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Sterling family featured in new book

Published: 8/20/03 in Sauk Valley Newspapers
By Lisa Frye

Staff Writer

Being a farmer isn't unusual in the Midwest. Being Jewish and being a farmer is.

That's what attracted writer Debra Darvick of Michigan to the Jakobs family of Sterling when she was compiling stories for a book about Jewish life.

"She wanted to know how I'd gone from Wisconsin to California to here - living in a small town and being Jewish because it's so dramatically different than what people are used to," said Margo Jakobs, who told Darvick her story.

Jakobs' story is one of 52 in the book "This Jewish Life: Stories of Discovery, Connection and Joy" which was released June 1 by Eakin Press.

In it, Darvick explores modern, contemporary Jewish life through first-hand accounts. The book is structured to follow a Jewish calendar year, Darvick said. Each of the 15 chapters is themed around a holiday or life event in the Jewish calendar.

"It's the voices of everyday people," Darvick said. Her interviewees were as young as 14 and as old as 82, she said.

"I wanted as broad an experience as I could get," she said. "The stories are uplifting."

Darvick said the book is for Jews and non-Jews alike - those who may want a better understanding of Judaism or who may have family members who have converted to Judaism.

"It gives the people side of (Judaism)," she said.

She said she hopes the Jews who read it who may be minimally involved in their faith would see "how relevant Jewish life is and experience it in a non-threatening way."

"For the non-Jews, I hope they see how universal some things are," Darvick said. "I hope they say, 'Wow, I can relate to this.'"

Jakobs' story is about perseverance.

"The main idea was I needed to keep going," Jakobs said. "Wanting to raise my sons with strong Jewish values."

Jakobs said part of the interview was bittersweet for her because Darvick contacted her not long after her mother died.

"My mom and I were very close," Jakobs said. "There were times I'd say to my mom, 'How do I do this?' and she'd say, 'You're doing fine.'"

In her account in the book, Jakobs also talks about the local Jewish community, which has dinner together on days when there is a service, usually twice a month.

"We do a great job of staying together," Jakobs said.

Darvick is a freelance writer who lives in a suburb of Detroit. Her book is available in some bookstores or via her Web site, www.debradarvick.com.