Chronicles SPRING 2019
LETTER FROM THE CEO
Our JCHC communities each offer something different for seniors— independent living, assisted living, memory care, and affordable housing options in various settings. Our seniors enjoy a diverse selection of great programs and events that enrich their lives. But what’s more remarkable is the diversity among the residents who make our communities their home. JCHC communities are a true melting pot. Our residents come from a rich tapestry of backgrounds that, woven together, have created beautifully diverse communities. They come from the NY/NJ metro area and from distant lands; they follow different faiths and traditions, and grew up in different cultures. Many have traveled extensively, others enjoyed interesting careers, while others cultivated eclectic hobbies. Together, they celebrate holidays, mark lifecycle events, attend JCHC University seminars, discover shared or new interests, and gather for conversation at socials or over a meal. Over the years, some of our seniors have applied their skills, knowledge, or interests to creating programs for their fellow residents, from mindfulness & meditation classes to English as a second language (you’ll read about some of those in this issue of JCHC Chronicles). Some are contributing to the community newsletters, leading discussion groups, and putting together card games to enjoy with each other. These are some of the ways in which our diverse group of residents are creating true community for and with each other. Part of the strength of each JCHC community lies in its diversity and how our residents come together to support each other. To quote former president George H.W. Bush when he referred to our nation’s many communities, “. . . a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light spread in a broad and peaceful sky.” Harold Colton-Max Chief Executive Officer
“Revolving Doors” Continues at LESTER SENIOR LIVING In 2017, the memoir writers at Lester Senior Living engaged in “Revolving Doors,” a year-long project in collaboration with animation students at Holon Institute of Technology in Israel. Facilitated by Paul Rabinowitz, executive director of ARTS By The People, the project entailed creating multi-media films of selected memoirs, which were screened in Tel Aviv and then here at the JCC in Whippany. The project was so successful, and such a joy for our resident writers, that another version of Revolving Doors was done in late 2018, with 12 short films created by dance and film students at Skidmore College in Saratoga, New York. The films were previewed in mid-January to a packed house in the Lester cinema. The memoir writers involved in the project are: Thelma Brodkin (“On What Would I Splurge”), Elaine Burstein (“Summer”), Hao Feng (“She is a Dancer, She is a Dreamer”), Daniela Gioseffi (“All Our Lives are Green”), Stanley Goldman (“The Saddest Moment”), Frances Goroll (“Photograph”), Helena Krebs (“My Happiest Moment”), Anne E. Lipman (“Flaming Orb”), Mira Platt (“Minute in the Past” and “Who Am I?”), MT Windhorst (“My Grandmother’s Patio”), and Naomi Weintraub Zaslow (“Fours”). You can see all of these beautiful works on the ARTS By The People website at http://bit.ly/2Okfldx.
What’s Inside? Letter from the CEO............................................................................1 “Revolving Doors” Continues at Lester Senior Living..........................1 Village Apartments is in Bloom............................................................2 Putting the Fun in Purim at Lester.......................................................3 Non-Native Speakers Get Help with Their English at B’nai B’rith........4 Welcome Stacey Wilbur, JCHC’s New COO.........................................5 Residents Share “Our Stories” at Jewish Federation Plaza..................5 Getting Some Cuddles at Plaza with Leo the Therapy Dog................6 JCHC Endowment Funds.....................................................................6 Tirbutes ...............................................................................................7
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