Jewish News - Senior Edition June 22, 2020

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Supplement to Jewish News June 22, 2020 jewishnewsva.org | June 22, 2020 | Jewish News | 7

I thought to myself,

“Never Again!”

Senior Living Dear Readers,

T

oday’s ‘seniors’ are some of the most active people I know.

Whether concentrating at work or relaxing in retirement, ‘busy’ and ‘engaged’

At first, I didn’t think it would be too bad. . . When

the stay at home order began, I thought, “That’s not a big deal. I don’t go out too often anyhow.” I thought of it as a snow storm threat and loaded the cupboards with soup and pasta thinking it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks.

But as the days and weeks dragged on, I watched the news and started getting scared. The housekeeper who I have come once a week canceled.

My doctor said I shouldn’t go out because of my heart condition, and so the only person I saw each week was the grocery deliveryman, and that was only through the window.

Every day was the same. I watched the news, read my book, and did crossword puzzles. I felt the worry and loneliness slip in like a cold draft.

I could hear the masked worry in my daughter’s voice when she told me, “Everything will go back to normal soon.” I started losing track of the days and began questioning if I had taken my medication or eaten lunch.

This really gave Groundhog Day a new and frightening meaning.

• What if I did get sick? Would I be able to get help?

• How long will this last?

• When will I be able to get out to see church family again?

are more than buzz words for the over 55-year-old set. And, the articles in this section

After 6 weeks, I’d had enough.

I didn’t survive the fight in Korea and work 40 years to spend my retirement alone and scared. It was time to do something about it.

I couldn’t be isolated any longer.

When I called Commonwealth Senior Living, they asked why I decided to call today. I joked that between the loneliness and toilet paper shortage, I decided it was time to make a move.

prove the point.

I moved in mid-May and have been patting myself on the back ever since. I no longer have to worry about anything! The food is great. The place is spotless, and the truth is they treat me like a king.

They even put my picture up on the Wall of Valor with the rest of the retired military guys. It’s good to be part of a community again.

added each week. Page 9.

Can you relate?

Call us for a copy of our complimentary guide: “Is it Safe to Move Now?” 757-347-1732

Lisa Richmon spoke with Alan Bartel and Gloria Siegel, two very involved members of Tidewater’s Jewish, art, medical, and fun communities. While you’re reading about these two very inspiring people on page 11, consider if you could keep up with them!

When the Simon Family JCC reopened its doors for fitness activities earlier this month, among all of the members, seniors were signing up fast to take classes, swim, and work out. The opening has been so popular, in fact, that classes and hours have been

Just before COVID-19 shut down the immediate world in March, Beth Sholom Village completed its latest renovation. While celebrations had to be put on hold, moving into and using the newly appointed spaces took place without fanfare, but with much appreciation. The article on page 14 offers a quick look at the facility utilized by rehab patients, as well as long-term residents.

Sandy Tabachnick moved to Tidewater in 1987 and, among other things, immersed herself in the Jewish community. Now, she’s a LIFE & LEGACY® donor. Ronnie Jacobs Cohen’s profile of this caring senior is on page 16.

In February, famed Israeli wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum visited Virginia Beach to speak at the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film after the showing of the film about him, Picture of His Life. At age 65, he’s back at it, going for another dip into freezing water.

Page 18.

Commonwealth SENIOR LIVING at THE BALLENTINE

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www.CommonwealthSL.com 8 | Jewish News | Seniors | June 22, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

Terri Denison Editor

Senior Living

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

The Joy of the J You can’t keep a good senior down.

W

hen the Simon Family JCC opened on Monday, June 8, seniors bounced back in real numbers.

Even with the necessary implemented regulations and other logistics, “overjoyed” was the overall response. In particular, Silver Sneaker students say they are thrilled to be reunited with Regina in her Fit and Fab class. “All of our classes are or can be appropriate for seniors, with modifications—yes, even Tony’s Bootcamp,” says Yolanda Muhammad, an instructor at the J. “We make the class fit the student, students don’t fit the class.”

Popular classes such as Hatha Yoga, HIIT, Zumba Toning, and Spin are back on the schedule in the building and some under the tent outside in the parking lot facing Lake Sandler. ZOOM classes continue to be a popular alternative for those who aren’t ready to return in person to the building.

