On Friday Afternoon: A Shabbat Celebration, by Michal Babay, illustration by Menachem Halberstadt, published by Charlesbridge 

On Friday Afternoon is the perfect picture book to bring Jewish pride and joy into your home. The text is engaging and energetic, capturing the afternoon preparations for Shabbat. The dog and cat, and all the antics, will delight young readers and listeners. The bright, fun, action-packed illustrations are entertaining and engaging. This is a favorite of my one-year-old granddaughter, and I can never just read it once to her.  Highly recommend for toddlers to ten-year-olds. 

Building, by Leah Wachsler, illustrated by Renate Lohmann, published by Hachai 

Of all the books I read to my grandsons over Zoom, this is their favorite! They love the vehicles and sounds from the construction site. They’re captivated by the construction workers’ tasks  and the similar activities the children in the story participate in at school, the playground, and at home. Even though we’ve read this book too many times to count, my grandsons still love to shout out what was built on the construction site – a Shul! This picture book has many positive messages. 

Educator and author Liza Wiemer, of Fox Point, has taught in nine of our Milwaukee-area Jewish religious schools and day schools. Her latest novel, “The Assignment,” is appropriate for ages 12 and up. 

Despite advice to the contrary from loving family, she became an educator. 

Even though Erica (Bass) Fishbach’s grandmother – a Milwaukee Public Schools educator and librarian for many years – tried to deter her from going into teaching, Fishbach couldn’t help but follow her heart and soul into education.  

As a young girl, Fishbach was drawn to the education field and often wanted to be the teacher’s helper. Growing up, Fishbach was (and still is) surrounded by educators.  

“Teaching just kind of runs in the family,” she said. “My grandma told us all to not go into teaching and somehow most of us (grandkids) have gone into teaching in some way, shape or form. Gotta love how that works! When it’s something you grow up with and you see happening around you, you kind of want to be a part of it.”  

Fishbach’s mother has been a substitute teacher for more than 20 years and her husband, Jeff, teaches middle school history at Maple Dale.  

Fishbach graduated from Indiana University in 2012 with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and moved back to Milwaukee, where she took her first teaching position as an assistant in a K4 classroom at Milwaukee Jewish Day School. She taught there for two years before getting her own classroom at Gan Ami Early Childhood Education. Fast forward to today – Fishbach is now teaching in the K3 classrooms at Jewish Beginnings. She has also taught Sunday school at both Congregation Shalom and Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid.  

Fishbach interviewed at Jewish Beginnings back in 2018 when Nathan, her oldest, was just under a year old, but she decided that she wasn’t quite ready to give up being a stay-at-home mom. So instead, she worked a day or two a week at Gan Ami, just to stay involved in education. 

When Fishbach was finally ready to put Nathan in the care of a center, Jewish Beginnings had an opening, and it was beshert. She said how warm and welcoming the staff at Jewish Beginnings has been to both her and her boys and that she is now thrilled to now be a part of that staff.  

Fishbach currently works the morning shift so that she can be home when her youngest, Ryan, gets off the bus. While only being with the students for three hours a day can be challenging, Fishbach is grateful to be able to also spend the time with her boys.  

“I really get the best of both worlds,” she said. “I always wondered how I could be a teacher watching other people’s kids and not give my own kids the time of day. So it’s really been valuable that I can work and be with other children in the morning, and then I come home and get quality time with my own children in the afternoon.” 

As a teacher, Fishbach loves to get messy with hands-on learning. She says that sensory experiences really help the 3-year-olds exercise their creative process, “the touchy feely stuff is so valuable, especially the younger they are. That’s something I like to do in all of my classrooms – just pull out the mess!” Fishbach really enjoys watching the children learn something new, “I love when you give the kids a new concept or you introduce them to something new that they’ve never done, never seen, never really knew about and you just see their face light up that they’ve discovered something new on their own.”  

She believes the teachers’ job is to guide the students, but to really allow the discovery and creativity to come from within them. She enjoys seeing the unique touch and sense of self that each child brings to their work.  

