some Hebrew, thanks to non-Jewish parents who requested it.
Yarmulkes at Lippman are optional, except in Jewish studies classes. But a few non-Jewish boys don them even outside of Jewish class.
“They wear it because it feels like a positive expression here,” Chestnut said.
When it comes to prayer, which is mandatory in the Jewish track, balancing Lippman’s inclusive philosophy with Jewish law can be a bit tricky. If a non-Jewish student wants to be called to the Torah, for example, he might be partnered with a Jewish classmate.
In most cases, non-Jews find their way to the Jewish schools through word of mouth, drawn to them because their friends go there, the school’s academics are strong or area public schools are weak. Some see the Jewish environment as a way to give their kids a strong ethical background. Lippman is the rare Jewish school that actively markets to non-Jews through billboard, radio and newspaper advertising.
And while Chestnut concedes open enrollment is not right for every school, in Akron’s diminutive Jewish community, it was not a difficult call.
“The first question is: Is it better to have no school at all or a school that offers a Jewish curriculum during the day and yet has non-Jews?” he said. “For our school it was an easy one.”
By Uriel HeilmanSeptember 11, 2013 1:56pm
AKRON, Ohio (JTA) — During a High Holidays discussion about repentance in Sarah Greenblatt’s Jewish values class, not all the students are listening. One girl stares out the window at the azure sky. Another sits in the back doodling.
But a boy in the front row wearing a creased black skullcap sits transfixed, notebook open, pencil poised.
Why is reflection and repentance so important around Rosh Hashanah? Greenblatt asks. The boy’s hand shoots up.
“The Torah, and also the Bible, tells us how to live right, how to get right and how to stay right,” he says.
This might be a typical scene in any Jewish day school except for one thing: The boy isn’t Jewish.
Fifth-grader Seth Pope is one of 58 non-Jewish students at the Lippman School, Akron’s only Jewish day school.
Four years ago, the school — then known as the Jerome Lippman Jewish Community Day School — was teetering. Enrollment had tumbled to 63 students, 33 of them Jews, and it was unclear whether the school could survive in this Rust Belt city 40 miles south of Cleveland.
Like a number of day schools in Jewish communities with dwindling populations, Lippman for years had been accepting a few non-Jewish students, but without any modifications to the Jewish-focused curriculum.
With the 46-year-old school at a crisis point, however, board members decided some fundamental changes were necessary. They changed the school’s name, began marketing to non-Jews, and created a dual-track curriculum that offered a choice between Judaic studies and global studies.
The school quickly saw positive returns. Enrollment climbed, and not just among non-Jews. This year, the school has 101 students; 43 are Jewish.
“The fear was Jewish families would not want to participate,” said Sam Chestnut, head of the school. “In fact, we’ve seen the opposite.”
Lippman is one of more than a dozen Jewish day schools in North America that accept students from non-Jewish families. In many cases, their presence is relatively small, at 5 or 10 percent, but at some schools non-Jews comprise 50 percent or more of students.
For struggling schools, the issue often is survival. Non-Jewish students can be a lifeline, bringing in much-needed cash and helping schools with shrinking enrollment achieve critical mass. In other cases, schools accept non-Jews as a matter of principle.
“The move toward more schools opening up in this way has been driven by the pragmatics of declining Jewish demographics in certain cities,” said Marc Kramer, executive director of Ravsak, a networking organization for 130 Jewish community day schools.
Kramer said there has been a recent uptick in the number of nondenominational Jewish day schools that accept non-Jews. In a recent survey of 50 Ravsak schools, 18 reported accepting non-Jewish students.
At Arizona’s Tucson Hebrew Academy, head of school Arthur Yavelberg says the 20 non-Jews among the school’s 164 students have boosted his school’s viability.
Sam Chestnut, head of the Lippman School in Akron, Ohio, says Jewish enrollment grew after the school began admitting non-Jewish students. (Uriel Heilman)
Sam Chestnut, head of the Lippman School in Akron, Ohio, says Jewish enrollment grew after the school began admitting non-Jewish students. (Uriel Heilman)
“Between the money they bring in and accessing scholarship services, you’re talking about $200,000-plus per year,” Yavelberg said. “A lot of families are concerned about social interactions as their kids get into adolescence, so the sheer numbers [of non-Jewish students] can make the school more attractive to Jewish families because they know there’s a larger social circle available.”
In New Orleans, the local Jewish day school’s decision four years ago to market to non-Jews had the opposite result: The number of Jewish students plunged to 15 from about 50. Only 29 students overall remain.
“There are going to be some hard decisions that the board is going to have to make,” said Deb Marsh, director of admissions at the school, which a year ago changed its name from the New Orleans Jewish Day School to Community Day School. “Is the Jewish day school a viable long-term school?”
The success of opening a school to non-Jewish enrollment often hinges on proportion. A small percentage of non-Jewish students can help stabilize a struggling school. But if a certain threshold is passed, the non-Jewish presence can alter a school’s culture.
“At what point does a notable presence of gentile children dissuade Jewish families from sending their kids there?” Kramer said. “Some families enroll their children in Jewish day schools because they want their environment to be defined by Jewish classrooms, Jewish values, Jewish conversations on the playground. What happens when the conversation about what did you do this weekend includes did you go to church?”
Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito, Calif., just north of Berkeley, has had non-Jewish students since its founding in 1979. Head of school Bathea James says the diversity of the 250-strong student body — about five percent of whom are not Jewish — reflects the school’s values.
“I don’t believe you should take non-Jewish students purely for financial reasons,” James told JTA. “If you believe it enhances the community of your school somehow, then I think you should do it. If we can expose the beauty of Judaism to more people in the community, why wouldn’t we?”
At Tehiyah, all students study the same curriculum. About 30 percent of the day is spent on Judaic subjects, Hebrew or prayer. Non-Jewish families are among those chairing an upcoming Sukkot dinner.
At Lippman in Akron, 65 percent of students are in the Jewish track, including more than two dozen non-Jews, and some Jews have chosen the global studies track. Even those in the global program study some Hebrew, thanks to non-Jewish parents who requested it.
Yarmulkes at Lippman are optional, except in Jewish studies classes. But a few non-Jewish boys don them even outside of Jewish class.
“They wear it because it feels like a positive expression here,” Chestnut said.
When it comes to prayer, which is mandatory in the Jewish track, balancing Lippman’s inclusive philosophy with Jewish law can be a bit tricky. If a non-Jewish student wants to be called to the Torah, for example, he might be partnered with a Jewish classmate.
In most cases, non-Jews find their way to the Jewish schools through word of mouth, drawn to them because their friends go there, the school’s academics are strong or area public schools are weak. Some see the Jewish environment as a way to give their kids a strong ethical background. Lippman is the rare Jewish school that actively markets to non-Jews through billboard, radio and newspaper advertising.
And while Chestnut concedes open enrollment is not right for every school, in Akron’s diminutive Jewish community, it was not a difficult call.
“The first question is: Is it better to have no school at all or a school that offers a Jewish curriculum during the day and yet has non-Jews?” he said. “For our school it was an easy one.”
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