Judi Rosen, guidance counselor at West Bloomfield
High School, believes recent world events have had a
unifying effect on her school, which has a very diverse
ethnic and racial population, with a large percentage
of student's of Middle Eastern heritage.
"If anything, the kids are more sensitive to one
another," she said. "They looked around and real-
ized that we are all people, we are all in this togeth-
er, and that everyone was scared."
Jane Reiser Williams, guidance counselor at North
Farmington High School, said some of the students
were initially concerned about the threat of war and
the possibility of being drafted. Several Israeli stu-
dents were especially upset.
"They know things like this to happen in Israel,
but they expected to feel safe here," said Williams.
"We gave them some extra TLC."
The attacks put Israel in the forefront for many
teenagers, even those who have never visited the
Jewish homeland.
"We got just a small dose of what Israel deals with
everyday," said Josh Apple, 16, a student at Cranbrook
Kingswood Upper School in Bloomfield Hills.
"Everyone tells Israel to be nice and not retaliate;
we should take this into consideration next time
something happens there," said Jordan Berman, 16,
a West Bloomfield resident who attends North
Farmington High School.

A Tighter Rein

Many teens are feeling the effects of Sept. 11 in the
form of more parental protectiveness.
Josh Abramson, 15, of West Bloomfield no longer
opens the mail at home because of the Anthrax
scare. "I just accept it," he said.
"My parents are much more protective now about
letting me go out, even to drive to Southfield or
Oak Park," said Monica Woll, 16, a JAMD student
from West Bloomfield.
"Our family has definitely been affected; it made
us realize we're not living in a safe world," said
Sharyl Ackerman of Bloomfield Hills, mother of
14-year-old Elana, a student at JAMD. "Elana is
used to going to the mall with her friends, and I'm

Ilanit Shtull-Leber Monica Woll

Elana Ackerman Leah Schloss •

not comfortable with that now, especially during the
holiday season."
Although high school students are typically seek-
ing greater independence from their families, the
September tragedies reinforced the importance of
family ties for many teenagers.
"Our generation has taken so much for granted,
now we have to appreciate things and spend more
time with our families," said Woll.
Stacey Jonas, 17, of Bingham Farms, says she
"barely slept" during the week following Sept. 11.
"I was scared to close my eyes, scared of not wak-
ing up," said Jonas, who is a senior at Groves.
Although she has some trepidation, Stacey is still
planning on going to Cancun in December with her
aunt, and is looking forward to her senior trip to the
Bahamas next spring.
"I feel that it's more important now to keep in
touch with people, with friends and family," she said.
Stacey's mother, Barbara, finds herself more pro-
tective of Stacey as well as her other two children,
Melanie, 19, and Danny, 14.
"I want to know where they are all the time. I feel
a need to connect," Barbara said.
She's fearful about the future her children will face.
"They'll always have to be looking behind them,
watching and being smart."
Debi Kapen of West Bloomfield, mother of Leah
Schloss, a 14-year-old JAMD student, believes the
tragedy can be an opportunity for learning.
'As a two-time cancer survivor, I've always tried to
teach Leah the old adage: 'That which doesn't kill us
makes us stronger'," said Kapen. "We have to be more

Geoff Gordon, 17, of Southfield and Josh Abramson, 15, of West Bloomfield join a discussion at an Adat Shalom
Synagogue Nosh 'n' Drash session about life after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Jordan Berman, 16, of West Bloomfield
relates the Sept. 11 terrorism to terrorism in Israel. Ilya Podolyako created a student political action group.

Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi

alert now We need to teach our children how to learn
from this, how to grow from it, and how to survive."

Faith Strengthened

For some teens, the terrorist attacks have inspired
greater faith.
"Just as it's not the same world, our kids are not
the same kids," said Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi, educa-
tional director of Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield.
"The students are more serious, more mature,
even the way they daven (pray) is different.
They're praying on a higher level."
Alana and Rachel Tinman are students at Beth
Jacob School for Girls, a division of Yeshivah Beth
Yehudah. While both sisters feel more fearful and
uncertain than before, they are certain that the tragic
events have strengthened their faith.
"God does everything for a reason, and maybe
this was a wake-up call for us to start looking at
ourselves," said Alana, 17. "I've noticed my class-
mates are trying to be better people; they're speak-
ing more carefully."
Rachel, 15, said, "Certain things are more
important than we thought before. I don't take
anything for granted now. I have to trust that
something good will come out of this."
Alana is still planning to study in Israel next fall.
"I actually feel she'll be safer there," said her
mother, Chaya Leah Tinman of Southfield. "At least
if something happens, they know what to do."
Mrs. Tinman feels the attacks had more impact
on her as a parent than on her children.
"Life will never be the same," she said, "more so
for us than for them."
Dr. Elana Brand, a psychologist in private prac-
tice with Davis Counseling Center in Farmington
Hills, agrees.
"Teens as a rule are pretty self-focused," she
said. "Their world is very insular. Plus, it's been
over two months now, which is a long time in the
life of a teenager."
Dr. Brand added that some teens need to mini-
mize the fears that were stirred up by the violent
events. She urged parents to "check in" regularly
with their children of all ages, to encourage them
to express their feelings, and to let them know
their reactions are important.
"If one can find anything good in this, it's that
the values we've always had have emerged --- fam-
ily, friendship, patriotism, community," said
Rabbi Lee Buckman, JAMD head of school.
"Life has definitely changed," said Josh Apple.
"We will always separate before Sept. 11 from
after, but we can't let it affect our lives." D

11/16
2001