She would like people to know that she has a lot of fun teaching, and it’s not just a job for her, “It’s a very rewarding experience for me in the sense that I feel like I can really make a difference. I love that I get to be the extra person that gets to hang out with other people’s kids while they are at work, it’s a very fun job!” In her spare time, you might find Fishbach at a Brewer game, going for a walk through the neighborhood or booking their next family trip to Disney!  

Fishbach grew up not far from where she resides today in Fox Point with her husband, Jeff, their two boys (Nathan, 6 and Ryan, 4) and their “crazy” dog. Fishbach’s parents, sister, grandparents and mother-in-law all live within a one block radius and her brother lives in Mequon, “there’s something so valuable about being in Milwaukee and having the whole family so close knit.”  

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Writer Nicole Boico is the associate director of the Coalition for Jewish Learning of Milwaukee Jewish Federation. This regular feature, from the Coalition for Jewish Learning, is to celebrate local educators. To suggest someone for coverage, contact Boico at NicoleB@MilwaukeeJewish.org.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency 

Many schools got an “F,” and though University of Wisconsin-Madison fared better, with a “C,” the director of Hillel there said that his school deserved a stronger showing. 

Last month, the ADL unveiled its Campus Antisemitism Report Card. It is a series of letter grades assigned to 85 colleges and universities based on how well the antisemitism watchdog organization believes they are addressing antisemitism.  

Hillel and Chabad directors at several individual schools also decried the ratings system to JTA, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, George Washington University and the University of Vermont (which all received Cs). 

Greg Steinberger, director of Wisconsin’s Hillel, told JTA that Jewish life on his campus “is better than the grade offered by ADL, which has a limited view of the campus and the vibrant Jewish experience offered by the university, and by on-campus organizations like UW Hillel.” 

Michigan State University scored an F. The Hillel and Chabad of Michigan State University issued a joint statement condemning the failing grade, saying it “misses the holistic picture of Jewish life on our campus.” 

Only two schools — Brandeis, which was founded by Jews, and Elon — earned an “A.” Many others fared quite poorly, with Harvard, Stanford, Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology among the 13 “F” grades. Another 24 came away with “D”s, from Columbia and Barnard to Northwestern, Rutgers and Ohio State.  

“Parents and students and other folks are used to seeing college grades and guides and rankings,” Shira Goodman, the ADL’s senior director of advocacy, told JTA. She compared the report cards to the influential national college rankings by U.S. News and World Report.  

But according to some of the Jewish students and professionals working on the campuses, the ADL got it wrong. After the ADL released the grades, a number of students and Hillel directors — along with the CEO of Hillel International — spoke out about the letter grades. One called the grade a “massive oversimplification” of complicated yet vibrant realities for Jewish students. 

Jewish solidarity will be on full display in Milwaukee when the Jewish National Fund-USA annual Breakfast for Israel is held here later this month.  

The May 30 breakfast, chaired by local philanthropists Diane and Eric Zall, is a free, annual community event. This year the event will focus on the organization’s Israel Resilience Campaign, intended to shine light on the organization’s on-the-ground efforts to provided support to tens of thousands of displaced Israeli families in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack.  

The keynote speaker will be Shahar Azani, a former Israeli diplomat who now advocates for Israel in the international mainstream news and as the senior vice president at Jewish Broadcasting Service. 
 
“I’m very excited about coming to Milwaukee,” Azani said. “There is this great sense of camaraderie after Oct. 7. There is always that feeling that the Jewish community is a big family.” 

Azani is the former executive director for the northeast region of StandWithUs, a nonprofit that supports Israel and fights antisemitism through educational programs on college campuses, high schools, and middle schools internationally.  . He also has held several diplomatic posts, including Deputy Ambassador in the Embassy of Israel in Nairobi, Kenya. His message for the audience will be solidarity and strength for the American Jewish community and Israelis.  

“Wherever we go, we go together. I think if there was one thing that came out of the atrocities is the immense need to understand that we are all in this together,” he said. “The community has grown stronger to empower each and every one of us as individuals. We are so dependent on each other, whether it’s fighting terrorists (or) fighting antisemitism.” 

The mission of Jewish National Fund-USA is to help foster a vibrant future for Israel and its people through initiatives and Zionist education. The breakfast will go from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Those wishing to attend can register at https://events.jnf.org/. Registration is required.   

