Editor's Notebook
A Longstanding Cynic
Reflects On A Miracle
`Puddle Jumping'
Not The Real Trend
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
MICHAEL H. FABIAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
I had to draw the that here was a tiny human be- here, I think, is the truly inex-
line somewhere, ing with feelings and needs — plicable — compassion and rea-
and I chose to draw and, in no time at all, hopes and son and curiosity? What human
it at the Care dreams and thoughts and desires being could even imagine such a
Bears.
— leaves me overwhelmed, mys- vision out of a void, out of total
I have been a tified, grateful.
nothingness, not to mention cre-
cynic for as long as
I well understand agnostics ate it?
I can remember. I and atheists, and I sympathize
One of my favorite movies is an
don't know what it with their inability to believe in Italian film called Three Brothers,
is, but the very God. I myself am so troubled by about a family united when their
thought of certain things just suffering that I have been known mother dies. It is based on a short
makes my skin crawl.
to indulge in fervent conversa- story by Russian author Andrey
It's sort of the way some peo- tions, in the oddest of places, with Platonov, who labeled ours "a
ple feel about eating eggplant, I God.
fierce and beautiful world.
think: that cold, clammy
sense that grips the pit of
your stomach and just
doesn't stop. I get it every
time I see a greeting card
that reads "A special card
filled with special thoughts
for a special person!" or a
cute little figurine with its
/-- head tilted to the side, bear-
ing the message, "God loves
you. He really does!"
At the constant urging of
my mother, and after hav-
ing children, I began efforts
to curb my cynicism since I
don't consider it an espe-
cially attractive trait. I
found myself letting the chil-
dren watch "Barney" and
reading them stories about
sharing.
Then the other night my
daughter and I went to the
video store and she took a
look at a Care Bears movie.
"No!" was my immediate re-
action. "Not the Care
Bears!"
So the truth comes out.
I remain a cynic.
Even as a confirmed cyn-
ic, however, there is a mir-
acle that continues to amaze
me, leave me speechless, lit-
erally take my breath away.
And it's a miracle that hap-
pens every day.
When I take the time to
consider it, I realize how as-
tounding the most simple of
Recently I was at the library,
I always loved that description
events is. The way a plant grows where I chanced to pick up a book because it so accurately reflects
from a seed, for example, or how with a photo of a dead infant. He my vision of living.
the seasons change from bright was about my son's age (23
I have yet to come to terms
summer to fresh autumn, my fa- months), and he had been beat- with all the fierceness, and ac-
vorite. The way a stone becomes en and kicked to death by his par- tually, I hope I never will. I hope
smooth under the constant ents.
I will never become like those
stroking of the sea, and how stars
I was so troubled, and remain (though in a way I envy their
shine at night.
troubled to this day, that I had to calm certainty) who say, "Child
But the truth is that I could, run to my car so I could yell to abuse? It's all part of God's plan"
without much difficulty, somehow God, "Where are You? Where are or those who insist, "God doesn't
"reason" all of this away. "Stars You?"
do anything about suffering be-
are a conglomeration of this and
I continued talking like this cause there is no God."
that, formed at such and such a even as I was driving. It was
Yet I will never give up my
time," I might read in a book. And thundering outside and the rain amazement at all life's beauty,
it could easily end it at that.
was like a blanket on my wind- and I will never cease being grate-
But then along comes some- shield.
ful for its treasures: the summer
thing so seemingly ordinary, yet
At the same time, I challenge that turns to fall, the stars, the
so miraculously complex and cynics with the very wonder of seed that grows — and especial-
wonderful as life.
