H

illel Day School sent out 
a memo to the Hillel 
community on Friday, 
March 13, informing everyone 
that one of their teachers in the 
1-2 Learning Community had 
tested presumptive positive for 
the coronavirus (COVID-19).
“He is a beloved and valued 
member of our school commu-
nity, a teacher whose dynamic 
classroom is always filled with 
positive energy,” read Hillel’
s 
statement. “We wish him and 
all those affected a speedy 
recovery.”
The teacher, a resident of 
Washtenaw County, tested 
positive for the virus following 
domestic travel and is at home 
recovering. The affected teacher’
s 
students and colleagues in the 
school’
s 1-2 learning community 
are in self-quarantine through 
March 23.

“We recognize that this devel-
opment may cause anxiety for 
you and your children,
” Naty 
Katz, interim head of school, said 
in a statement. “It is important 
to remain calm as we move for-
ward together. We stand ready to 
help you in any way possible. We 
extend a refuah shleimah (prayer 
of healing) to anyone affected.
”
Hillel was closed on March 
13 and will remain closed until 
further notice. Frankel Jewish 
Academy (FJA) also announced 
it would be closed, beginning on 
Friday, March 13. 
In addition, Gov. Gretchen 
Whitmer has ordered all K-12 
schools (public, private and 
boarding) to close throughout 
the state of Michigan beginning 
Monday, March 16, until April 5.
“This is a necessary step to 
protect our kids, our families 
and our overall public health,” 

Whitmer said in a statement. “I 
am working with partners across 
state government to ensure edu-
cators, parents and students have 
the support they need during 
this time, and to ensure our 
children who rely on school for 
meals have access to food. 
“I know this will be a tough 
time, but we’
re doing this to keep 
the most people we can safe. I 
urge everyone to make smart 
choices during this time and to 
do everything they can to protect 
themselves and their families.” 
Governors in Ohio, Kentucky 
and Maryland have taken sim-
ilar steps in closing schools in 
attempts to slow the spread of the 
virus and protect the health of 
children and families.
Before the first confirmed 
cases of COVID-19 hit Michigan, 
Farber Hebrew Day School, Hillel 
and FJA had been preparing and 
exploring strategies to provide 
remote instruction via distance 
learning technology to ensure 
that their students’
 educations 
were not disrupted.
Every FJA student has a 

MacBook laptop, which will 
enable them to stay connected 
to their teachers. According 
to Shana Kantor, director of 
advancement at FJA, faculty can 
use FJA
’
s learning management 
system, Schoology, as well as the 
full Google Education Suite, to 
create assignments and assess-
ments online. 
All students at Hillel have a 
Chromebook, allowing them to 
continue their education while 
out of school. According to 
Hillel’
s statement, “
All ECC-4 
instruction will be asynchronous, 
meaning students don’
t have to be 
online at the same time as their 
classmates. Grades 5-8 students 
will have synchronous activities, 
such as hosting an online dis-
cussion or activity or a recorded 
lesson during the school day.
”
Hillel teachers will be using 
the applicable learning platforms, 
Remini for ECC, Seesaw for K-4 
and Google Hangout/Meet for 
grades 5-8, to post assignments 
for students. Teachers will also be 
readily available to answer stu-
dent questions and concerns via 
email, live chat or video call. 
Temple Israel’
s Early Childhood 
Center closed as well, beginning 
Monday, March 16, and will 
remain closed until April 20.
The Jewish Community Center 
has closed all operations, includ-
ing the Pitt Child Development 
Center and the Florine Mark 
Sports and Fitness Complex,s 
until March 29. 
There have been 53 presump-
tive positive cases of COVID-19 
in the state of Michigan as of 
March 16. According to the 
Michigan Department of Health 
and Human Services (MDHHS), 
the cases include both male and 
female adults from Oakland, 
Ingham, Kent, Montcalm, St. 
Clair and Washtenaw counties. 

12 | MARCH 19 • 2020 

Special Coverage

Jewish Detroit responds to the coronavirus.

School’s Out

Hillel Day School teacher tests positive 
for coronavirus; Whitmer shuts down 
all schools in Michigan.

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

Jews in the D

COURTESY OF HILLEL DAY SCHOOL

012_DJN031920_JD Coronavirus Schools March 19.indd 12
012_DJN031920_JD Coronavirus Schools March 19.indd 12
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