“It is more important than ever to stand strong as a community and with Israel,” Diane Zall said in a video message about the event. Azani’s “presentation is guaranteed to be inspirational and will leave us with talking points and principles of engagement empowering us to continue to navigate this world with a strong Jewish identity.” 

Conspiracy theories, misinformation and falsehoods on social media and in the press about the attack and Israel’s response have stoked antisemitism in the U.S. and around the globe over the last six months.  

Azani said that it is time to push back against the propaganda, and staying silent is no longer an option. That takes a deep understanding of the situation, he said, and a willingness for individuals to disseminate the facts as they know them through social media, personal networks, workplaces and places of worship. 

“This is our time to do. No longer do we have the privilege of sitting idly,” he said. “We cannot just keep quiet in the face of propaganda because this is sheer Holocaust denial, and we all know what happens when we allow such hatred, bigotry, and deceitful propaganda to run around.” 

In the end, Azani has hope that peace and recovery can come about in Israel.  

“To understand Israel is to understand the very essence of optimism and hope and to realize that the impossible is indeed possible,” he said. “I see great hope for the people of Israel to know how to emerge from this terrible atrocity.” 

Oh, hello! Three current and former presidents of the Village of Fox Point stumbled upon one another at the same performance of “The Chosen,” unaware that the other two were also attending. The current president of the village of Fox Point, and her two predecessors, attended the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s performance on March 29, 2024. From left to right are Mike West, current Village President Christine Symchych and Douglas Frazer. Photo by Karen Anne Hebert. 

Five-star ratings for Jewish Home 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have awarded the Jewish Home and Care Center, of Ovation Communities, with five-star ratings in the areas of quality measures and staffing.  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid created the five-star quality rating system to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and to help identify areas of which the consumer may have questions, according to a press release.  

The five-star rating for quality measures relates to nursing home performance, for both short- and long-stay residents. 

The five-star rating for staffing is based on staff turnover and hours worked by staff. Higher staffing levels and lower staffing turnover, as at the Jewish Home and Care Center, can mean a higher quality of care for residents. 

Nicolet students gather for hostages 

Students gathered at the CTeen house, near Nicolet High School, to advocate for the hostages still held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza.  

More than 40 students attended the April 8 event. 

A student speaker talked about “brothers and sisters … taken from their homes,” and called to “bring them home!” 

Rabbi Shafrin leads in St. Louis  

Rabbi Scott Shafrin has been named executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis.  

Shafrin is a Milwaukee native, having attended Congregation Shalom. Shafrin previously served as the St. Louis JCRC’s deputy director and is the Lee & Milford Bohm director of Social Justice, according to the St. Louis Jewish Light.  

Shafrin started April 15. 

Margolis named chair of pediatrics 

The Medical College of Wisconsin named David A. Margolis, MD, chair of pediatrics. In addition, Margolis will serve concurrently as pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Wisconsin (Children’s).  

He will also hold the Barri L. and David J. Drury chair in pediatrics and currently holds the David A. Margolis Chair in pediatric bone marrow transplant research at Children’s. 

“We’re grateful for Dr. Margolis’s leadership and unwavering commitment to providing the best care for kids and their families well into the future,” said Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, provost and executive vice president of Medical College of Wisconsin. 

Alyson Lippman launches Midlife Midwife 

Midlife Midwife MKE is a new women’s health practice opening May 1, to address gaps in care for women in midlife who are looking to have their voices heard, questions answered, hormones explained, and changes understood.  

Alyson Lippman is launching the practice. Lippman is a past Milwaukee Jewish Day School board member and a current Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun board member. Lippman teaches women’s health and nursing leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

Empowering individuals navigating midlife with compassionate, personalized care, Midlife Midwife MKE specializes in perimenopause, menopause, gynecological and sexual health, and is focused on enhancing overall quality of life, according to a press release. Lippman is a certified nurse midwife and prescriber. Visit MidlifeMidwifeMke.com. 

Chronicle seeks journalist writers 

If you’ve got training and experience as a professional journalist, and an interest in Jewish community, the Chronicle may have some part-time or freelance work for you. If this is of interest, contact RobG@MilwaukeeJewish.org. 

Hansher is Ozaukee County supervisor 

Jeffrey Hansher was elected Ozaukee County supervisor, district 24, in the spring 2024 election. He defeated the incumbent.  

