Los Angeles Jewish Health: Energizing Senior Life

There is a reason Los Angeles Jewish Health’s Annenberg School of Nursing (ASN) is one of the city’s leading licensed vocational nursing (LVN) programs—and, according to ASN Director Amandeep Kaur, that reason was on full display at the school’s recent graduation ceremony.“The people who are part of our community—the students, the faculty, and the staff—really make this place special,” Kaur says. “Everyone works together toward a common goal: increasing knowledge, skill, and professionalism in the nursing world to improve quality of care and make a real difference in people’s lives.”The current crop of LVN graduates—17 in total—demonstrated their commitment to service over the course of the 12-month program, which included long days and nights of study, classroom instruction, and hands-on clinical work.“Our program demanded sacrifices, but the consistent effort we put in didn’t just build knowledge, it built nurses,” said graduation speaker Sidney McCullers, who received the coveted Florence Nightingale Award. “Now, we will be able to carry forward the lessons we have learned: to show up for our patients, to trust the discipline we’ve built, and to set goals and know we have what it takes to achieve them.”This year marked a transition for ASN, which moved from its original location on LAJH’s Hirsch Family Campus to new facilities on the Eisenberg Village Campus.In her graduation remarks, Class Vice President Melody Campbell noted that the move was seamless—and that it was both instructive and inspirational for her and her peers.“We started in the old school building and transitioned into this beautiful, campus-style space without a single lecture being interrupted,” she said. “We witnessed growth in real time, and we also saw leadership up close, walking into a new building and finding not just a construction crew, but also our director and her two helpers moving cleaning supplies themselves just to keep our lectures on schedule.”\Graduates Sergio Fuentes-Rivas and Isaac Covarrubias were honored with the Best Clinical Performance award in recognition of their hard work, which was roundly praised by both the floor nurses who helped train them and the patients in their care.“They were so good that people wanted to recruit them immediately!” Kaur says.For Covarrubias, graduation was the culmination of a journey that began nearly six years ago. He initially enrolled at ASN in 2020 and was just four weeks shy of completing the program when crippling anxiety and panic forced him to withdraw.“I worked hard with a therapist to learn how to cope and to believe in myself,” he said. “If anyone out there in the crowd doubts their ability to do anything in their life, I encourage you to change the way you think into a positive mindset; to be kind to yourself and love yourself.”Covarrubias also had some advice for future students: “Remember this about our director, Ms. Kaur—her office is a safe space. You can cry, vent, and open your heart—our secrets are safe. Not even a speck of dust will know.”The graduates received their diplomas before a crowd of 250, including LAJH CEO and President Dale Surowitz, LAJH Board Chair Judy Friedman-Rudzki, outgoing ASN Board Chair Shelly Steier, and incoming ASN Board Chair Armida Colmenares-Stafford.“It was an amazing event, and by the end, half of the audience was crying because they were so moved,” Kaur says. “It was the signature Annenberg School of Nursing magic.” FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM GRADUATION CLICK HERE

A shared focus on the pursuit of justice made the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contemporaries in the American Jewish community natural allies. This past January, Los Angeles Jewish Health honored their historic collaboration with a special Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event that brought together a diverse audience to celebrate Dr. King and help carry his legacy forward.Overseen by Rabbi Karen Bender, LAJH’s chief mission officer, the gathering featured timeless music blending Jewish songs and themes with gospel sounds rooted in the African American tradition. The program was led by Hazan Mike Stein, who served as cantor of Temple Aliyah—now HaMakom—in West Hills for more than two decades and included contributions from Cantor Jenni Asher, HaMakom’s current cantor; Broadway actress Deborah Sharpe-Taylor; singer Fumani Thomas-Schwartz; pianist David Cohen; and numerous others.“Our goal was to present a fusion of music and ideas about the melding of the two cultures, Jewish and African American,” Stein says. “We sang a song I wrote with Deborah called ‘Shalom, Shalom’; ‘Wade in the Water,’ a traditional African American spiritual that was combined with ‘Mi Chamocha’; ‘We Shall Overcome’; and ‘When the Rain Comes Down,’ which speaks to the universal struggles we all go through, no matter our faith or background. Rabbi Bender also offered a beautiful d’var Torah.”The group performs music which blends songs and themes with gospel sounds rooted in the African American tradition. Rabbi Bender’s words of wisdom helped ground the emotionally uplifting musical tribute, emphasizing how the values of Dr. King align completely with Jewish values.“Our resident community at LAJH intuits the profundity of a message that relates to the principles of justice, equality, and loving-kindness,” she said.A highlight of the event was Sharpe-Taylor’s performance as Harriet Tubman. She offered a first-person portrayal of the iconoclastic activist and brought to life her role in the Underground Railroad.“The residents loved Deborah’s reenactment. She tried to embody Harriet, talking about her life, missing her husband, and bringing people to freedom,” Asher says. “When she was finished, Rabbi Bender got up and said, ‘I almost feel as if I met Harriet Tubman today!’”During the program, Asher, the first Black female cantor to be ordained in the United States, offered insights into her own experience as a Jew of color.“It’s amazing to be visible: I have people come up to me all the time to say they’ve never seen a Black or even a female cantor,” she says. “But Jews and Judaism have moved so far in terms of diversity, and I think it’s impactful for seniors to witness this evolution for themselves. The residents of Los Angeles Jewish Health were so warm and happy to see me, which was wonderful.”Also on hand for the event were William “Mickey” Stevenson and his wife, Michelle. Mickey, a legendary producer at Motown Records and one of the principal architects of the “Motown Sound,” talked about the outstanding partnership at the label between Black artists and its executives, some of whom were Jewish.Cantor Stein says the program was particularly resonant for many of the LAJH residents in the audience.“A lot of the seniors remember the ‘60s and were politically active, some of them playing important roles in advancing civil rights in their local communities,” he says. “In fact, my wife, Kelley, an LAJH resident, was actually at the “I Have a Dream” speech march! When Rabbi Bender talked about how Black and Jewish people are connected by traditions that encompass both being slaves and being free, you could see people nodding along. It’s a powerful link that gives us all common ground to stand up for what’s right.”Cantor Jenni Asher Deborah Sharpe-Taylor as Harriet TubmanWilliam “Mickey” Stevenson 

