Jews in the D

W

hen an attacker burst into a 
rabbi’
s home Dec. 29, 2019, 
and began stabbing people at 
a Chanukah celebration in Monsey, N.Y., 
there was no misidentifying this as a 
Jewish house. 
Monsey, a small town about 30 miles 
northwest of New York City, is known for 
its large ultra-Orthodox community, easily 
identifiable by their dress — yarmulkes or 
black hats and black suits or coats for men; 
wigs, scarves or hats and modest dresses 
or skirts for women. 
Detroit’
s observant community members 
dress similarly, also making them easy 
to spot as Jewish in public by those who 
might want to single them out. For the 
most part, local individuals the JN spoke 
with have not experienced anti-Semitic 
behavior directed at them, except for one. 
Here are their comments. 

MELISSA SCHON
Melissa Schon, who dresses modestly in 
skirts and long sleeves and covers her hair, 
said, “For most of my co-workers, I’
m the 
only Orthodox Jew they have ever met.” 
Schon of Oak Park, who works as research 
administrator at the University of Michigan 
Medical School in Ann Arbor, is open 

when questioned about her dress or her 
sheitel (wig worn by some Orthodox mar-
ried women) or about religious beliefs like 
Shabbos. 
“I tell them how dressing modestly allows 
my intelligence and inner self to shine. I 
really feel that from exposure and sharing, 
many misconceptions and stereotypes are 
erased,” she said. “I think it can be a real kid-
dush HaShem (sanctification of God) to have 
an Orthodox person in a secular workplace.
“Unfortunately, now all you hear about is 
anti-Semitism,” she said. “But I’
ve been so 
fortunate to work somewhere so respectful 
and open to diversity, and I feel not every 
Orthodox person should feel so scared to 
work in secular places.”
When Schon was recently honored at a 
work-related celebration, she said planners, 
whose guests included a medical school 
dean, “went to great lengths to be respectful 
of my religious practices, making it kosher 
and not having it on a Friday, when they 
normally have this awards ceremony.” 
Being so accepted has, at times, come with 
determination.
While living in New York many years 
ago, she filed a lawsuit claiming religious 
discrimination after a job offer was reced-
ed when she requested time off for Jewish 
holidays and accommodations for shorter 
workdays on the Fridays when Shabbos 
began early. When the suit was dropped and 
she was hired, she created a “wonderful rela-
tionship” with her new boss that continues 
to this day. 
“I felt it was my responsibility to be brave 
and show her how hardworking a frum 
(observant) Jew is. I think many negative 
reactions are mostly due to non-exposure.
“Having only worked in secular environ-
ments I am always cognizant of how I treat my 
coworkers and pride myself on always working 
hard and with integrity. When I was younger, if 
I heard or experienced anything anti-Semitic, I 
was much more fearful to speak up. Now if I 
hear something negative, such as a co-worker 

continued on page 14

12 | JANUARY 9 • 2020 

A Public
Presence

JN STAFF REPORT

Orthodox individuals discuss if they feel 
like targets for anti-Semites.

ABOVE: Melissa and Aaron Schon 
with their children a few years ago: 
Hadassah, Adina, 
Shmuel and Moshe. 
FACING PAGE: “Friday Boys” 
Moshe Weiss and Levi Uminer from 
the Lubavitch Cheder & Yeshiva-
International School for Chabad 
Leadership in Oak Park (in a photo 
from 2018) look out on Northwestern 
Highway, the busy road where they visit 
businesses with Jewish employees 
each Friday.