Hansher is also the district #4 alderman for the City of Mequon, since 2019. He is a retired elementary and special education teacher from the Wauwatosa School District, where he taught for 33 years. He also is secretary of the Frank L. Weyenberg Board in the Mequon-Thiensville District. 

Milwaukee Jewish Federation is offering “microgrants” for organizers of programming related to Israel or antisemitism. 

The Israel and Overseas Committee of Milwaukee Jewish Federation is offering the microgrants. Organizations can apply for microgrants ranging from $500 to $2,000 per group. If organizations partner with one another, those amounts can double. Programs must be held by June 30, so applications should be filed soon. 

Eileen Graves, who serves on a microgrants subcommittee and is the chair-elect for the Israel and Overseas Committee, said applications will be reviewed carefully, keeping in mind the mission to support Israel or combat antisemitism. 

Grant administrators are open to different kinds of ideas. The grants are “an invitation for organizations to get creative and really think outside the box as to how to structure their program,” said Darla Flemming, director of community planning for Milwaukee Jewish Federation. 

Organizations that have already been approved for microgrant funding include Hillel Milwaukee, Chabad of Waukesha and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, among others.  

To find out how to apply for a microgrant, contact Darla Flemming at darlaf@milwaukeejewish.org or 414-390-5769. 

Relationships between mothers and their children are complicated. Our mothers are our first teachers, intentionally and unintentionally showing us how to be good people, how to treat and care for others, how to navigate the world, and how to overcome challenges. If you are as lucky as I have been, your mother will also teach you how to cook, clean, iron, and stand on your own two feet.  

Our mothers are our most enduring, and most indelible guides.  

My mother always said that no matter how old either of us lived to be, I would always be her child. I know that I am not the only woman on earth who had wished, often, that my mother would treat me as the adult I had become instead of the child that I was. My mother never stopped giving advice, expressing concern, and telling me that, in general, I was on the wrong track. “I told you so” was a consistent and all-too-familiar refrain.  

Much to my chagrin, my mother was frequently right about my being frequently wrong. This was always deeply annoying to me, since on some level it proved the correctness of her assertion that I’d never be entirely grown up and would likely need round-the-clock supervision for the rest of my life. 

Conversely, my mother was also my greatest cheerleader and champion. There was no personal product or artifact too mediocre not to be lauded as a work of genius. I often thought that if I were to floss my teeth in front of her, she would bronze the floss and have it framed, evidence of my sheer exceptionality. In her eyes, I occupied that unique position in the Great Chain of Being that fell somewhere between idiot and savant. Since the needle often pointed more in the direction of idiot, she always felt free to remind me that my native brilliance left plenty of room for improvement. 

My mother died last summer. She was diagnosed with stage four cancer on June 5, 2023. By June 7 I had flown to Nevada, where she lived, to provide whatever level of care she needed. That her diagnosis coincided with my retirement was a miracle—a miracle for which I am profoundly grateful. Not having to navigate work obligations when your mother is dying allows you the luxury of providing undivided time and attention. 

I brought her home from the hospital on June 9. In a matter of three weeks, I watched her health decline precipitously. We went from managing her pain with Tylenol and CBD oil to managing her pain with Morphine and Haldol and Ativan. By the fourth week she no longer ate or drank, and she slept close to 24 hours a day. I slept in her bedroom with her because I was terrified that she would fall if she tried to get up during the night, or die alone without me there to hold her hand and kiss her goodbye. 

I had hospice on speed dial. I contacted the funeral home in Las Vegas that was to retrieve her remains, and the funeral home in Milwaukee to which she would be sent so that she could be buried beside my father. I notified her friends and relatives that she was terminally ill. I hovered. I cried. I prayed for her to go peacefully and painlessly. I wondered what would become of me after she died, when I would at last be free to live my life without anxiety, guilt, concern, and obligation. More than that, I wondered what my life would be like when someone I had loved so deeply, for so long, was gone. 

Now she has passed, and I am out of a job—a job that I tried to do well but never did perfectly. For 66 years I tried to be a good daughter, often falling short of the mark, to a mom who loved me more than any other person on earth ever has or ever will again. 

She often warned me that I would miss her someday. I would always raise one eyebrow as if to say, “Don’t be so sure, Mom.”  

It only took a few days for me to realize how much I already missed her, in ways I could never have imagined before. I ran one last load of her laundry, and as I folded her pajamas, I felt an unexpected surge of tenderness and emptiness and grief—and in that moment, I could hear her saying, quite clearly and with mom-like emphasis, “I told you so.”  

One final proof that she was right all along. 

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About Writer Vickie Shufton 

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Vickie Shufton had a 35-year career in public education. She is a columnist for the Berkshire Edge and resident of Great Barrington, Mass. “Soon to return to my hometown to live out the rest of my days,” Shufton said. “I should be moving back within the next year or so.” 

I signed up for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Solidarity Mission to Israel because I wanted to bear witness to the atrocities of Oct 7. As a second-generation speaker for The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, I teach students to bear witness to Nazi atrocities. I needed to go. I wanted to bear witness myself!  
 
The first day of our mission brought me face-to-face with the terror and horror. I was walking on the very soil that a few short months ago was covered in blood. I could almost still smell the death. And I could almost hear the screams of the innocents. 
 
At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, as I looked into Gaza five short kilometers away, it was not difficult to see how an invasion could have unfolded. The people in the kibbutzim closest to Gaza were the ones invested in a two-state solution and trying to live harmoniously. The violation cut deeply. A resident in the kibbutz, who lost friends and family and  is still waiting for her hostage friends to be released, talked to us for over an hour. We respectfully entered the charred homes and bore witness to the bullet and grenade holes throughout the rooms, the disarray, the signs of violence, with clothes strewn around, furniture tossed, and shelves emptied. We saw the markings on the buildings by the Israel Defense Forces, ZAKA Search and Rescue, and other agencies. I was there. It happened! I saw it with my own eyes!  
 
At the Nova Music Festival site, there was an area with names, pictures and candles. On Oct. 7, this area hosted peace-loving music lovers as they danced to the sounds of entertainers. Bomb shelters where people were slaughtered have already been painted white to try to clean the site, but it did not hide the scene in my mind. 
 
And at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, just down the road from the music festival site, we heard from residents of this kibbutz and the very brave head of security who held off the terrorists. This kibbutz was never physically violated but the 900 residents who lived there on Oct. 7 are now only 350 strong. The school is empty, the sounds of children are missing, and the remaining residents are not sure about its future. I ate lunch across the table from the head of security. He wore a loose sweatshirt-like shirt, pants like the one I wore, and a pair of leather shoes. I was there and saw him. I talked to him, and I hugged him. That is what a hero looks like!  
 
It was hard to wrap my head around what I was experiencing, but I did see it, as did the other 14 members of our group. We are all still processing, and we may always be. We were there. 
 
And just like Israeli society, in the days after experiencing the sites, we turned to trauma relief, support and how they live today.  
 

Our first stop was the JDC, the Joint Distribution Committee. They were priority setting and taking existing programs and applying them to today’s problems. They were nimble enough to do this, putting money and answers where they are needed quickly. This is how Israel pivots and adapts. 

United Hatzalah, a community-based volunteer emergency medical service organization, works to provide medical treatment with an average response time of three minutes or less. Posters in their lobby tell the story that two of their people are currently hostages. 

We volunteered at  Leket Israel, the leading food rescue organization in Israel, which  rescues healthy, surplus agricultural produce and is now helping the farmers who have lost two planting cycles. Their workers and fields need help, and we made packets of food for those in need with Colel Chabad – Pantry Packers. We went to NATAL, Israel’s trauma and resiliency center where they have had to teach the therapists how to deal with the tsunami of requests, all while knowing the therapists have their own Oct. 7 trauma.   

At the Tzafon Medical Center in the Milwaukee area’s partnership region, Sovev Kinneret, about 12 miles from the Syrian border, they have created an app for doctors in the field who must practice medicine differently than they practice civilian healthcare. They have created a doctor-to-doctor app to help provide the best medicine they can in trauma situations. They also created a patient-to-physician WhatsApp group, for when personal touches weren’t available. 

