OCTOBER 19 • 2023 | 43
J
N

Sarah Schjoneman of 
Waterford says she feels secure 
and proud of her choice to 
send her 5-year-old daughter 
to a Jewish day school. “Even 
in the aftermath of everything 
that is happening and will 
continue to happen, I think 
the communal aspect of sur-
rounding herself with Jewish 
peers is important, and I think 
safety is always my top con-
cern as a parent,” she said.
Sheina Kopstein, of 
Farmington Hills, says she 
feels confident sending her 
8- and 5-year-old children to 
Hillel in today’s environment. 
“When we’ve had security 
scares in the past and now, 
we have always reached out 
and always gotten the kind of 
answers that have made us feel 
extremely happy and extreme-
ly safe,” she says. “When I 
drop my children off at school, 
I truly believe they’re safe or 
I’d be home schooling.” 
She and her husband, 
Gabriel, grew up in Israel and 
have family and friends there, 
and have been fielding tough 
questions from the kids about 
their bubbie, aunt, cousins 
and other relatives there as 
they come up. They also 
have several family members 
who’ve been called to serve.
“I find it’s better to be 
truthful with children than 
to lie, because they always 
know,” she explains. “We’re 
very thankful Hillel is 
addressing it with the kids 
on an age-appropriate level, 
and for really bringing Jewish 
pride to the forefront.” 
Their kids have the safety of 
kids in Israel on their minds, 
too, she says, as they’ve been 
made aware of some of the 
horrors that have taken place. 
“I said, ‘you know what, 
honey, it’s true, and you’re 
safe, and we’re so happy that 
you’re safe, and we have to do 
what we can to protect one 
another, come together as a 

community, speak up, don’t 
be silent; when you say the 
Prayer for the State of Israel, 
have that in your heart, when 
they have the prayer for the 
soldiers, remember your cous-
ins are out there.’”
Andrea Strosberg’s four 
kids attend Farber Hebrew 
Day School, where she works 
as director of admissions and 
director of educational tech-
nology. She says their family 
feels very connected to Israel, 
and so it’s appropriate that her 
kids’ school environment mir-
rors that connection. 
“I’m not worried about 
them being in physical danger 
or social pressure negativi-
ty,” she says. “The school is 
presenting a message that’s 
aligned with what we want 
our kids exposed to.” 
Her 5-year-old made art she 
said was “for Israel” while she 
knows that older kids at the 
school connected with alumni 
in Israel who made aliyah or 
are in the IDF. “They’re at a 
place that cares about what 
we care about as a family, like 
a deep connection to Israel; 
feeling the pain when Israel is 
in pain and celebrating with 
Israel throughout the school 
year.”

LISTEN FOR YOUR 
KIDS’ SIGNALS
Parents should listen to see if 
their kids need more informa-
tion or are giving signals that 
they don’t want more informa-
tion, says Dr. Joshua Levisohn, 
head of school at Farber 
Hebrew Day School. 
“I think it’s appropriate for 
us to be able to share with our 
students that we are upset and 
things are difficult in Israel. 
Depending on their age, we 
tell them that there’s a war in 
Israel and we have friends and 
family there who we’re worried 
about,” he says. “We tell them 
we expect everything to be OK, 
but it’s OK to be worried, and 

we find things to do to support 
each other and our family and 
friends in Israel.” 
Parents can also 
help by taking 
steps to make sure 
their own emo-
tional needs are 
being taken care of 

away from their kids, says Dr. 
Levisohn. “It’s very important 
that parents distinguish between 
their own needs and the needs 
of their kids,
” he says. “That 
allows parents to be in the right 
mindset when they talk to their 
children.
” 

Dr. Joshua 
Levisohn
continued on page 44

Charlotte Faber, a 
third-grader at Farber, 
makes a thank-you card 
for an Israeli soldier.

Atara Feldman, 
2nd grade, 
personalizing an 
Israeli flag