life. If not God, then who could ly the miracle of a being who, de-
Like every other woman who create such a miracle? Who could spite flaws, has the most
has ever had a child, I found giv- produce a living being not only miraculous of God-given gifts: the
ing birth the most memorable day with a heart and lungs and stom- ability to be kind, loving and com-
2 (or in my case days, since I have ach (would they dare toss this passionate — the ability to be hu-
two) of rr y life. The very thought away, like the stars?) but — and man. ❑
))
The Jewish Ne ws an informal survey of just a
ran a front pa ge few of the new subdivisions
story about a f ew (taken after The Jewish News
Jewish famili es article appeared) revealed sev-
leaving
he eral hundred Jewish families
Walled La ke choosing to build new homes
School distri ct, in the Walled Lake school dis-
"reporting" th is trict during the same time pe-
as if it were a riod. This does not include the
trend.
numerous Jewish families
In reality, the Jewish co m- moving into existing homes in
munity in the Walled Lake d is- the district.
trict is experiencing rap id Like most parents, when it
growth. If only 15 Jewish fam - came time to find a new home
ilies move out of a school di s- to raise our two daughters, the
trict while several hundr ed quality of our children's educa-
Jewish families move in, t he tion was of primary importance
trend is obvious. The fact is th e in deciding where to move. We
Jewish community constitute s talked at length with parents,
a vital part of the Walled Lak e teachers and school-board
school district, which offers a members we knew in West
quality education in th e Bloomfield, Farmington and
healthy environment of a cu 1- Walled Lake school districts be-
turally diverse student pop u- fore deciding where to move.
lation.
After all of our efforts, we ar-
As a parent who recent ly rived at the inescapable con-
moved to the Walled Lak e clusion that while each school
school district from Farmin g- district had certain strengths
ton Hills, due in part to the di - and weaknesses, each one pro-
versity the growing distri ct vided a high-quality educa-
offers, I was very dismayed to tional experience and we could
read the front page article in not go wrong no matter which
the July 28, 1995, Jewish News, of these school districts we
titled "Puddle Jumpers." This chose to reside in.
article was based primarily on
Part of the attraction of the
the interviews of three families Walled Lake district, to us, is
who moved into two West the fact that it is a growing, dy-
Bloomfield school district sub- namic school district that has
divisions of a particular devel- a culturally diverse student
oper and the quotes from that population, which includes in
developer stating an awareness its healthy cultural mix a grow-
of about 15 families who may ing Jewish community. Corre-
have made the same move in spondingly, there is also an
the last two years.
increasing number of Jewish
By reporting these anecdo- administrators and staff. Un-
tal comments of a few on the fortunately, The Jewish News
front page of a newspaper as if article left the incorrect im-
it were a significant trend and pression that the Jewish com-
without conducting an investi- munity is shrinking in an
gation into the facts, The Jew- otherwise growing district and
ish News left its readers with a that the Walled Lake district
perception that the Walled is, therefore, losing some of its
Lake district is not a place diversity.
It is true that the failure of
where Jewish families are
the bond issue to build new
choosing to live.
The reality is the Walled schools (by 151 votes out of
Lake school district has a nearly 13,000 cast) has been a
growing and thriving Jewish setback to the district. Howev-
community. Any drive west of er, the administration and
Farmington Road reveals nu- school board responded with
merous subdivisions of beau- the acquisition of another ele-
tiful new homes being built for mentary school through the
families choosing to educate leasing of Meadow Lake Ele-
their children in the Walled mentary, thus maintaining ex-
Lake schools. Contrary to the cellent class size. In fact, class
implication of The Jewish size in the Walled Lake schools
News article, many of these is no larger than in West
Bloomfield or Farmington
new homes are being built by schools.
Jewish families, many of
There is little question that
whom "puddle jumped" into the bond issue, which lost by so
the Walled Lake school district few votes amidst uncertainty
from West Bloomfield and oth- immediately following Propos-
er surrounding school dis- al A, will pass; the opponents
tricts.
only questioned some of the de-
While The Jewish News "re- tails,
not the need; and new
ported" the exodus of 12 to 15 schools built for the 21st cen-
families in the last two years, tury will serve the district's stu-
Michael H. Fabian is an
dents.
attorney in Farmington Hills. PUDDLE JUMPING page 12
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