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We Carry Our Own
Tisha B'Av Meanings
At this seeming midpoint of the summer, some
are inclined to leaf through the pages of their cal-
endars or day planners to see just how many days
there are until Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kip-
pur. Will it be an early Yom Toy or a late one?
Will late August vacations run dangerously close
to High Holiday preparations?
We prepare for these observances. We think
of tickets and new suits and visitors. We even
think of how we'll cut back on our coffee to avoid
the infamous Yom Kippur caffeine headache.
In leafing through the summer calendar, we
know that there is a date that is a figurative thun-
dercloud in the otherwise blue summer sky. We
look for that date with a sort of dread, wishing
it wasn't there, that the sum total of our sadness
could be filtered and cleansed on Yom Kippur.
But Tisha B'Av is unavoidable and it is there.
Some Jews plan their summer vacations so that
they do not travel on this day. Others make sure
that the day is taken seriously and observed care-
fully.
From sundown Saturday to sundown on Sun-
day, those who are inclined will fast to com-
memorate the destruction of both Jerusalem
temples on this date as well as other disasters in
Jewish history.
Here in 1995, it might be difficult for contem-
porary Jews to relate to what the destruction
of the Temple meant and still means. In our mod-
ern terms, though, Tisha B'Av comes at a time
during the summer when most of us are think-
ing about vacations, gardening, camp, the long,
beautiful days of warm temperatures.
Tisha B'Av is a day that should stop us in our
tracks, and demand a day of remembrance and
learning. Maybe the Temples' destruction can
best be related to the judgment we often seem to
pass on one another. Maybe it's the seeming lack
of communication between Orthodox, Reform
and Conservative. Maybe it's the individual anger
we feel toward another person. Could our per-
sonal temple destruction be abusive behavior or
alcoholism, cruelty to our spouses, our children?
There are many interpretations of the Tem-
ples' destruction. If you've never attended ser-
vices to hear Lamentations read, or fasted on
Tisha B'Av, maybe this is the year to try. If that's
not possible for you, consider a visit to the Holo-
caust Memorial Center or to a survivor's home.
Or even better, an introspective visit to yourself.
With weeks left until the Days of Awe, there
is a chance to improve, to move on in a positive
direction. Whatever your choice, use this day well
as a reminder that atonement isn't just some-
thing we do in the fall on Yom Kippur.
It's something we carry with us always.
Letters
Excellent Education
In Walled Lake
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Shocked
And Surprised
As Jewish parents in the Walled
Lake School District, we were
shocked and surprised upon read-
ing your front- page article. First,
we never realized that the move
of 12 to 15 Jewish families as re-
ported was front-page news.
This article, in its tone and
prominence, is extremely mis-
leading, and belies the facts.
While you wrote about a hand-
ful ofJewish families who have cho-
sen to leave the district for a variety
of reasons, you ignored the fact that
many more (probably several times)
that number of Jewish families
have moved into the Walled Lake
district this year and many others
have stayed within the district
when building their new homes.
It was interesting that not one
parent quoted was critical of the
education their children received
in Walled Lake schools. We are
among the overwhelming major-
ity of Jewish parents who know
and appreciate the high quality
Joyce Weiner of the education received in the
Walled Lake Walled Lake district.
We were one of the first Jewish
families that moved into the
Walled Lake School District over
16 years. Our two sons entered
kindergarten and graduated from
Walled Lake Western in 1994
and 1995.
Both received an excellent ed-
ucation in every aspect and are
now attending Western Michigan
University.
All of the other Jewish families
that followed us into the district
have helped create a concerned,
caring and progressive school sys-
tem that has fulfilled all of our ex-
pectations.
Your front-page article on Fri-
day, July 28, "Puddle Jumpers,"
created a false and negative
image of the district's excellent
educational program which has
taken many years to develop.
I feel that by only interviewing
a handful of Jewish families
an unfair perception was
reached.
The only real criticism of the
Walled Lake district came from
developers who would benefit
from a real estate panic. Since
when does a $434 gap in spend-
ing ($7,385 for West Bloomfield
vs. $6951 for Walled Lake) con-
stitute a wide disparity as con-
cluded in your article?