Los Angeles Jewish Health rehabilitation patient Thomas Flynn has led a life full of success and accomplishment. But his most recent achievement may well be his greatest yet: surviving and thriving nearly one year after a high-stakes heart transplant.Tom’s health had been on a steady downward trajectory as doctors tried everything possible to address his ventricular tachycardia, a heart rhythm disorder that disrupted the electrical signals necessary for smooth cardiac functioning. After years of treatment and despite utilizing the latest in state-of-the-art medical advances (including surgical ablations and the placement of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator), doctors told him he had reached the end of the road.“I was basically out of options except for a transplant, and at 73 I was older than usual for that kind of procedure,” Tom says. “But I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive long term without it—I had been in the hospital 266 out of 365 days that year, which gives you an indication of how dire my circumstances were.”But Tom was otherwise healthy, without any comorbidities, and his doctors at Cedars-Sinai put him on the transplant list. Their decision saved his life.“It was a long shot, but they took a chance on me. I was the oldest person at Cedars-Sinai to get a transplant last year, and through what feels like a series of miracles, here I am today having turned 74,” Tom says.Those miracles include his medical team at Cedars-Sinai, a donor heart that matched his profile (“I think of that person every single day”), and the rehabilitation care he is receiving at LAJH.“I’ve been in JEK [the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center] for the past six months, and when I first got here, I was hooked up to so many machines that I couldn’t even leave my room for three months,” Tom recalls. “But the team at LAJH is amazing, from the doctors to the senior nursing staff, all the way to the certified nursing assistants. Now, I’m up and walking around, doing things I never thought I’d have the chance to do again!”Thomas FlynnBesides receiving rigorous occupational and physical therapy, Tom is an active member of the resident community.“The therapeutic activities here are incredible. The staff does so much to make sure our neural networks are firing and cognitive synapses are working—hosting discussion groups and learning activities that have residents reaching deep. It’s so gratifying,” he says.The intellectual stimulation has been critically important to Tom, who spent his career in both government and industry working on big ideas to strengthen the fabric of American society.After graduating from Columbia University and Santa Clara University School of Law, he joined the administration of Governor Jerry Brown in Sacramento, where he worked to open California up to international investment and supported the development of Silicon Valley. From there, he pivoted to the private sector, helping bring the first generation of electricity-generating windmills to Palm Springs and facilitating the acquisition of agricultural technology from Israel. Tom’s multifaceted career also included stints as chief executive officer of one of the nation’s premier public opinion and social research firms—where he managed Times/CNN polling for the 1992 and 1996 presidential election cycles—and time as a government consultant collaborating on impactful studies for the Department of Defense and other agencies.He and his wife, Cari Beauchamp, a prominent writer and journalist, split their time between Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, making their marks professionally while also raising their two sons, Jake and Teo. Cari passed away from cancer in 2023.At LAJH, in addition to recovering his physical stamina and sharpening his mental acuity, Tom has fostered new friendships with other JEK residents.“People are so smart and have such fascinating life stories. All of us are here because of medical infirmities, but we still have so much to offer in terms of our various skills and talents,” he says. “The entire LAJH community keeps me active and stimulated, and I’m so grateful every single day.” 

Each year, Chanukah invites us to look back at the courage of the Maccabees, a small band that fought not only for survival, but for the right to live openly and proudly as Jews. Their story reminds us that Jewish pride is not loud or boastful; it is steady, resilient, and deeply rooted in identity and purpose. In every generation, Chanukah lifts that message like a flame, and this year at Los Angeles Jewish Health, that flame of pride glowed especially bright.So many of our residents grew up in times and places where Jewish identity was something to be quiet about or carefully held inside. Not only in countries in a state of danger or upheaval, but even in American cities, in neighborhoods, clubs, parks, and workplaces, where subtle messages made it clear that being Jewish was something to soften or conceal. And yet, they persevered. They built families, communities, and lives of meaning, carrying their Judaism forward with quiet strength.Here, at LAJH, no one needs to tuck that part of themselves away. Being Jewish is safe. Indeed, here pride is not resisted; it is cherished. Our residents gather to celebrate, sing, study, light candles, and tell stories not only of the past, but of the journeys that brought them to this community. They are surrounded by peers, caregivers, and friends who honor their heritage and uplift who they are. The joy of Chanukah becomes not only a memory of courage but a living experience of belonging. The plethora of celebratory foods, entertainment, and spiritual celebration serves to enhance it all.And beyond our own story, Chanukah offers an ethical calling: just as we affirm the dignity of Jewish identity, we affirm the dignity of every person. The Chanukah lights teach that every individual should have the right to be themselves. Every human being should enjoy the freedom to live authentically, to feel proud of who they are, and to shine in the fullness of their own unique light. Images of Chanukah from across Los Angeles Jewish Health: