art

Since he was a young boy in Englewood Cliffs, Russ Rubin has been bursting with a compulsion to create. Long bottled by pragmatic notions and a headlong adventure down the rabbit hole of the music industry, it’s come gushing out in explosions of color, shape and dimension. His escapist color-block worlds speak to the collisions between nature and civilization, between the world outside and the infinite worlds within.

Inspired as much by whacked-out old cartoon backdrops as Nike ACG and artists from Stuart Davis to Nina Chanel Abney, Rubin’s “Dream Lands” seem to dare us to hurl ourselves inside them, into the possibilities of a beauty beyond rationale.

From doodles in little notebooks and on spare bill envelopes to finger-drawn digital mockups, the images finally creep onto the canvas, ever evolving as Rubin slaps on layer after layer, tweaking curves and hues, building up dimension in the paint as he sweats and squints and rubs out his eyes in his basement lair, making and breaking the rules as he goes, hunting down that ever-elusive balance around the bend.

An artist and writer from the enchanted woods of New Jersey (he now lives and paints in Haworth), Rubin is an Artist-In-Residence at Harlem and Hackensack hospitals. His paintings have been featured at the White Space Gallery in Chelsea and at the YouTube Studios. He is currently knocking out private commissions whilst chasing a 3-year-old around a basement.

To learn more about Rubin or see more of his art, visit his website at www.russrubin.us or his Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/russrubin. ■

Bonds In HaIku Teaneck Woman Stays Connected to Her Mother Through the Beauty of Haiku

Amy Losak’s love for poetry, particularly haiku, is attributed to her late mother, Sydell Rosenberg, as she learns to appreciate life’s simplest treasures.Haiku are often without titles and speak for themselves. “According to some poets, haiku should be able to be spoken in one breath: one-breath poetry,” says Losak. However, though the length of haiku is short, this poetic form might be a bit more complex than what meets the eye. “I would say that haiku is deceptively simple. It’s a simple but layered form of poetry – brief and yet expansive. The reader ‘completes’ the poem. It is a shared experience between writer and reader,” explains Losak.

(Continued on page 28.)

A two-page spread from H Is For Haiku

Losak, from Teaneck, is a member and publicist of The Book Meshuggenahs (the group fondly named themselves after the Yiddish word for “crazy”), a group of 18 Jewish women living in the United States and Israel who publish award-winning children’s books that center on Jewish characters, themes and values to serve as a resource for Jewish families. In addition to Losak, the other New Jersey members include Chana Stiefel, also from Teaneck; Karen Rostoker-Gruber from Branchburg; Rachelle Burk from East Brunswick; and Laurie Wallmark from Ringoes.

The group originated on Facebook back in 2018 when Nancy Churnin of Dallas, Texas established the idea. Churnin also created the group’s Chai-ku Contest (“chai” is the Hebrew word for “life”), which is currently in its second year. The contest invites both adults and children to submit original Jewish-themed haiku for fun and prizes. Anyone, Jewish and not, is welcome to enter as long as they accurately portray Jewish culture with their poems.

What exactly is a haiku and what does it entail? Here is a brief overview course on the subject.

“What is haiku? That’s not an easy question!” says Losak. “There are a number of answers, depending on which poet you ask. I am still a beginner. Mom studied, practiced and wrote this form for

Amy Losak

decades. She was always learning. What I will say is that haiku, which originated and flowered in Japan, is the shortest form of poetry, but arguably the most expansive. Today, it is global in popularity. Poets from around the world share their work and uplift each other. The craft of haiku requires a certain way of ‘looking’ into slices of seasonal life, of finding bits of meaning and maybe even magic that we might otherwise overlook in the rush and rumble of our daily lives.”

Haiku also has its own rules.

“Many English-language haiku written today are shorter than the traditional structure many students may have been taught in school: three lines, with the first line containing five syllables, the second line, seven syllables and the third line, five again. Try to keep them to a max of 17 syllables, but keep in mind that content matters as much as, if not more than, syllable count. I enjoy writing haiku both ways. This luminous form requires both focus and flow: sensory immersion in our surroundings. I consider haiku to be poetic mindfulness,” she says.

Here is an example of a Jewishthemed haiku written by Losak’s mother Sydell. It is written in 5-7-5 and was published in Haiku Magazine in 1968: And the green grass grows through cracks of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

The following is another haiku, written by Losak and published in the Volume 48.2, Summer 2017 Issue of Modern Haiku: change of tenants imprint of the mezuzah on the front door frame

“For Syd, reading, writing and studying haiku was like a pathway to small but rewarding (and sometimes painful) revelations,” explains Losak.

Sydell, who passed away in 1996, was a New York City teacher, writer and a charter member of the Haiku Society of America, formed in 1968. Losak herself is also a member today.

“Mom woke up each day with a sense of anticipation and adventure,” Losak says. “I didn’t realize when I was younger, but thanks to her I learned an appreciation for small things, the importance of stopping and observing a sparrow, a pigeon, a butterfly, a squirrel. She referred to her work in a classic anthology first published in the 1970s as ‘city haiku.’”

Losak experienced her mother’s

influences a few years ago when she came across what she later identified as a black swallowtail butterfly.

“I was rushing to make the commuter bus into Manhattan for my work at a public relations agency. It was early, and I was already stressed. As I practically jogged down the street – I could hear the bus arriving, I glimpsed a stunning butterfly circling a rose bush in a neighbor’s front yard. It was magnificent. I stopped and just watched. That’s all. I let myself have that small moment of beauty and joy. I let the bus leave, because there’s always another bus, and lines, traffic congestion and delays. These quotidian annoyances are omnipresent, predictable, soulsapping. But that quiet yet vivid ‘butterfly moment’ was unique. It won’t happen again. There will be others, but not that one.

On a typically tense tizzy of a workday morning, I went in an

instant from ‘catching the bus’ to ‘catching my breath’ – and then releasing it,” she continues. “From franticness to stillness. It made a difference in the tenor of an ordinary day, if only for – and in — that moment. And I still made it to work on time. My mother helped me learn this way of using my senses to immerse myself in small but meaningful moments. It took me a long time to understand and use this gift. I need to use it more often.”

Starting in the mid-60s, Syd’s haiku and other poems have been well-anthologized and published in journals, books, newspapers and other media, including a Manhattan theater marquee in 1994. How-

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ever, her biggest dream of releasing a haiku alphabet picture book for children has finally been achieved posthumously. In 2018, Penny Candy Books released Syd’s collection “H Is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z” with illustrations by Sawsan Chalabi. The book is based on at least one of Syd’s old manuscripts and has an introduction written by Losak herself. It also features Syd’s definition of haiku in her essay “On What Is Haiku” that was published in the Wind Chimes journal back in 1981. As Losak recounts it, Syd “describes her vision about this deceptively H Is For Haiku simple form:”

“Now I go to what is there, and each time, get something different … Each time, discovery,” she says.

The following year, the National Council for Teachers of English honored “H Is For Haiku” as a “Notable Poetry Book.” In October 2020, the independent literary press Kattywompus Press released Syd’s haiku chapbook “Poised Across the Sky” (see page 31). “Some of her work is still published posthumously,” says Losak. “I even have a dogwood tree planted in her memory in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Teaneck, with a haiku engraved on a stone marker, thanks to the Trees of Love Program.” The engraved haiku says, In trees and sky a comical lost-and-found of park balloons.

Losak now follows in her mother’s footsteps in the publishing realm. Her work has been published in numer-

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ous print and online journals. Also, due to a collaboration between the Haiku Poets of the Garden State and the New Jersey State Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, for the second year in a row one of her haiku was displayed in an installation at the New Jersey State Botanical Gardens through the end of April 2021 to celebrate National Poetry Month: sun-clock my day unwinds with low-flying sparrows

She also made appearances for children at the Ridgefield Park and Teaneck public libraries and submitted a second poetry picture book that combines both hers and her mother’s work.

“These two books are my tribute and gift to her, because she never got to publish her poetry in book form. I realized her dreams after she died. Over time, her dreams became mine,” says Losak.

Other good haiku source materials include The Haiku Foundation; The Haiku Society of America; Michael Dylan Welch’s Graceguts; HSA’s frogpond; Modern Haiku; The Heron’s Next; Akitsu Quarterly; Frameless Sky; hedgerow: a journal of small poems; tinywords; Charlotte Digregorio’s Daily Haiku; Eastern Structures; and more.

“I hope people will try their hands at haiku and impel their spirits to soar,” says Losak. ■

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Blankets Delivered with Children’s Handwritten Notes of Encouragement to People in Need

Columbia Bank Foundation, headquartered in Fair Lawn, Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey and Blankets of Hope have joined forces to make a difference in the lives of the homeless in New Jersey, by wrapping the less fortunate in the comfort of warm blankets. Together, the organizations have delivered 1,440 “Blankets of Hope,” to community members to help uplift spirits and offer compassion.

Purchased by the Columbia Bank Foundation, the blankets were distributed to nine Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey chapters, where youths participated in Blankets of Hope’s “Kindness Workshop.” Children were led through an empathy exercise to imagine what it’s like to experience homelessness, then created colorful, handwritten notes of hope, love and encouragement, to pair with each blanket. The heartwarming, inspiring gifts were delivered to local shelters and organizations in need (see images on next page).

Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey contributors and blanket recipients are as follows: Boys & Girls in NJ Chapters – Camden County, Clifton, Cumberland County, Garfield, Newark, Paterson and Passaic, Hawthorne, Hudson County and Union County; shelters/organizations in need include Joseph’s House in Camden, NJ Family Promise of Morris County in Morristown, Cumberland Family Shelter in Vineland, Center for Hope and Safety in Rochelle Park, Covenant House in Newark, Eva’s Village in Paterson, St. Paul’s CDC in Paterson, York Street Project in Jersey City and St. Joseph’s Social Service Center/Elizabeth Coalition in Elizabeth.

Currently, approximately 9,000 New Jersey residents are without homes, and due to the pandemic, the number is rising. The Columbia Bank Foundation recognizes now more than ever, its continual commitment to help citizens overcome challenges and gain a renewed sense of hope is paramount.

“As one of the largest private giving foundations in the state of New Jersey, the Columbia Bank Foundation is consistently looking for ways to maximize our impact,” said Thomas J. Kemly, president and CEO of Columbia Bank and president of the Columbia Bank Foundation. “Through our

Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Garfield NJ with their encouraging letters and warming Blankets of Hope.

partnership with Blankets of Hope we are proud to have provided the Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey with a free kindness workshop and an opportunity to give back. These Blankets of Hope offer lifesaving warmth, as well as an encouraging mental health boost to those in need.”

About Columbia Bank Foundation

Columbia Bank Foundation is one of the New Jersey’s largest charitable foundations with roughly $60 million

Columbia Bank Foundation delivers Blankets of Hope to Center for Hope and Safety, Rochelle Park. designated in funding for future community-based projects and charitable programs. The foundation was created to serve the needs of local communities, and provide grants and contributions to organizations recognized as taxexempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Columbia Bank Foundation actively seeks to provide support in seven major areas: affordable housing programs, community investment and economic development opportunities, financial literacy and educational opportunities, health and human services, food insecurity, environmental sustainability and the arts. Special consideration is always given to programs that provide a measurable community impact. For more information regarding the Columbia Bank Foundation and grant eligibility requirements, please visit www.columbiabankonline.com/ columbia-foundation.

About Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey

Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey is an alliance of 22 Boys & Girls Club organizations serving over 70,000 youth ages 5-18 throughout the Garden State. Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey is a collaborative effort representing all 22 Clubs with the purpose of building local Club capacity; raising public awareness; and securing resources and financial support to increase the impact and

room for your longest toe to push off.

The main portion of the shoe that surrounds your foot is called uppers. Modern shoes have synthetic uppers rather than leather or other natural fibers. Nereach of local Clubs. Boys & Girls Clubs wer materials are “Blankets of Hope failing miserably every step of the way. lighter, washable, breathe better and ain New Jersey works to strengthen and re more flexible, rehas now donated By the time winter came around, Mike quiring little or no break-in. Be sure t best suited to your expected usage. grow the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs which is: To enable all young people, eso choose the upper over 31,000 and Nick were losing all hope. To get their minds off their failures, Mike and Nick Themidsoleis locatedbetweentheoutspecially those who need us most, to reach oleandtheupper. blankets and started a GoFundMe campaign to raise Many believe it is the most important their full potential as productive, caring part of any running handwritten notes money to buy blankets for people living on shoe. It controls excessive foot motion and provides cushioning and shock absorption. Some synthetic foams are used for the midsole; they are light, but not durable. Polyurethane is also commonly used; although durable, it responsible citizens. About Blankets of Hope to those in need – and counting.” the freezing cold streets of NYC. With the helping hands of friends and family, they hand-delivered 100 “Blankets of Hope” is denser, heavier and harder. ManyBlankets of Hope is an educational shoes are now cushto those in need. ioned with gel, airbags, silicone or foam capsules. Th 501(c)3 nonprofit helping students practice empathy and ese Little did the brothers know, their good deed would pay are all attempts to increase cushioning and durabilitkindness by donating blankets – each paired with an y at the for running on dirt or grass. Today, most shoes have them back in ways they couldn’t imagine. On the other a same time. inspirational handwritten note - to those experiencing ridged sole, which is more flexible and best for running on side of the country, a video portraying Blankets of Hope The outsole is the treaded layer on the bottom of the homelessness. Its mission: to inspire a global movement shoe asphalt or cement. had captured the heart of top Forbes-ranked venture capiglued to the midsole. The outsole resists wear, provof kindness, one blanket at a time. Its vision: to live in a ides The heel counter is the rigid material that surrounds thtalist, Todd Chaffee. Their guardian angel had arrived. e traction and absorbsworld united in love. shock. The outsole is usually made of heel. Its function is to stabilize and support the heel.An ad-With Todd’s mentorship and financial support, the brothblown rubber, gum rubber, hard carbon rubber or somIt started as a small family project. It was Summer 2016 e ditional external counter is usually added between the mid-ers transformed their small family project into a globally combination of the three. Blown rubber is the lightest, bwhen Brooklyn brothers Mike and Nick Fiorito quit their ut sole and the base of the heel for extra support. Sometimes recognized non-profit organization. Blankets of Hope has least durable. Solid rubber materials are considered the be9-5 jobs in search of more meaningful work. For months, st a wedge is used to add height to the heel.This enhances the now donated over 31,000 blankets and handwritten notes materialfortrainingshoes.Studorwaffleoutsolesaregoo they jumped from one entrepreneurial venture to the next, d ability of the shoe to absorb shock a to those in need – and counting. ■ nd reduce injury.

Amy Choi

Sarah Basil

Amy Choi and Sarah Basil, students in Hackensack, are winners in C-SPAN’s national 2021 StudentCam competition. Choi and Basil have received $250 as honorable mention winners for the documentary, “Medical Fraud: Stealing Our Money, Stealing Our Health,” which can be viewed online here, www.viddler.com/v/ff2e9cdd.

The competition, now in its 17th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. C-SPAN, in cooperation with cable television partners, asked students to join the national conversation on the challenges our country is facing with the theme: “Explore the issue you most want the president and new Congress to address in 2021.”

Despite the unique challenges brought about by COVID-19 this year, more than 2,300 students across the country participated in the contest. C-SPAN received over 1,200 entries from 43 states and Washington, D.C. The most popular topics addressed were health care (14.9 percent); environmental and energy policy (14.6 percent); equal rights and equity (13.5 percent); criminal justice/policing (7.6 percent); and education (7.5 percent).

“With the continual shift in the educational landscape, it is difficult to overstate just how challenging the pandemic has proven for schools across our nation,” said Craig

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No matter your age, annual wellness checks with a primary care provider are an essential part of ongoing health — even when you are feeling well.

However, concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling challenges have caused many people to skip these critical, in-person annual checkups. In some cases, putting off these appointments has resulted in postponed screenings and delayed diagnoses of physical and mental health conditions.

“Certain health conditions can go undetected without the use of screening tests,” said Nora Tossounian, MD, an internal medicine specialist with Hackensack University Medical Center who treats patients age 18 and older. “Unfortunately, some patients who postponed screenings due to the pandemic were later diagnosed in the advanced stages.”

One of the main benefits of a wellness visit is that patients and providers can spend more time discussing the patient’s overall

All Hackensack University Medical Center primary care facilities are taking steps to keep patients and providers safe, including: 1. Pre-screening of all patients by phone and at the door 2. Staggering appointments to promote physical distancing 3. Universal masking for patients, employees and visitors 4. Temperature screenings 5. Rigorous cleaning protocols based on public health guidelines 6. Increased use of telemedicine 7. Providing an opportunity for all team members to promptly receive the COVID-19 vaccine 8. Requiring all team members to complete a self-screening questionnaire before working

health when compared to a sick visit, when only one acute problem or concern is addressed.

“Annual wellness exams allow providers to look at the patient’s health from a holistic perspective, so we can work together to develop a comprehensive care plan,” said Dr. Tossounian.

Providers also look at a patient’s personal and family health history and order screening or diagnostic tests based on age and symptoms.

“Although telemedicine is useful in certain situations, we can’t overlook the benefits of an in-person exam,” said Dr. Tossounian. “During in-person visits, I have noticed a mole on the back, a nodule on the thyroid, or a lump on the arm; in some instances, further testing has revealed early stages of treatable cancer.”

Wellness checks also allow providers to screen for and initiate conversations about substance use, as well as anxiety and depression, which have been on the rise during the pandemic.

“We can connect people with behavioral health services or prescribe medication as the situation warrants,” said Dr. Tossounian.

According to Dr. Tossounian, patients can rest assured that Hackensack University Medical Center’s primary care facilities are taking steps to keep patients and team members safe, including pre-screening of all patients

Recommended Preventive Screenings by Age for Men and Women

These guidelines are a modified version of the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce screening guidelines. Please note that these are only guidelines; speak to your provider regarding the appropriateness of these tests and whether additional ones are necessary, based upon your risk.

Age 20-30: PAP every 3 years (women)

Age 40-50: PAP every 3 years (women), diabetes screening, mammograms (women, discuss frequency with provider), colonoscopies (now starting age 45), cholesterol levels

Age 50-60: PAP every 3 years (women), diabetes screening, mammograms (women, discuss frequency with provider), bone density test, colonoscopies, hepatitis C screening, cholesterol levels, lung cancer screening (starting at age 55) for certain smokers or former smokers, prostate cancer screening (men)

Age 60-70: PAP every 3 years (women, until age 65), diabetes screening, cholesterol levels, mammograms (women, discuss frequency with provider), bone density test, colonoscopies, hepatitis C screening, lung cancer screening for certain smokers or former smokers, prostate cancer screening (men)

Age 70-80: mammograms (women, discuss frequency with provider) and colonoscopies up to age 75, bone density test, cholesterol levels, hepatitis C screening, lung cancer screening for certain smokers or former smokers, prostate cancer screening (optional for men)

Age 80 and up: bone density test; mammograms (women) and colonoscopies are case-specific and after having discussion with your provider regarding risks and benefits by phone and at the door; staggering appointments to promote physical distancing; universal masking for patients, employees and visitors; temperature screenings; rigorous cleaning protocols based on public health guidelines; and increased use of telemedicine.

“Although many team members have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, we are continuing to use complete personal protective equipment — including double-masking, goggles, face shields and gloves as appropriate — during all in-person exams,” said Dr. Tossounian.

“When it comes to the pandemic, we thought it was a sprint, but it turned out to be a marathon — and we’re still running it,” said Dr. Tossounian. “Don’t wait to get your wellness care back on track.”■

Pictured above: Dr. Tossounian and patient.

STYLE by

SONECA

How to Pick tHe RigHt JewelRy FoR youR outFit

Who doesn’t love jewelry? We all do. Men and women can be found wearing it with a passion. It comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. It’s a great way to accessorize your outfit.

Jewelry is versatile and can be worn in our day-to-day lives. Some pieces are more valuable than others, where they need to be kept safely and maintained meticulously. Sometimes we have more jewelry than we need, but when wearing there are some things to consider. For instance:

Let your jeweLry be compatibLe with your outfit. Consider your wardrobe and the kind of jewelry you prefer to wear. What is your lifestyle? Are you the type of person to wear the same jewelry over and over or do you like to mix and match and wear versatile pieces? pay attention to neckLines. The key is to create a balanced cohesive look. For instance, if you are wearing a strapless dress, pair it with a necklace that sits at your collar bone or a chunky chocker. Balance your look with a long necklace if you happen to be wearing loose fitting clothing; wearing a long necklace can balance your look from appearing short and wide. pair boLd with basic. The same goes true of wearing basic with bold. If you decide to wear big statement earrings, don’t wear a necklace. Want to wear a lot of bracelets? Forgo the rings. It’s all about proportion when pairing your jewelry to your outfit. Clothing should be neutral and classic if you want your jewelry to stand out. Otherwise keep it simple like a pair of stud earrings. Less is more when it comes to formal outfits also. Shiny delicate jewelry will always work best. match braceLets to sLeeves. The longer the sleeves, the fewer bracelets. The shorter the sleeves, the more bracelets.

match print shapes. You probably wouldn’t think of this one and most people don’t, but the shape of your earrings or necklace should match the shape of the design of your dress. Therefore, if the design is angled stripes, you wouldn’t want to pair it with circular hoop earrings. comfort is key. You don’t want to wear something to heavy or with sharp edges. Earrings, for instances, that are heavy can wear down your ear lobes and even cause damage. Remember, it’s all about the comfort. budget. Fine jewelry, such as gold, silver and platinum, along with diamonds, are great investment pieces. Treat yourself every now and then to these types of pieces. However, if purchasing the real thing is difficult, know that you can buy pieces that are gold plated for less money; they will give you the same look and feel for less.

match jeweLry to skin tone. If you have cool undertones, white metals, such as silver and platinum, will look best. If you have warm undertones, then gold and rose gold will look best on you. Diamonds look great on all skin tones, luckily. If your skin tone is neutral, well then you hit the jackpot! You can wear any type of metal.

Hopefully these tips will help you save time and frustration when picking out jewelry to wear with your outfit. Remember, it’s all about proportion. So, if in doubt, take a look in the mirror. Play around and see what looks best on you.

Soneca Guadara is a personal fashion stylist who helps women feel beautiful and confident to rise to their highest and best selves through style. Want to know more style and fashion tips? Follow her on Instagram (@Styledbysoneca) and/or visit her website, www.stylebysoneca.com.