The Los Angeles Jewish Home sparkles on every level, but one of its crown jewels is the Dietary Department, a collection of remarkable staff members who work tirelessly to keep Jewish Home residents happy, healthy, and able to enjoy some of life's finer pleasures. During holidays and every day, the approximately 60 employees based on the Grancell Village campus and 45 at Eisenberg Village are on their feet—and on their toes—making sure they deliver our seniors the very best cuisine possible. It is, notes department director Cindy Cordon, a massive and ambitious enterprise. "We serve nearly 500 residents in 12 different locations on two campuses, plus we have Gerald's Deli and Café Rendezvous (the on-campus, to-go locations at Grancell Village and Eisenberg Village, respectively), and everything—except for blintzes and pies—are made from scratch," she says. "We have cooks and sous chefs and bakers who make fresh desserts for residents on both campuses, as well as challah every Friday. We have food preparers, dessert preparers, platers, and even someone dedicated to making purees for the seniors. It takes a lot of love and care to keep it all going!" That love, says Chief Mission Officer Rabbi Karen Bender, is always on full display. "You just have to taste the food and look at the presentation to know the dietary staff does everything with such wonderful intention. The kitchen is the heart of any Jewish home, and that's also true at our Jewish Home. The people who cook and serve food to our residents are so loving in their preparation. As a rabbi, their sincerity, conscientiousness, and care are beautiful to watch." Cindy, a certified specialist in gerontological nutrition, has been at the Jewish Home for 15 years. As she tells it, success on the job has meant mastering the art of menu planning. "Menu is the center of everything," she says. "It dictates what's required, from food and equipment to quantity and labor. It's also key for resident satisfaction. We have monthly food committees so we can get feedback from residents, and we incorporate as many of their requests as possible. We're honored they've placed their trust in us, and we want to make sure they feel listened to." Under Cindy's direction, the Jewish Home menu is built on a five-week cycle that rotates seasonally. "We want residents to enjoy a wide variety of tastes, and we are constantly evaluating whether something worked or not," she says. To that end, she is frequently revising meals on the fly. "Out of 14 lunches and dinners, I may end up changing half, based on how people respond. We also send menus to the families of some of our residents, who help us customize meals according to their loved ones' individual needs. In total, we have about 56 customized menus!" It's a lot to keep track of and gets even more complicated during Jewish holidays like Passover. Although the Jewish Home's kitchens are fully kosher for year-round food preparation, they must undergo a special process to make them kosher l'Pesach (kosher for Passover). "We kasher the kitchen two days before the first seder. Everything is removed. Then we do a deep clean, from floor to ceiling. At Grancell Village this year, we spent approximately 20 hours on the floor alone! We turn on all the stoves and put everything that holds water on high until it's boiling, and then let it boil for two hours. Then we dip all the silverware in boiling water. After that, we scoop, splash, and pour water on every working surface throughout the kitchen, as well as the deli," Cindy says. The entire process is supervised by a mashgiach—an authority on maintaining the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. "Our mashgiach says the Jewish Home has the most expert staff at kashering for Passover he's ever worked with, which is high praise," Rabbi Bender says. "They really do an extraordinary job." It's a job Cindy and her staff are thrilled to do. "The Jewish Home is such a special place," she says. "The residents are so amazing. I've created a lot of meaningful relationships here. And I love serving them! Walking around in the dining room, getting a chance to talk to them, to find out how they are and to hear about their lives—it's a real privilege."

The Los Angeles Jewish Home has long been an innovator at the forefront of emerging trends in senior care. This spring, that tradition of trailblazing continues with the rollout of new telehealth technology designed to transform the patient experience. With the acquisition of nearly 20 state-of-the-art mobile telehealth carts, many Jewish Home residents can now access high-quality care without leaving the comfort of a Jewish Home campus. The carts enable residents, supported by their Jewish Home care team, to connect directly with physicians via video; during each visit, doctors can utilize the sophisticated technology to monitor pulse, heart and lung sounds – essentially, conducting a comprehensive visit virtually. "Thanks to this remarkable tool, doctors can look closely at a resident's skin, ears, nose, and mouth, and listen to their heart and lung sounds in a way that is much more patient-centered," says Noah Marco, MD, the Jewish Home's Chief Medical Officer. "With in-person physician visits, residents have to disrupt their daily routines to do what's convenient for the doctor. Our telehealth option streamlines things considerably and eliminates the stress for residents of arranging transportation and finding someone to accompany them to a medical office. It's also wonderful because it allows authorized family members to participate in the visits live, from anywhere in the world: All they need is a smart phone to join. Since family members can be such important members of the care team, this is a fantastic development." At the Jewish Home, the telehealth carts are being used for several types of routine and scheduled appointments, as well as for more pressing visits when a resident experiences a change of health condition. In all cases, use of the carts is optional and requires resident consent. It is also HIPAA compliant, providing a safe, secure, and private line of communication for residents and their physicians. "There are so many benefits to telehealth, the way we're doing it at the Jewish Home," Dr. Marco says. "Often, when a resident has a change of condition, I'll get a phone call from one of our excellent nurses, who will explain to me what's going on. However, the challenge is that over the phone, I don't have a visual. I can't listen to the patient's heart or lungs, and I can't ask them questions. With telehealth, I'm able to hear directly from the resident, and I see live video. I can even do an examination with my digital stethoscope. These things all increase my confidence that I'm making the right diagnosis and ultimately reduces the need to send our residents to the hospital." There is also, notes Dr. Marco, another significant benefit of supplementing care with telehealth. "In addition to meeting patients' needs in a better, more efficient, and convenient way, telehealth helps reduce our nurses' stress and increase job satisfaction," he says. "Given the challenges nurses face today, with all the demands from COVID and so many other factors, it's vital we invest in technology that minimizes strain on them while improving overall clinical care." The embrace of telehealth technology accelerated nationwide during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders and quarantines made venturing out in public more difficult, especially for seniors, whose less robust immune systems increase their vulnerability to illness. Bringing the technology to the Jewish Home was made possible by generous grant support from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and numerous nonprofit foundations including the Ahmanson Foundation, the Max Factor Foundation, and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Currently, the telehealth carts are deployed across the Jewish Home's Grancell Village campus: on the two main floors of the Mark Taper Building, in the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center, and in the Brandman Centers for Senior Care, a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Ultimately, plans call for expanded distribution across all Jewish Home facilities. "This is a pilot program, so it's still new, but we saw the value in it immediately. The first time we used the cart, the doctor and nurse made a treatment plan for the resident being seen, based on data captured by the technology. Both caregivers felt that, without this technology, the resident would have needed to be transferred to an ER," Dr. Marco says. "Every time we're able to help keep our residents safe and comfortable where they are, it's a big win."

