River Garden Steps Up to Do Their Part

ByMauri Mizrahi,River Garden Senior Services

On a beautiful afternoon, Emily Turner from Action News JAX interviews Mauri Mizrahi about River Garden's high vaccination rates among residents and staff . "Becoming vaccinated is a 'game changer,'" Mizrahi said.

As we emerge from the COVID-19 surge, River Garden is grateful for the vaccine. We are now more than 18 months into the pandemic and to many of us, life feels as if we are on an endless roller coaster. At one point during the summer, Florida was the epicenter of a major COVID-19 outbreak with 20 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the country. The positivity rate in Duval County exceeded 27 percent. Local hospitals have been bursting at the seams, reporting that more than 97 percent of their COVID-19 patients had not been vaccinated against the virus. We have been told that COVID-19 has now become a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

Health care providers are doing their part to bring an end to the pandemic, and River Garden is no exception. We have worked hard to educate and encourage our residents, families and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and we have been very successful. Over 97 percent of our residents and 84 percent of our staff have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

We have had many cases of COVID-19 on our campus over the summer. The one saving grace that we have pointed to over and over again, is that the vaccinated individuals who experienced break through infection had either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. We are experiencing fi rsthand the benefi ts of River Garden’s high vaccination rate.

Beginning October 1, all River Garden staff must be fully vaccinated in order to continue working on our campus. Since mid-July, we have not hired anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated by the time they begin working for us. Area hospitals are taking a similar stance and we are hoping that all skilled nursing facilities will follow our lead.

As we welcome the New Year, let’s hope for a year of sharing simchas with loved ones. May our holiday tables be joyous and fi lled with friends and family. Let’s rejoin as a community and recognize that when we are together we support each other with a source of vitality that gives us energy, strength, and purpose to live. We are social beings and need human connection to thrive.

America has consistently shown that we are stronger when we work together in common purpose. It is now time for everyone who is not yet vaccinated to step-up and do their part – if not for yourself, then for our residents and each other.

THE JCA CULTURAL ARTS FESTIVAL

By Beth Milagrano Berry, The Jewish Community Alliance

The Jewish Community Alliance’s annual celebration of Jewish literature, fi lm and the arts, begins on Monday, November 1! As our beloved Cultural Arts Festival reemerges to incorporate in-person events once again, the celebration of the arts is extra special this year, coupled with the 25th anniversary of our signature Jewish Book Festival.

“I'm excited for the diverse group of authors and artists we will experience at the festival,” says Cultural Arts Festival Chair Whitney Kuvin. “There will be something for everyone in our community, and the festival’s extension events planned for 2022 are just as inspiring.”

Featuring award-winning producers, authors, artists and fi lms, November’s Cultural Arts Festival kicks off a year-long celebration of the arts with dozens of programs planned through 2022 to engage and connect the entire community.

The excitement begins opening night, November 1 at 7 p.m. , as Emmy award-winning producer Ira Rosen joins us to share his fi rst-hand account from working at 60 Minutes. As our 25th annual Jewish Book Festival continues, so does our line-up of notable bestselling Jewish authors: Pam Jenoff , Jori Epstein, Deborah Copaken, Tracy Walder, Ben Sheehan, David Page and Daniel Sokatch.

Walking through our Vandroff Art Gallery during festival dates (Nov 1 -18), will also be a treat to visitors at the JCA as they take delight in the featured pieces from various local Jewish artists. There will be an opening reception at the JCA on November 1 at 6 p.m. to showcase artists: Ellen Diamond, Louise Freshman Brown, Roberta Harmon, Irene Jaff a, Karen Lippes, Jan Lipsky, Sherri Litt, Donna McNett, Kim Miller, Kim Robbins and Marlene Scheer.

Come November, festival attendees will also enjoy three unique Jewishthemed fi lms, recently screened at fi lm festivals across the country! Please be on the lookout; more information about our featured fi lms this year will be published via jcajax.org/jcafest and in the JCA’s October Alliance News.

Remember, the Cultural Arts Festival continues through 2022 with our unique Extension Programs, featuring Jewish authors: Dr. Michael Roizen, Alison Hammer, Comedian Laraine Newman, Magician Joshua Jay, Jen Spyra and Zibby Owens.

We hope you are inspired to join us for the Cultural Arts Festival. Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, the festival is free and open to the entire community. Please visit our website jcajax.org/jcafest for a full schedule and book synopsis of each featured author and more details about the extraordinary artwork and fi lms being featured at our festival.

Advanced registration for all Cultural Arts Festival events at the JCA is required. Please call (904) 730-2100 ext. 228 or visit jcajax.org to register today.

For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ben Marcus at ben.marcus@jcajax.org or ext. 318.

For general Cultural Arts Festival information please contact, Rachel Sandler, rachel.sandler@jcajax.org or ext. 271 or Heather Terrill, heather.terrill@jcajax.org or ext. 265.