There are new and groundbreaking therapies being developed at Loewenstein Hospital, Israel’s leading hospital in the field of rehabilitation medicine.  We heard about innovative therapies that are being copied in hospitals worldwide, and we heard from a hero from the war. 

We were witness to a ‘pop-up’ school for the evacuees of the Sovev Kinneret area. Those evacuated due to the war (Jewish refugees) are not expected to return to their homes before December 2024, and we are talking about 20,000 people. We saw a ‘campus’ of 36 mobile classrooms, shelters, a playground, canteen, high school and grade school that didn’t exist in September 2023. It was built in a parking lot. This area teaches 800 students. We had the privilege of listening to four young teenagers as they shared how their lives have changed since the beginning of the war. 

Every place that I mentioned are among the places funded in part by either the Milwaukee Jewish Federation Annual Campaign or the Israel Emergency Campaign.  We were all witness to the very good use of our dollars. 

And we went to Hostages Square, where we were in a small group with 22-year-old hostage Omer Neutra’s grandparents. His grandmother told us his story, as she knew it. She has not heard from him nor heard anything about him since he was taken hostage. The uncertainty is breathtaking. And as a grandmother myself, I wept. We need to keep saying his name, and the name of the other hostages, so society doesn’t forget their names. 

What really stood out to me was how the entire Israeli society is touched. In this small nation, everyone is affected. The person who is giving help has their own trauma, too. Soldiers come and go to their units and families. Our tour guide’s 25-year-old daughter who traveled with us one day, had been in Gaza and was a tank commander. The man in shorts running on the promenade along the beach was a war hero. The person providing security for us on the mission, two weeks earlier, had been in Gaza. When we went to Mount Herzl and paid our respects to those buried there, this Golani Brigade soldier was seeing the names of his friends. The trauma that this man must have been feeling as he made a living for his family, protecting us as we went place to place, is something to wrap a head around. I always said ‘thank you’ to him at least once each day and often after each stop. 

We were thanked over and over by Israelis for making this trip and supporting them. Just by us being there and bearing witness gave them a measure of support. Life goes on in Israel. 

I thought that I was going to Israel to bear witness to the atrocities, and I did. But today’s story is really about bearing witness to the resilience of Israeli society and its people. There is a new sense of unity in Israel and solidarity among Jews across the world.  
 
The Mission of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation is to care for the needs of the Jewish people and to build a vibrant Jewish future in Milwaukee, Israel and around the world. Never have these words held more meaning for me.  Kol Yisrael arevim zen bazeh – all of Israel are responsible for each other. And through the MJF annual campaign and Israel emergency campaign we are most definitely taking care of the needs of the Jewish people! 
 
I have chosen to see the world through Jewish eyes. One of my favorite teachings is found in Parashat Nitzavim. It is the famous commandment to choose life. We read in (Deut. 30:19): “I call heaven and earth to witness you today: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse — therefore choose life!” The people of Israel choose life!  

Just like the students that I teach, by reading my story, you are now bearing witness to the truth. And just like the students, you now carry these words into the future. 

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Writer Nancy Kennedy Barnett attended the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Solidarity Trip to Israel in March. Barnett is a long-time Jewish community volunteer.

Nicolet High School offered kosher-for-Passover meals at prom, on April 27, toward the end of the Passover week. 

Nicolet is a public school, with one of the largest Jewish populations in the state.  

“We’re trying to be accommodating of the front end,” Superintendent Greg Kabara said. He credited the staff: “When students ask or say, ‘are you doing something’ or ‘can you do something,’ they’re not resisting.” 

The date of prom was moved to accommodate a robotics competition, landing it on April 27. When the Passover conflict came to school officials’ attention, they arranged to offer kosher-for-Passover meals, from Milwaukee caterer Hannah’s Kitchen. The option functioned similarly to a vegan or vegetarian option, Kabara said. 

Marilyn K. Franklin, a member of the Nicolet School Board, is impressed with the district’s record on diversity. She recalled how the grand reopening of the school after renovations was moved to accommodate a Jewish holiday. 

“I find that amazing. I really do. When I went to school, there was no such thing as days off for Jewish holidays. Period,” Franklin said. 

“We do build our calendar to try to accommodate those religious observations, like we would for typical Christian holidays as well,” Kabara said.