We are aware that some of the
Jewish families that left the dis-
trict sold their homes to Jewish
families who have joined us in a
young, growing district that of-
fers quality, innovative teaching.
We are deeply disappointed in
the Jewish News for running a
front-page article that ignores the
overwhelming fact that the Jew-
ish community is growing and
thriving in the Walled Lake
School District. Instead, your ar-
ticle seems to pander to a "block-
busting" mentality that only
serves the interests of real estate
developers.
We hope that you will recog-
nize the irresponsibility of pub-
lishing this one-sided article that
ignores the facts and did the com-
munity a great disservice.
140 Walled Lake Jewish Families
Letters
Growing
Pains
As a member of the Jewish com-
munity and an employee of the
Walled Lake Consolidated School
District, I was troubled by your
cover story. The article made it
seem like the small "exodus" of
families moving to West Bloom-
field, because our bond issue did
not pass and their concern about
the lack of quality education at
the upper level, makes Walled
Lake Schools at risk.
Is the disparity of 8434.58 (the
difference between per-pupil
spending in West Bloomfield and
Walled Lake) and the fact that a
few people are "running scared"
really a cover story? With a school
district that services seven com-
munities and 55 square miles, the
challenges are many. I am
pleased that our multicultural
population is so varied, and the
many Jewish families who are
moving into the district or cur-
rently living there obviously feel
the quality of education being de-
livered strives for high standards
and is successful in meeting those
expectations.
How ironic that in the same is-
sue an article is found regarding
Beth Achim's satellite school to
be placed in Walled Lake. This
district is going through growing
pains, and I feel the direction the
Walled Lake schools is going will
serve our young people in the
next millennium with the skills
and knowledge they need to com-
pete with any other school dis-
trict.
Chriss Ann Golden
Farmington Hills
MSU Hillel
Demands Attention
I write in response to Jennifer
Finer's recent article titled "Look-
ing For Leadership: Hillel offi-
cials look to fill two high-level
positions at MSU" (July 21).
First, I want to thank Ms. Fin-
er for reporting on the period of
transition that MSU's Jewish
community is in while searching
for both a new executive director
and program director. It is cru-
cial that the metropolitan Detroit
Jewish community know the sit-
uation their children face — as
Jewish college students face in
East Lansing.
Second, it is important to note
that during the search to fill these
two vacancies, the Jewish Fed-
eration of Metropolitan Detroit
has chosen not to grant the MSU
Hillel Foundation an increased
Allied Jewish Campaign alloca-
tion. An increased allocation
would result in increased salaries
(as well as increased program
funds) and thereby would in-
crease the candidates for the two
vacancies.
In a year where the other
statewide Hillels have received
increases in Allied Jewish Cam-
paign allocations, MSU's has re-
mained at the same level.
Federation officials cite that
MSU's allocation did not increase
because we are in a state of tran-
sition. In fact, Federation's
Howard Neistein said in Finer's
article, "At the point when we
have staffing and programming
in place we will evaluate their
needs."
It is through increases in Cam-
paign allocations and a renewed
community emphasis on MSU
Hillel that our staffing and pro-
gramming needs will improve.
We need your help! MSU Hillel
is faced not only with the present
staffing problems, but we are also
functioning in a building in dire
need of renovation. Moreover, the
longer these problems are fore-
stalled, the more students will
lose interest in Hillel and cam-
pus Jewish life.
The MSU Jewish student com-
munity will return to East Lans-
ing in a little less than a month
to find no professional staff and
find their Hillel in a period of
great transition. Those students
who may remain interested in
Hillel after this transition may
benefit from the leadership of a
new executive director, but can
we afford to wait and to watch my
peers, your children or your
grandchildren, lose interest and
in turn their Jewish identity? The
answer is NO. MSU Hillel needs
your attention, now more than
ever.
Jonathan D. Koenigsberg
Member, MSU Hillel Student Board
Spokesperson Jewish Student Union
at MSU
Student, James Madison College,
MSU