SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 | 5 Views Jewfro New Year’s Rockin’ Ease I have previously persuasively argued that the greatest gift the Jewish people ever gave the world was summer camp. In the anguished absence of camp — shoutout to the HW Backyard Boys for their Saved by the Bell- caliber scheme — we still have some- thing invaluable to offer this year. The opportunity to end it early. Let the fresh wheels and neon lights of 5781 transport us away from the bottomless pothole that is 2020, just as Olivia Newton John magically ushered in the (19)80s on roller skates. While the Jewish New Year does not relieve us of our civic duty in November — or whatever comes after murder hornets — we need not wait to pop out the Nintendo cartridge and blow off the grime that has made this such a glitchy year. Which brings me to the sage advice I offer for anyone seek- ing to overcome the paralyzing entropy of this angry, ill, cynical world. Lapidary. Go polish rocks. That may sound like a Depression-era insult at first, but you, pally, are no afternoon farmer. The two steps to rock polishing are 1. Get rocks. 2. Polish the rocks. Unlike, say, reasonably priced mid-century modern furniture, rocks are not hard to find. Rocks are everywhere. If you had “shoreline erosion” on your Bad News Bingo board for 2020, take as consolation the outstanding geological diversity resulting from the changing water levels. Rocks that had been encased in the earth since the ice age sparkled along the shore of Lake Michigan, free from zebra mus- sels and indifferent to the much larger rock that is presumably hurtling toward Earth. I did not violate the Michigan law limiting removal of any rock, mineral or invertebrate fossil from state-owned land for per- sonal or non-commercial hobby use to 25 pounds per year. But I came close. We’ ve all been there — you fill your fanny pack with rocks whose colors and patterns catch your eye, only to lose interest once they’ re dried off, dull and scratching up your Laser Discs. Don’ t throw them out, espe- cially if you live in a glass house. That Petoskey Stone is 350 mil- lion years old. It feels the same way about dinosaurs — maybe dismissive, maybe unaware — that you do about TikTok. Let’ s talk about grit. You should be proud of the resiliency that has fortified you during these trying times. You can’ t buy grit. Unless you are talking about sandpaper, in which case you need to buy the right kind. As units of measurement go, grit is it. Grit would make SPF blush ... make Richter quake in his boots … make olive oil clutch its pearls. Far removed continued on page 6 continued on page 6 Ben Falik Petoskey Stone exceeding 25 pounds where the stairs used to be BEN FALIK Guest Column A Call for Unity, Moderation and Action E lul is the last month of the Jewish year leading up to Rosh Hashanah. It’ s a time of self-examination, self-improve- ment and repentance. A return to righteousness and justice made all the more nec- essary during this unprecedented and tragic COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, righteousness and justice in this world are waning, not waxing, at the moment. To our horror, we’ re witnessing ever increasing acts of antisemitism and racism. Authoritarianism is on the rise while democracies across the world are struggling. Fear and hate is killing people every day here in the U.S. Humans regress to tribalism when they are afraid; evolution encourages this instinctual behav- ior. After all, a tribe that is cohe- sive and unified in mission is best able to defend against external threats. Nevertheless, we need to fight against this isolating and harmful tribal instinct. We must rise above it. Tribalism based on fear and hate is weakening this great nation. Knowingly or not, our media sources and social media platforms are allowing extremists and foreign intelligence agencies to weaponize hate and fear to sow discord and violence. This unset- tling trend is likely to worsen as the November election approach- es. What can we do? For a start, break out from tribal isolation. This doesn’ t mean abandoning our religious, community or political affiliations. Rather, we need to take action as ambassadors of goodwill and resist the false per- ceived safety of isolationism. This requires stepping out- side our virtual silos and echo chambers. Reading or viewing only a single news source is liter- ally killing us. Critical thinking requires consideration of different perspectives, not just those that reinforce our way of thinking. Engage and work with people holding opinions different from our own. Build wider, not nar- rower tents, and create or partici- pate in educational programs that present multiple perspectives. I’ m not advocating for false relativism but rather for more education and knowledge. How else can we learn and grow? I currently have the honor of serving as president of the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC Detroit. Our orga- nization’ s mission is to represent the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Seth Gould