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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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