Over the past 10 weeks, the JCC Membership Department called all 1,928 Silver Sneaker members to check in, see how they’re doing, and to find out if the JCC or Jewish Family Service could help them in any way. They also informed them of the online fitness classes offered while the building was closed.

To view class schedules, videos, and more, go to simonfamilyjcc.org.

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Senior Living That 70’s Show: Senior trailblazers shine in the age of engagement Lisa Richmon

F

reedom and fulfillment can be dubious soulmates. Being free doesn’t necessarily mean getting up in the morning with no place to be

and no one to answer to. That would be the antithesis of rewarding for certain local seniors who continue to blaze new trails and seek challenges physically, artistically, and altruistically. For these impact-driven elders among us, filling

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the day without purpose will never quite cut it.

Listen up millennials, Gen X, Gen Y —and younger baby boomers.

Alan Bartel is a 78-year-old retired cardiologist who recently published a book, bikes 120 miles each week, and plays flute with dedicated amateur and professional musicians, including various members of the Virginia Symphony.

In 1973, Bartel and his wife Dolores, (of blessed memory) were warmly welcomed by Tidewater’s Jewish and medical communities. The young cardiac specialist came from Duke University to develop the area’s first cardiovascular program.

At the time, there were no young cardiologists, or any type of dedicated cardiac prevention services available. Bartel retired 46 years later satisfied in knowing he built a private practice consisting of 25 cardiologists and helped pioneer the area’s top cardiac program.

Bartel confesses his concern for fellow physicians who do a poor job at retiring.

“All they know how to do is work. They are so committed to their medical profession and no other interests are developed.

Then they have nothing to do. I hear this a lot. ‘Some day I’ll play golf.’”

The problem with that line of thought, says the flute playing cyclist, is that “you invest in the golf clubs and the golf coach,

and then you’re stuck. What if you don’t like the game, or you discover that your personal injury profile isn’t suited for golf.”

When orthopedic issues forced Bartel to give up racquetball, his first love, he knew golf wasn’t a good fit and switched to tennis where he had the same ankle issues. “Racquetball was my passion, but I can still ride a bike. It doesn’t hurt my back or my ankle and it’s challenging. I usually ride 20 miles five or six days a week.”

Bartel puts on his doctor/coach hat for professionals who want to find fulfilling activities with psychosocial and physical benefits, before they retire. His buffer against aging: “Find what you can and can’t do. Figure out where you’re needed.

Find a new hobby or start a business. I wanted to write a book about my father, so I did.”

Over the decades, Alan and Dolores Bartel were involved in just about every local Jewish agency. Dolores was committed to people with disabilities and started a program for young adults. She died in May. “We have two sons who are hearing impaired. At my wife’s shiva, Rabbi Roz was wearing a mask and they couldn’t read her lips,” says Bartel.

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Senior Living

Alan Bartel

guidelines. “I haven’t played with any of my string players or pianists in a while because any one of us could be an asymptomatic carrier. I’m not willing to take the chance of exposure through the flute,” he says. As a member of a Klezmer band, he enjoys playing at Beth Sholom Home and various synagogues such as Ohef Sholom Temple (where he is a member), as well as more secular venues. Bartel is a member of Virginia Arts Festival’s board of directors and over the last several years, he and his fellow musicians have produced an annual musicale for 160 people at the art organization’s building in downtown Norfolk. “This gives me a lot of joy,” says Bartel.

Engaged living is not the same as keeping busy. Staying engaged can be community leadership, creative expression, establishing a new business, or tackling a new physical activity within your limitations.

For Gloria Siegel, it’s all of the above.

Siegel is known for her boundless energy, personal pizzaz, and long-time sweet spot for Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, where she continues to serve on the screening committee.

“My aunt was like a mother to me, and when I had my retail business, and was heavily involved in the Jewish community, she said ‘Gloria you have to slow down and learn to appreciate things more.’ I blew her off. I wasn’t ready to hear it.”

LIVE your life.

