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6 | MARCH 26 • 2020 

for starters
Rethinking ‘Normal’
B

’
nai mitzvahs live-
streamed. Weddings 
canceled. Seders shrunk. 
Funerals and shivahs restricted.
There is no denying that 
Jewish life, and 
every other facet 
of modern life, 
has had to change 
drastically since 
the outbreak of 
COVID-19. 
Social 
distancing has 
become an imperative, which 
means that for the time being, 
we can no longer gather in 
public as we once did. It is all 
absolutely necessary to curb 
the spread of this deadly virus, 
and I’
m glad we’
re coming 
together to do this. But it also 

really… sucks. I think it’
s OK 
to admit that.
Humans are adaptable 
creatures, though. And Jews 
certainly know the meaning 
of a struggle. This week, we 
at the JN wanted to spotlight 
the ways in which our 
community has adapted. We 
have stories, either in this 
issue or online, on the plans 
families have had to make for 
their spring calendars; on the 
synagogues and restaurants 
making adjustments to 
their operations; on arts 
organizations moving to live-
streamed gatherings; and on 
the work that groups like Yad 
Ezra are doing to continue to 
get food and other supplies to 
those in need.

In the coming weeks we hope 
to do more, including rebooting 
our events calendar to include 
live-streamed activities. So 
please feel free to send us 
yours. In addition, we know 
this quarantine period can be 
a particular strain on families, 
so we’
d like to hear how you are 
keeping your children healthy 
and occupied during this crisis.
It also seems likely that 
the coronavirus will impact 
Passover plans, particularly for 
those who were planning large 
seders and family gatherings. 
(“Next year in public?”) We 
will try to adjust our coverage 
accordingly.
And in the spirit of 
continuing to live Jewishly, 
I don’
t want our coverage to 

become “all coronavirus, all the 
time.
” Information overload 
can lead to anxiety and a sense 
of helplessness. We are phasing 
regular community coverage 
back into JN in the coming 
weeks, including a long-
term editorial project we had 
postponed to focus on the virus 
response.
As I write this from my 
apartment, looking out the 
window at the empty streets 
all around me, the idea of ever 
getting “back to normal” can 
feel very far away indeed. So 
maybe it’
s not about “back 
to normal.
” Maybe it’
s about 
finding what “normal” can 
mean for each of us in this 
situation. Take care, and I’
ll see 
you all on Zoom. 

Andrew
Lapin

to the website, it will ask you to 
enter that code. When you do, 
you’
ll see the address on the 
screen. 
You don’
t physically have to 
be in Michigan to respond to 
the census as a Michigan resi-
dent. You can respond regard-
less of where you are when you 
sign onto the online system. If 
you have the mailing that was 
sent to your home address, fill 
out the form at my2020census.
gov. The questions are similar 
to those you answered on a 
paper questionnaire 10 years 
ago. 
If you have only the mail-
ing with the 12-digit Census 
ID code that came to your 
winter address, you can go 
to my2020census.gov and 
enter that code. Your season-
al address will show on the 
screen. On the first question, 

enter zero (0) for the num-
ber of people at that address, 
because there’
s no one who 
lives there “most of the time.” 
Most, in this context, means 
more than half the year. 
After confirming that you 
mean to enter zero, the online 
system will take you to a ques-
tion about why no one will be 
living there on April 1. You can 
then mark the circle “for sea-
sonal, recreational or occasion-
al use.” The system will then 
ask you for another address, at 
which point you can provide 
your Michigan address and 
answer the census that way, 
either providing the 12-digit 
Census ID code or entering 
your actual address. 
So, there are two ways to 
make sure you respond to the 
census as a Michigan resident. 
Easy, no? 

If you’
ve already responded 
to the census with your winter 
home’
s census ID, try to do 
it again using your Michigan 
Census ID. The Census Bureau 
has ways of finding the dupli-
cation and fixing it.
If you don’
t want to use the 
computer to respond to the 
census, you can call the num-
ber provided in the mailing. 
From there, you can either 
respond by telephone or you 
can ask for a paper question-
naire. If you don’
t do anything, 
you’
ll be nudged with repeated 
mailings. If you’
ve done noth-
ing by mid-April, they’
ll mail 
you a paper questionnaire.
If you still don’
t do anything, 
current plans call for a census 
worker to come to your door, 
starting in May. (The coro-
navirus emergency, however, 
could mean that those plans 

will change.) You’
ll probably 
be home in Michigan by then. 
Having a census worker come 
costs the government a lot of 
money, so it’
s better if you can 
take the initiative and respond 
to the census yourself online, 
by phone or by receiving and 
returning a paper question-
naire. 
It’
s important that every-
one who considers Michigan 
home answers the census as 
a Michigan resident. Every 
person counted in Michigan 
means additional thousands of 
dollars in federal support for 
infrastructure and for social 
programs. Make sure you and 
your family are counted as part 
of our Michigan population. 

Patricia C. Becker is a demographer in 
private practice with Southfield-based 
APB Associates, her consulting com-
pany.

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