JULY 1 • 2021 | 25

T

he ongoing border clo-
sure between the U.S. 
and Canada continues to 
impact Jewish communities in 
both countries. These effects are 
felt especially hard in Windsor 
and Detroit, where Jewish life is 
often intertwined with families 
living on both sides of the bor-
der and Metro Detroit residents 
attending school in Windsor and 
vice-versa.
Since March 2020, the border 
has been closed to nonessential 
travel due to the COVID-19 
crisis. Over the past 15 months, 
Jewish residents of Metro Detroit 
and Windsor have struggled 
with the restrictions. With the 
border closure extended until 
July 21, rumors about a possible 
border reopening in the coming 
weeks or months, Jewish indi-
viduals are hopeful that life can 
soon resume as it once was.
“Windsor is a border city that 
is intrinsically linked to our 
neighbors across the river in 
Detroit, Michigan,
” the Windsor 
Jewish Federation & Community 
Centre said in a statement. “Since 
March 2020, our province’s res-
idents, including members of 
the Windsor Jewish community, 
have suffered untold mental, 
financial and educational hard-
ship due to ongoing COVID-19 
related lockdowns, the after-
effects of which will reverberate 
for many years to come.
”
Dr. 
Mike Malowitz, president 
of the federation and commu-
nity center, has personally felt 
the impacts of the ongoing 
border closure. He hasn’t been 

able to see his granddaughter 
in months, who lives across the 
border. “The pleasure of pick-
ing up our granddaughter at 
school, taking her to gymnastics 
class and watching her perform 
her exercises is now gone,
” he 
explains.
Malowitz’s family, like many 
others living on both sides of the 
border, haven’t been able to cele-
brate Passover, Shabbat dinners, 
birthdays, Chanukah and other 
events together. While they’ve 
turned to virtual get-togethers, 
Malowitz says electronics can’t 
replace the in-person interac-
tions of special occasions.
“These events were taken 
away,
” he says, “and reduced to 
seeing family on a Zoom square 
on the computer screen.
”
Malowitz says one of the 
toughest hurdles to overcome 
within the Jewish community is 
the emotional pain caused by not 
being able to attend funerals in 
person. “Family members were 
not allowed to cross the border 
to attend the funerals of loved 
ones and were reduced to watch-
ing the proceedings by Zoom 
since the number of attendees 
was limited by quarantine rules,
” 
he says. “The comfort of family 
and friends provided by the shi-
vah period cannot be replaced by 
prayers on a Zoom screen.
”
Bar and bat mitzvahs, 
Malowitz adds, were also signifi-
cantly impacted by the border 
closure. For these once-in-a-life-
time opportunities, some fami-
lies could not attend the services 
of loved ones living across the 

border, while other families had 
to forego the events altogether, 
postponed for a later date.
“The joys of simchahs such 
as bar and bat mitzvahs have 
been challenged by the in-person 
limits imposed by safety rules,
” 
Malowitz describes.

UPCOMING BREAK?
However, Jewish residents in 
Metro Detroit and Windsor 
may have good news to look 
forward to soon as talks 
between the U.S. and Canadian 
governments continue. There 
are also efforts to get more 
Windsor residents vaccinated 
with surplus COVID-19 vac-
cines from Michigan, which 
lawmakers hope can be done 
at the border without the need 

to leave one’s car or quarantine 
upon return.
Currently, Canada has a strict 
14-day quarantine policy for 
unvaccinated residents who are 
exempt from the border clo-
sure. The country is now in the 
process of easing restrictions 
on vaccinated residents as well. 
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is 
also pushing in favor of receiving 
surplus vaccines from Michigan 
with a new proposal.
“
As the protection from vacci-
nations increases and the num-
ber of COVID cases continues 
to decline, it is hoped that both 
family and community func-
tions will once again resume,
” 
Malowitz says, “so that life can 
begin with a familiar degree of 
normalcy.
” 

After a year of border closure, 
Detroit and Windsor residents 
hope for reopening.

At the Border

“IT IS HOPED THAT BOTH FAMILY 
AND COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS

WILL ONCE AGAIN RESUME.”

— DR. MIKE MALOWITZ

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mike Malowitz and 
his granddaughter 
Lilah

COURTESY OF MIKE MALOWITZ

