Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/895657
20 November 2 • 2017 jn I magine you've fallen behind on your water bill and the city has shut off the water to your home. You can't wash your hands after using the toilet or changing your baby's diaper. You can't bathe your children. You have a hard time cooking nourishing food. Think it won't affect you, a subur- banite who always pays bills on time? Keep going. Imagine that person who can't wash her hands going to work — perhaps in a restaurant or a store you visit often. Imagine the children going to school and interacting with teachers and other children at the playground. Water shutoffs are a public health issue that affect the entire community. That was the main message at a panel discussion, "The Public Health Impact of Our Regional Water Crisis," Oct. 23 at Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield. The program, sponsored by the temple and Detroit Jews for Justice, attracted 100 peo- ple from Detroit and the suburbs. "We're trying to raise awareness in the Metro Detroit Jewish community and build a base through which we can mobilize for policy change," said Eleanor Gamalski, Detroit Jews for Justice's com- munity organizer. Rabbi Brent Gutmann of Kol Ami said the temple was eager to cosponsor because of its long tradition of supporting social action programs. "I think a congregation that does not have social action at its core is nothing more than a glorified country club," he said. "If our Judaism does not inspire us to transform our world, why are we doing it?" Panelists included Monica Lewis-Patrick of We the People of Detroit; Paul von Oeyen, M.D., a retired high-risk obstetri- cian and facilitator of the social justice BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER ABOVE: Members of Detroit Jews for Justice at World Water Day in Lansing last March. 20 November 2 • 2017 jn Rep. Stephanie Chang jews d in the Water Justice DJJ panels looks at the effects of water shutoffs on local health. Dr. Paul Von Oeyen Monica Lewis- Patrick continued on page 22