A few months ago, I wrote an article about how families are coping with the burden of tuition for their children’s Torah education. Next, I wrote about dealing with phone calls from school about misbehaving children. In this third in the series on school-related topics, I will explore the perspective of parents who are part of the Orthodox Jewish community but are educating their children in schools outside the community.

In a sense, this phenomenon is a sign of the success of the Jewish day school movement. In previous generations it was very common for children to attend public schools or non-Jewish private schools. My mother, who grew up in a small town outside London, attended non-Jewish schools, beginning with elementary school and going all the way through teachers training college. In fact, she and her brother were the only Jewish students among hundreds of non-Jews. She grew up in a very religious home and was taught to read Hebrew by her grandmother but had very little Jewish book learning. She always felt a little ashamed when she could not help us with our Chumash homework. My father told me that in his non-Jewish school, also in England, the Jewish students were excused from singing Christmas carols and instead were allowed to decorate the Christmas tree!

On a recent visit to my son and daughter-in-law, I noticed that their walls were painted different colors. Rooms that were near each other were painted different shades of the same color, blending together seamlessly.

“How did you decide what colors to paint your walls?” I asked in astonishment. Most of the walls in my house are either white or off-white, or the color the painter had in stock.

They let me in on their secret. They had hired an interior designer, who had suggested which colors to paint the different rooms to make the rooms look warm, cozy, and unique.

This conversation

My career as a game planner for Chanuka parties began when I was a child living at home with my parents and siblings. Every year, I planned a treasuMy re hunt for each member of the family. When I was in Gateshead Seminary, far away from home, I chose presents for each of my siblings (small things like chocolate bars) and then wrote four or five clues for each present. The whole box was sent before Chanuka with instructions to my sister closest in age to me to hide the clues and the presents.

Forty-five years later, in my role as Bubby, I am still planning Chanuka parties. I’m lucky that a number of my married children live in Baltimore, which makes it easier to get everyone together. I like to imagine that my children and grandchildren look forward to seeing all their aunts, uncles, and cousins once a year at a party. What is the definition of a party? I guess each family has its own definition. But, most likely, every Chanuka party includes food and games. Sometimes, I have the nachas of hearing one of the grandchildren ask if we are going to do such and such a game again this year. If they ask that question, then, of course, answer is going to be yes. If you, my grandchild, enjoyed the game and remembered it, then why not?

Although it’s been many years since I had young children in school and had to face the dreaded phone calls from teachers and rebbeim about misbehavior, I haven’t forgotten them. I remember how helpless and hopeless I felt when I got negative feedback from my children’s teachers and principals. What do I do? What should I say? How much control do I have over my children, anyway, especially when they are not with me? Why is everyone else’s child behaving and not mine? Are all the children “A” students except mine?

As long as there are schools and children, principals and parents, the dilemma of the “phone call from school” will be with us. I thought it would be interesting to speak to some school administrators to find out how they would like parents to react to those inevitable phone calls and to parents on how they want to be approached.

During the primary election season just past, we were inundated with talk on the radio, advertising on the internet, and fliers in the mail urging us to vote for this candidate or that. They tried to persuade us that Mr. XYZ is really going to change things and make them better. With the November midterms looming ahead, we can expect more of the same.

Yet, to many of us, the city, state and federal governments are very far away from our day-to-day lives. Our community leaders tell us that it is very important to vote. But does it really matter who is in charge? Do our elected officials or the people who work for them actually care about the problems of a random person in his or her district?

To my great surprise, I found out that they do.

I know it is election season by the brochures I’ve been getting in the mail and the signs I’ve seen all over the neighborhood promoting people running for various offices. Most of the time, I do not understand what office these people are running for and why I should vote for one over the other. And I wonder what power they have, anyway, once elected? They promise to do everything from getting rid of crime to collecting the garbage more often, but can they really make those things happen?

 This article is an elementary guide to the workings of Maryland politics for those readers who also don’t understand much about it but would like to. If you don’t care, or you already know everything, just skip this. It is not meant for you!

The election on June 26, 2018 is for state as well as county positions. (Baltimore City does not have municipal elections now.) It is a primary election, which means that voters must vote for the slate that matches their registration. Only Democrats can vote for the Democrat candidates, and only Republicans can vote for the Republican candidates. The winners of each party’s primary will then run against each other in November.

Citizens may also register as independents, neither Republican nor Democrat, but then they cannot vote in the primary elections. Since Maryland is a state with a large Democrat population, some races only have Democratic candidates. (For example, in the race for delegates for the 41st district, only Democrats are running.) Even when a Republican is running for an office, in parts of the state, like Baltimore City, he/she is likely to lose the general election in the face of the overwhelming majority of Democrat voters. That means that, in many races, the primary election is more important than the general election. Many people who are inclined to vote Republican therefore register as Democrats, so as to have a voice in choosing the office holder.