skiing

By Brett Peruzzi Managing eDitor

REGION - Some people dread the cold and snow of winter, but for avid cross-country skiers it’s a season they look forward to with anticipation. It’s great aerobic exercise, gentler on the joints than many other activities, and less hazardous than downhill skiing. And it’s relatively low cost. There’s no need to travel long distances and pay for pricy lift tickets―you can do it anywhere there’s snow.

Getting started

As with any new exercise program, it’s best to check with your doctor first if you have any serious health conditions or symptoms that might indicate that you have one.

You can buy a complete cross-country ski package, including skis, poles, and boots for about $300. Most cross-country ski centers with their own trail network rent skis if you want to try before you buy. Remember to dress in layers that you can peel off easily as you warm up and pack your sunglasses as the sun’s glare off the snow can be very bright. Bring water and snacks, and a cell phone is always a good idea if you get lost or otherwise need help.

“I would recommend that new skiers start at a cross-country ski center with groomed trails,” said John Kilborn of Winchester, who has been cross-country skiing for over 40 years.

“Take a lesson or two to learn the ba- sics. I started in high school, and there was something about it that grabbed me,” he explained. “I was a downhill skier, but cross-country skiing gave me a different sense of freedom, of being in nature.”

You might also learn the basics by tagging along with a friend who’s an experienced skier. And yes, there’s always

YouTube how-to videos.

Carla Schwartz has also been cross-country skiing for at least four decades. “I live in Carlisle, which is ideal for cross-country skiing, and prior to that I lived in Framingham, which is also pretty nice in terms of having accessible trails,” she noted. “I love being able to slap on my skis and boots and go out and ski, be outdoors, get warm, and get great exercise.”

Where to go

Every cross-country skier has their favorite places to ski, whether it’s right out their back door or all the way up north in New Hampshire, Maine, or Vermont. “The Middlesex Fells is one of my favorite destinations, because I can walk to the reservation from my house,” said Kilborn. “I also like to ski at Ward Reservation in Andover. You can see Boston from the top of Holt Hill. There’s also some nice ponds to ski by as well.”

“Right now one of my favorite spots to ski is Malcolm Preserve,” said Schwartz. “It’s a Trustees of Reservations property which connects with Estabrook Woods. But if I need to get some exercise easily and I don’t trust the snow

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Jewish individuals, it works to galvanize and mobilize people here so they may help people there. Today it mostly helps in Ukraine.

When Action for Post-Soviet Jewry’s executive director retired after 40 years, it had to consider whether to close, but after receiving a small bequest, it decided to hire a replacement.

COVID was first big challenge

Debbie Kardon is the executive director of Action-PSJ, establishing new programs, while also raising funds for their implementation. She graduated from Syracuse University and Hebrew Union College with degrees in social work and Jewish education.

Kardon worked part-time while she was in college, teaching at a local congregation and then started her career helping teens who were at-risk and unhoused. She also worked in the Jewish community, eventually taking on leadership roles in Jewish non-profits.

When Kardon was hired for the position of executive director for Action-PSJ, she hoped to transform the legacy organization while modernizing it and envisioning its potential.

Only two weeks into her new leadership role, Kardon had to deal with the COVID pandemic as it changed that vision. Working to continually provide humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the people in the former Soviet states, mostly Ukraine, it became necessary to pivot while rearranging the logistics of how to accomplish this goal. The difficulty became figuring out how to send aid to

Ukraine: how to travel there and then navigate once they arrived.

New types of necessities such as medical supplies and PPE needed to be sent, and as the world began to “reopen,” it was necessary to plan for what life would look like as the world moved forward. “Work that was always so important and stable went into crisis mode for the last few years,” said Kardon. Then the war exploded in Ukraine.

Changing needs

Like COVID, no one could anticipate how long the war in Ukraine would last. As the war continues and changes, so do the needs of the people. “The needs are large and lifesaving and small and lifesaving,” Kardon explained. “We were asked to send EMT medical kits for the military and civilians. With bombs going off in the streets, a tourniquet can save a life while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.”

She continued, “We were also

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