Before COVID-19 did what nobody could convince her to do, Siegel had a full schedule as a senior fitness specialist for the City of Virginia Beach at several local recreation centers teaching multiple fitness classes, up to six days a week.

A swimmer for 30 years, often at the Simon Family JCC, Siegel prepared for her 60th birthday by training for her first triathlon. With the swimming part nailed down, all she had to do was learn the biking and running. “Once you start training for your first, you can’t do just one,” says Siegel. Siegel has completed nine since then, including one with her daughter, a runner. “My daughter ran, I swam and rode. Training for these events is what got me started biking.”

What many don’t know is Siegel’s profound impact on seniors in the local Parkinson’s community. Twelve years ago, Siegel was already well into her second career as a popular senior fitness specialist when her husband, Melvyn was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. “When my husband got the diagnosis, I didn’t know anything about the disease. At the time, there were no national exercise programs available to our community. I started to do my research. Because movement and exercise are essential, I hired a personal trainer and started creating little things to do to help. That’s when people with PD asked me to work with them.”

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Senior Living continued from page 11

Siegel got certified in Scottsdale, Arizona, participated in other programs, and visited hospitals to observe physical therapists working with patients.

“Word got out, and neurologists started sending people to my class. My phone was ringing off the hook. There were articles in the Pilot. I couldn’t handle it myself and hired an assistant. I trained her over the years and now she has her own business completely devoted to people with Parkinson’s.

“I was my husband’s caretaker for 10 years. I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to help people living with this disease.”

Siegel, a late-blooming activist, says she discovers purpose as she ages.

“I had to take a leave of absence from teaching before Mel died. When I returned, all the notes, kind words, and hugs from so many students took my breath away. I always thought I was the one helping them, but they were the ones empowering me.

“This quarantine put the brakes on my life. Not just mine. All people like me, who live alone, who had a very busy life.

Suddenly the door is slammed shut, and I couldn’t leave my house,” says Siegel.

“I kept hearing we’re in the population who are going to die. Until then, I never thought of myself as old, as I have always been vibrant and active.”

Siegel says she’s forging a new identity now, “finding what’s meaningful to me.

I’m still figuring it out. I think of what my aunt said when I was in my 40s. Either age, or this virus has led me to search for who I am. I have a profound sense of gratitude for all that I have.”

Before COVID-19 struck, she taught Silver Sneakers fitness classes, which are offered as a wellness benefit for secondary insurance. Her new modality is perfectly suited for anyone with mobility issues, not just people with PD. Siegel is ZOOMING her way back, teaching chair yoga. “It’s wonderful for breathing and movement and is really quite powerful,” says Siegel.

“Now that I’ve been home on quarantine, I have deepened my personal yoga practice and take long walks. I’m also going back to my vegan cooking

Gloria Siegel.

This quarantine put the brakes on my life.

Not just mine.

All people like me, who live alone, who had a very busy life.

Suddenly the door is slammed shut.

roots,” says Siegel. “I think I’m going to approach the synagogues or local community churches to teach chair yoga for their members as a service-free class.

“I always like to take on new challenges. If I fail, I can just use the excuse that I’m old.”

Senior Living Amid pandemic, these young Jews and their elderly friends are finding new ways to connect

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic began, 15-year-old Samantha Renzulli immediately thought about how it would affect her elderly friends at Jewish Senior Services, a long-term care facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Renzulli had met some of the residents through Better Together, a school-based Jewish intergenerational program, and she worried about their isolation.

So, she and her fellow students at the Merkaz Community High School for Judaic Studies resolved to find new ways to maintain connections to the seniors.

Since mid-April, students’ families have paraded in long caravans of decorated cars around the residence every Friday as residents and staff look on from balconies.

They’ve also delivered more than 130 bouquets of donated flowers for residents, and a trove of books, toys and toiletries for staff members and their families.

On Mother’s Day, Renzulli and her young friends shared with the seniors a “musical mitzvah mashup” video they created especially for them.

In normal times, Better Together, a project launched in 2014, pairs together young Jews and older Jews for meaningful in-person interactions. Middle- and highschool students from Jewish day schools, Hebrew schools, and Jewish youth groups meet with the residents of senior centers or groups of seniors from local synagogues.

Congregation Beth El and Ohef Sholom Temple have participated in the program with Beth Sholom Village residents. (JTA)

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jewishnewsva.org | June 22, 2020 | Seniors | Jewish News | 13

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t Beth Sholom Village, cleanliness is paramount.

The recent renovation at the skilled nursing and rehab center located in Virginia Beach, completed days before lockdown in March, has already impressed visitors and residents. With the cosmetic and functional changes made, and standard of care untouched, it’s easy to see that inspiration can co-exist with compliance—even in a setting designed for a vulnerable senior population.

One big change was the installation of showers in every patient room, inside private and modern bathrooms. This upgrade serves residents and caregivers in ways that include safety, access, and privacy. The addition of more natural light, new floors and furnishings, attractive light fixtures, and a calming, neutral color palette on the walls increase the feeling of ‘home’ at BSV. “This is someone’s home, whether they’re here for rehab, or for long-term health care. There’s no reason the space shouldn’t feel like home and be beautiful,” says Marcia Brodie, BSV director of marketing, “We are delighted every time a family member says, ‘I’d love to have a shower this nice in my home.”’

On the skilled care/rehab side, both gyms were fully renovated and enlarged. That means all new equipment,

New nurses station at BSV.

14 | Jewish News | Seniors | June 22, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

a bathroom, and a full kitchen with upgraded appliances for functional testing. Staff can effectively assess and prepare someone recovering from a stroke or hip surgery, as they perform activities of daily living necessary to transition back home.

“The last screw went in and the pandemic hit,” says Brodie.

A lockdown is costly, isolating, and vexing in many ways, but better tolerated in a bright space with inviting furnishings and an outdoor area to enjoy fresh air. The specialized memory unit, the Sholom Unit’s new patio area is fenced in for safety, but looks like any outdoor terrace with a grill, big chairs, space for wheelchairs to spread out, and even more natural light.

When the nursing facility was built in 1980, like all others, it was built as a medical model.

“Healthcare has transformed and Beth Sholom was poised to transform with it, creating a hospitality model that delivers great care with great outcomes,” says David Abraham, BSV CEO. “Now you will start to see this play out in more Jewish and non-Jewish facilities.”

The renovation included touching up the common areas with fresh paint and new furniture. “When people walk in the door, they often comment, ‘It smells so good in here,’ or ‘this isn’t what I would expect.’” says Brodie.

Andrea Mantel’s mother, Kathy moved

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Renovations included adding private bathrooms to each room.

This is someone’s home, whether they’re here for rehab, or for long-term health care. There’s no reason the space shouldn’t feel like home and be beautiful.

into Beth Sholom Village’s Sholom Unit in late April, as the pandemic shuttered everyone. Mantel is a senior designer at Ethan Allen Home in Virginia Beach.

She can’t visit her mother due to the lockdown, but drops things off and appreciates, among other things, the overall look and feel. “When you first walk in, you might think it’s a hotel lobby, not a nursing home. It’s very inviting.”

Mantel cared for her mother at home for six years during a slow and painful descent into Alzheimer’s. She was on the waiting list for six months and learned early on why BSV was the only facility she would trust to care for her mother. “I went to visit every single nursing home in this area. I have two college degrees.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I learned. Beth Sholom couldn’t take her

at the time, but what was amazing was how they treated me during the interview process. Beth Sholom is a 10.”

Mantel was impressed even before there was a room available for her mother.

“Dawn Orcutt was amazing. She checked in with me and made me feel I wasn’t forgotten. Now that my mother lives at Beth Sholom, when I call to speak to a nurse, they always come to the phone.

And, they arrange Face Time since I can’t visit.

“When you’re on waiting list, that’s one thing. But when they call and say they’re ready to take her, it’s a tear of the heart.

‘I really have to do this.’ Decision hits you when that bed is ready. I was crying, calling my cousins. I felt so guilty,” says Mantel.

“But within 24 hours after the move, I got six calls. One each from the Cantor, a social worker, her physical therapist, the head nurse, and someone from the recreation therapy department. They asked about her. What she likes and what she doesn’t like. That’s when I knew she (I) was going to be ok. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

This is part of a series of articles highlighting local and overseas partner agencies that are beneficiaries of the United Jewish Federation Tidewater’s annual Community Campaign.

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jewishnewsva.org | June 22, 2020 | Seniors | Jewish News | 15

Senior Living Sandy Tabachnick: LIFE & LEGACY® donor Ronnie Jacobs Cohen

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16 | Jewish News | Seniors | June 22, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

andy Finberg Tabachnick grew up in Ashland, a small town in northeastern Ohio that was also home to Ashland College, a college founded by the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The Finbergs were one of 10 Jewish families in this small town of 15,000 and Sandy and her older sister, Rochelle were two of just three Jewish students attending Ashland schools.

Tabachnik’s parents were not particularly religious and did not attend services regularly, but stressed the importance of living Jewishly. The family belonged to B’nai Jacob, a conservative synagogue in Mansfield, Ohio, 13 miles from their home, where Tabachnik and her sister enjoyed attending Sunday School every week.

One cold Sunday morning held a particularly fond memory for her. “My father skidded on an icy patch in our driveway and landed in a ditch,” she recalls with a chuckle. The young sisters insisted their father quickly call a tow truck so they wouldn’t miss school and spending time with their Jewish friends. Both girls attended Camp Galil, a kosher Orthodox camp founded as part of the Zionist Youth Movement, just over the Pennsylvania border. When applying for college, a sizable Jewish population was a prerequisite, and marrying someone Jewish was expected.

Less fond memories of anti-Semitism and avoidance by others were also part of the fabric of growing up in this non-Jewish environment. The little girl next-door was not allowed to play with the young Sandy and, in high school, she was the object of proselytizing efforts by a missionary student attending Ashland College.

Tabachnick and her former husband moved to Omaha, Nebraska, a “welcoming and warm Jewish community” where he was executive director of the JCC of Omaha for two years. From there, he accepted the position of executive director of the JCC of Akron, and they raised

Sandy Finberg Tabachnick.

a family. Tachachnick is proud of the accomplishments of her three children.

Phyllis, her eldest, who works in wealth management in Chicago, visited Israel with a teen group during her high school years, remains committed to Jewish causes, and is supportive of and involved in Jewish organizations. Her son, Scott, is principal of an elementary school in southern Vermont, and Diane, her youngest, is a Physician Assistant who heads a psychiatry unit in southern Vermont.

Her youngest child had just graduated from college in 1987 and Tabachnick accepted a position in Tidewater, selling commercial advertising for Cox Communications. “It was a good job and I was delighted by the opportunity to meet a group of educated, generous, liberal, and intelligent new friends in the Virginia Beach area,” she recalls.

Drawing from her love of theater and theatrical experiences in high school and college, Tabachnick auditioned for and was awarded professional roles in several Discovery Channel re-enactments. She also played the grandmother in The Children’s Hour performed at the Little Theater of Norfolk and received a rave review in The Virginian-Pilot from Montague Gammon III. Tabachnick was nine years old in 1948

Senior Living when Israel was proclaimed a nation. She recalls fundraising efforts taking place at her synagogue and, as a young adult, she loved to teach Israeli music and dancing, which she had learned during her summers at Camp Galil, at other camps and Sunday school.

Tabachnick had never traveled, but had always wanted to visit Israel. In 1991, she and another woman from Tidewater joined a national Federation trip to Israel.

She felt completely safe with this Jewish group and, as her eldest daughter before her, realized a deeper connection and

strengthened support for “Eretz Yisrael” and the work done on its behalf by Jewish Federations. She was an active member of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council and served on the board of directors of Jewish Family Service. Her steadfast advice remains “to find something of interest that you can support and do so. The rewards are great.”

Sandy Tabachnick is a LIFE & LEGACY® donor who has made multiple endowed gifts, supporting the future of the Jewish community.

How seniors can protect their health and finances during the pandemic

T

hroughout the coronavirus pandemic, health officials have been clear and consistent in their message to seniors: While anyone can fall victim to COVID19, those who are 65 and older are in an especially high-risk group.

That’s why older Americans need to be especially careful and—in the case of the very elderly—family members may need to step in to make sure they are taking the right precautions, says Chris Orestis, president of LifeCare Xchange.

“As with just about everyone, coronavirus is touching all areas of the lives of seniors, from health to finances to how they socialize,” Orestis says.

He offers a few tips on things seniors and their families can do: Prioritize healthy practices. Follow health guidelines. Wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and sanitize surfaces.

“Social distancing and staying in place have become important new additions to our lifestyle because avoiding contact with infected people is the surest way to prevent contracting the virus,” Orestis says. “Grocery stores and retailers have set up senior-only shopping hours, and seniors should take advantage of those. In addition, food delivery services can bring take-out meals or groceries to your home.”

Trust nursing homes. “Despite the tragic deaths that occurred at Life Care Center’s nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., the nursing home industry has

been working around the clock in every community to protect their residents,” Orestis says. “If you have a loved one in a nursing home, do not go visit,” Orestis says. “Stay in touch remotely through a cell phone, computer, or the staff to help the nursing home avoid contamination.”

Know what financial resources are available. “We’ve experienced a stock market drop, but It is important at times like this to not ‘panic sell’ and lock in your losses,” Orestis says. He points out there are still safety nets and even financial opportunities that can help seniors. Social Security income, Medicare, and Medicaid payments remain unchanged. Income from annuities remains guaranteed.

Beware of scams. Seniors often are prime targets of scams, and with their heightened level of distress, could be even more susceptible than usual, Orestis says. “Be on the lookout for such things as emails from imposters of the CDC asking you to open a link or download a list telling you where positive cases are in your area,” he says.

“No one is sure how long this crisis will last or what the outcome could be,” Orestis says. “But the most vulnerable members of our population can protect themselves by following smart health practices, avoiding unwise financial decisions, taking advantage of financial safety-nets, and being on the lookout for scams and bad information.”

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jewishnewsva.org | June 22, 2020 | Seniors | Jewish News | 17

Senior Living Famed Israeli wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum gets a thrilling documentary about his career—and his quest to get close to a polar bear

Amos Nachoum

Curt Schleier

I

sraeli wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum is part Jacque Cousteau, part Sir Richard Attenborough, part Don Quixote.

At least that’s how Nachoum comes across in Picture of His Life, an enthralling new documentary about his quest to snap a photo of a swimming polar bear while swimming alongside it—something that has never been done. The film was featured at the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film in February. Nachoum and one of the film’s directors, Dani Menkin, spoke to an enthusiastic and impressed crowd at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

Danger is a recurring theme in Nachoum’s work. The film shows him submerged face to face with a crocodile in Africa and sharing the Amazon with an enormous anaconda. His portfolio—full of close-ups of snarling seals, whales and sharks—easily explains why he’s achieved worldwide attention. The adventures have resulted in books and calendars and network television appearances.

So why now, at age 65, when the documentary was shot last summer, go back into mosquito-infested terrain and slip into freezing water for one photo?

Veteran wildlife cinematographer Adam Ravetch, who accompanies Nachoum on the trip and into the water, contends that part of Amos’ drive is “to stay relevant.” Another factor may be

18 | Jewish News | Seniors | June 22, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

an outgrowth of his unhappy childhood.

Nachoum’s sisters say the family did not grow up in a “peaceful household.” Their father participated in Israel’s War of Independence and emerged with PTSD. Nachoum was a member of an elite unit in the Yom Kippur War—one that suffered heavy casualties—and that also left its mark.

Whatever spurs him on, Nachoum

So why now, at age 65, when the documentary was shot last summer, go back into mosquitoinfested terrain and slip into freezing water for one photo?

along with Ravetch and a small party that includes Inuit guides head to the Canadian Arctic in search of a polar bear.

They have only a five-day window before weather will force them out.

Veteran Israeli filmmakers Yonatan Nir and Dani Menkin successfully merge archival footage of Nachoum, the expedition, and interviews with family, friends and colleagues.

The movie debuted virtually on June 19 on virtual cinema. For $9.99, viewers get a three-day window to watch, and the fee is shared with a local theater shuttered by the pandemic or any one of a number of Jewish film festivals across the county. (JTA)