As a member of the Jewish community in Oakwood, I see that plans to establish some basic institutions have excited some interest.  Unfamiliarity is often a rich ground for fear and misunderstanding, so I feel it is important to demystify a particular aspect of Jewish life that is not widely known, the mikveh.

Mikveh is a word that appears first in the first chapter of the Bible.  It describes the gathering of the primal waters of the world in the oceans. Water is what Genesis describes as being the primal element of the world, and it is in water that Jewish teachings and law see the source of rebirth and renewal in our lives.  The processes of purification and renewal described so often in the book of Leviticus as washing in water, all refer to this process of immersion in a natural body of water, or a mikveh.

Jewish tradition states that the first institution to be built by a community should be a mikveh.  It is essential for Jewish family life; it is a place for reflection and meditation, and is also used as a preparation for prayer by many, especially before the High Holy Days; it is used to welcome new members of the faith community; and its use is thoroughly non-controversial within our Greater Dayton community.  Every rabbi of every synagogue, no matter how traditional or modern, recognizes the value of the institution of the mikveh and has members of his or her synagogue who use it.

Historians recognize that the use of water in baptism in Christianity has its roots in this practice.  However, the actual practice is different than any of the forms of baptism practiced currently.  It is a private observance.  Just as when we shower or bathe each day, we do not do so publicly, so too, modesty makes this a private occasion.  Mikveh use is generally scheduled in advance so that not only will there be complete privacy when one immerses, but no one else will even know who has been there before or after.

The Jewish community has used a centrally-located mikveh in the Dayton View area for about fifty years.  Since there no longer is a Jewish community in that area, Jews living both north and south of Dayton have sought to establish institutions situated within their local area, rather than requiring members to drive an hour at night (when the mikveh is most often used).

Anyone who is curious to know more about this ancient and holy institution can find much at this website: http: //mikveh.org/ inside.asp?id=26 or they can ask any community rabbi, who would be happy to answer their questions.

Amy Bloom
Oakwood

Re: concern over mikveh building

As a six-year resident of Oakwood, I was a bit dismayed at the unsigned letter concerning the mikveh building.  Although the content of this letter offered nothing but  misleading and misguided information, I was even more concerned that the rule, “All letters must be signed in order to be published”, which was clearly printed
in the Oct 3, 2006 edition of the Oakwood Register, was broken.  An explanation as to why this rule was broken to print this letter should be provided.  Shame on you!

Linda Pitarys
Aberdeen Ave.

Politically incorrect

The only problem I had with Angela Frydman’s excellent letter of May 1, 2007 was her failure to put the blame for this misunderstanding where it belongs. When is the Oakwood Register going to stop printing letters from people who refuse to sign their name?

There is no fact checking going on at all. I am an Episcopalian, and I know what a mikveh is. I actually thought that anonymous letter was a joke when I first read it.
It is journalistically irresponsible to print things from every crackpot with an agenda. You are going to set ethnocultural relations in our tiny town back a gen eration if you aren’t careful.

Please don’t get me started on the cover photo of Distinctive Homes in the same issue.  Since when did lawn jockeys cease to be a symbol of racial oppression? Have one on your property if you want, but don’t glorify it by printing a photo in the paper.

THINK THINK THINK
To the people who read this letter: please do not call my home and leave anonymous messages. If you have a response, send it to the OR and sign your name.

Leslie Nagel
Oakwood

Elementary math curriculum proven effective

I am writing to respond to the writer who thinks Oakwood’s students are poorly served by an integrated mathematics curriculum. Parents should know that there is an enormous amount of research supporting the program Everyday Mathematics, selected by the school board for Oakwood elementary schools. Research shows that children who use EM tend to learn more mathematics and like it better than children who use other programs. For research findings about this program and other integrated and reform mathematics programs, check the website www.mathematicallysane.com.

