16 | APRIL 2 • 2020
W
ith the coronavi-
rus keeping people
housebound, the JCC
of Metro Detroit has geared up to
offer online programs across its
many departments, from toddlers
to senior citizens.
“We have a responsibility to
continue to engage our commu-
nity — mind, body and soul,
”
Brian D. Siegel, CEO of the JCC,
said, citing Jewish teachings
about feeling responsible for one
another.
Mikki Frank, the JCC’
s JFamily
director, said connection is “more
critical than ever.
”
She said families are express-
ing feelings of isolation, sadness
about separation from relatives,
guilt around juggling work and
family and fears about loved ones
getting sick.
On the JFamily Facebook page
(JfamilyDet), find daily story
times, craft-alongs, virtual field
trips and other activities.
PJ Library Parent Connector
Lindsay Mall goes live every
Wednesday for weekly Rock
’
N‘
Read sessions, presented by
PJ Library Detroit and JBaby
(Jbaby Detroit on Facebook). A
New Moms Support Group has
been added, and JFamily will
provide Passover resources and
activities.
Jaemi Loeb, senior director of
cultural arts, had been finalizing
schedules for the annual Lenore
Marwil Detroit Jewish Film
Festival slated for May 3-13, but
the event has been postponed, as
have many other live events her
department presents.
Look for live-streamed
concerts with talkbacks, live
discussions with authors (car-
toonist Ben Katchor, April 2)
and virtual Netflix film par-
ties and discussions hosted by
Loeb are part of the upcoming
lineup. (Check JCC Cultural Arts
on Facebook.)
Within a day, JCC’
s JLearn
transitioned to Zoom class-
es with a participation rate of
about 80 percent, says director
Shelley Chaness. Visit JLearn on
Facebook or jccdet.org/jlearn for
class details.
Lori Semel of West Bloomfield
is part of a yearlong JLearn class,
“Halachic Debate,
” taught by
Rabbi Michele Faudem.
“The whole class loves being
able to connect with new people
in the community,
” Semel said.
“
And there are bonuses to taking
the class online — we have better
coffee at home, and we can wear
our pajamas.
”
W
hen Otto Dube, man-
aging funeral director
of Hebrew Memorial
Chapel in Oak Park, wanted to
buy protective masks for his staff
and the families they serve, he
found it would take weeks to get
them. Dube meets with families
at stressful moments, now made
even more stressful by the coro-
navirus.
Waiting weeks wouldn’
t do, so
it got him thinking.
“I’
ve always thought of
Judaism as a study of human
nature that provides practical
answers to life’
s problems,
” Dube
said. “I asked myself: ‘
What can
Judaism do to help out here?’
”
Dube wears a kippah and
found himself reaching up to
adjust it, which gave him an idea.
He had seen videos of how to
turn a paper towel into a mask,
which didn’
t impress him, but
now he was thinking about how
to turn a kippah into a mask.
Around the country, people
are sewing homemade cloth
masks for friends and healthcare
workers. There’
s even a proj-
ect online to make 3D-printed
masks.
Hebrew Memorial buys the
ubiquitous simple black kippot
by the case. So Dube began to
fiddle with one folded in half in
an oval shape and, by simply sta-
pling rubber bands at each end
of the kippah, he came up with
a mask that neatly covered the
mouth and nose. Because these
kippot are made of synthetic
nylon, if worn correctly, saliva or
droplets shouldn’
t be able to get
through to possibly infect anoth-
er person, Dube says.
After Dube made a few, he was
meeting with a family about a
funeral; one of them was a doc-
tor. Dube showed him the kip-
pah mask and the doctor said he
was impressed. “He put [a photo
of it] on Facebook to share with
friends,
” Dube said.
After checking with rabbis to
be sure the mask was “kosher”
to use this way, he made a
video with the help of his son,
Ami, 22. They uploaded it to
YouTube (“Homemade Kippah
Masks” had 10,350 views as
of March 30) and posted it on
Facebook. Similarly, a man in the
Netherlands posted a YouTube
video March 9 showing multiple
uses for a kippah, including as a
mask against the coronavirus.
After posting, Dube sent
a message and a link to local
Jewish clergy who might also
want to repurpose some of their
classic black yarmulkes.
If you have this type of
yarmulke on hand, you can
make your own mask. If you
need a kippah mask, call Hebrew
Memorial at (248) 543-1623
for pick-up or to make other
arrangements.
DON COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
DUBE FAMILY
Otto Dube created this kippah mask.
Pray It, Don’t Spray It
“Kippah mask” can be easily made at home.
Keeping In Touch
JCC goes online with offerings for every age.
STAFF AND LOCAL REPORTS
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