As a member of the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics, I would also like to point out that NCTM has not “backed off support of integrated curricula in favor of traditional curriculum.” The writer cited the NY Times and Wall Street Journal, but those reporters had it wrong and were rebutted by Skip Fennell, the president of NCTM. The purpose of the Focal Points document is to identify topics at grades K-8 that should receive more focus so that students will learn concepts with more depth. (www.nctm.org) Currently, mathematics frameworks from vary greatly from state-to-state in the depth and breadth of topics that are covered, and thus most traditional textbooks and many curriculums are “a mile wide and an inch deep.” The Focal Points document identifies important mathematics that should be taught and learned at each grade level. NCTM hopes that this document will guide states and school districts as they design and organize the next revisions of their expectations, standards, curriculum, and assessment programs. NCTM does not endorse any curriculum, textbook, or instructional program. NCTM encourages states and districts to choose materials that ask students to perform at high cognitive levels, rather than “cookbooks” of recipes for answers.

As parents, it may seem easier to show our children the traditional way to find the answer to a problem. But the quickest method may not be the one that leads to a deep level of understanding. Children should be able to explain the how and why of the mathematics that they are being taught. In this day and age of calculator and computers, it is critical that our children learn to be flexible thinkers and problem solvers. Although Oakwood has chosen non-traditional mathematics programs, these programs are backed by research and should be supported.

Angie Seltzer
549 Acorn Drive
Mathematics Curriculum Specialist

Math curricula really differs with countries

Mrs. Brown’s big concern, in her May 1, 2007 letter to the editor regarding Oakwood’s math deficiency makes perfect sense to me. When you move from one city to another, people find differences in the quality of education. However, the disparity can be enormous when you move from one country to another.

Many Japanese parents who live temporarily in the USA send their children to a Saturday Japanese school to catch up with peers who are receiving their education in Japan. This is primarily because they know their children will fall far behind their peers in mathematics after they spend a couple of years in the USA. According to the recognized international assessments of academic performance (PISA and TIMSS), Japan ranked as one of the best in the world in the area of math whereas the USA ranked behind Poland or Russia and some developing countries. What Japanese students learn in mathematics up to the 9th grade is equivalent to some of the college courses of mathematics in the USA.

I am a doctoral student in education and I have had many opportunities to talk to American educators. What surprised me is that they have difficulties in recognition of academic deficiencies that lead to delay in addressing problematic issues.

Academically successful countries such as Finland and Korea worked on problematic areas and reduced the percentage of struggling students and showed their success to the world. Their academic strength came from their recognition of the problem. They shared the problem openly with parents and community and asked for collaboration.

I believe that the Oakwood community has a great potential for overcoming this problem because of the quality of teachers and school administrators and strong commitment of parents and community in general. All we need is to recognize this problem and make the necessary changes.

Kaori Takano
451 Orchard Dr.
Oakwood

Hawthorn Hill, senior class talk, trumps life saving info

In the last issue of the Oakwood Register there was a story that had the potential to save life and property. Your life and your property.

The City of Oakwood has recently put an emergency notification system in place that will have a significant impact on the community in the case of a life threatening emergency. The CodeRed system is a major advance in alerting citizens to dangerous events as well as missing children.

The system is in place but will not be totally effective until the phone database includes phone numbers that are not listed in the white pages. Many residents, who are out and about, would not receive the notification unless they have registered their cell phone numbers and unlisted residential phones.

The Oakwood Register seemed like the best place to inform the public about the new system and the need to register alternate phone numbers.

It should have been front page headline news given the nature and serious impact that it will one day have on citizens facing a life threatening emergency or the recovery of a missing child.

Instead, the story was given a small space at the bottom corner of page one and then segmented over two more pages in the back of the paper. I would guess that if surveyed, the vast majority of readers won’t remember the story at all, which will result in the failure to register their alternate phone numbers.

In a perfect world the system would never need to be used.

In the real world, we all know that it’s not a matter of if, but when. And when that day comes, I doubt that the Hawthorn Hill and the Senior Class Talk stories will save many lives.

Apparently social stories that may be fun to read for some in Oakwood are more deemed important than a public safety story that will affect each and every one of us.
Irresponsible?  I can’t be sure, and it’s just my opinion, but I think it’s close.

Jerry Sanders
Oakwood

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