From the earliest days of the pandemic, the Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC), a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), distinguished itself as one of the jewels in the crown of the Los Angeles Jewish Home. While many other, similar programs across the country closed their doors as COVID-19 reached crisis proportions, BCSC took all of the extra safety steps required to stay open, ensuring vulnerable seniors had ongoing access to the center, as well as critical care through the clinic, rehabilitation services and much more. "The program is called 'all-inclusive care,' and it really is," notes Susie Fishenfeld, BCSC executive director. "Despite the obstacles presented by COVID, we were able to get people medication and supplies at home; to bring them into our center—of course, following distancing and safety protocols—to keep them socializing; and to prepare stimulating, energizing activities to help them stay vibrant. What a difference it made for our seniors, their families, and caregivers during this difficult time!" Now in its ninth year, BCSC provides adult day healthcare and a full suite of healthcare services that enable seniors to live independently in the comfort of their own homes even when health challenges make them eligible for nursing home care. It has proven to be a winning formula that continues to garner praise from the seniors being served. In fact, the results are just in from a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey, conducted by noted social science research organization Vital Research, showing overall satisfaction with BCSC is at an impressive 90 percent. From meals to medical care, social workers to healthcare specialists, and transportation to activities, BCSC participants praised the program's offerings and expressed appreciation for the support they receive. "Our goal is to make seniors feel safe and well cared-for, and I am deeply gratified we have been able to deliver what they need throughout the pandemic," Susie says. "Whether we have been doing onsite therapy or using telehealth to reach seniors who haven't been able to come to the center, we have made it our mission to reach as many people in our community as possible." In recognition of its ongoing success, this year BCSC's PACE program was honored with the prestigious Organization of the Year award from the California National Association of Social Workers. The recognition, Susie says, is testament to BCSC's talented and dedicated team. "Throughout all of the COVID surges, and regulatory restrictions, our staff were here at BCSC, demonstrating their commitment to our participants and their families and their belief that our seniors deserve the very best care possible," she says. Senior populations have been on the rise nationwide for years, and with demand for BCSC services continuing to spike, the Jewish Home is expanding the program—which has been based in the San Fernando Valley—to LA's Westside. The newest BCSC facility will be located in the heart of West LA's Pico-Robertson neighborhood (9800 West Pico Blvd.) and is set to open later this summer. "We can't wait to bring our award-winning service to the Westside, as we seek to meet the needs of seniors across West LA and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles," Susie says. "We're busy recruiting staff, completing construction, and preparing to welcome our first participants, hopefully by July 1." To watch our new BCSC video and learn more about the PACE program, click here. For information about program participation or employment opportunities, contact us at (818) 774-8444.

History was recently made at the Los Angeles Jewish Home, as beloved resident and Holocaust survivor Frieda Thompson celebrated her 92nd birthday on the same day she was called to the Torah for her Bat Mitzvah. The date marked another historic milestone: the 100th anniversary of Judith Kaplan, at age 12, becoming the first American girl to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah on March 18, 1922. Frieda, whose parents were murdered by the Nazis, still recalls that one of her mother's final actions was to ensure her brother was called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah even as there was chaos all around. Frieda studied for her Bat Mitzvah a few years ago, but COVID-19 prevented gathering as a community at that time. Now, joined by family who flew in from Colorado for the big day, Frieda celebrated her special occasion during the weekly Shabbat Eve Service, in the Weinberg Courtyard of the Jewish Home. She was surrounded by loving family, volunteer leadership, caring staff, and dozens of fellow Jewish Home residents. When asked what this day meant to her, Frieda responded, "Moses was loyal to his family and to the Jewish people. I, too, have always felt loyal to my family and to the Jewish People." In commenting on the significance of the event, Rabbi Karen Bender, the Jewish Home's chief mission officer, commented, "As a small child, Frieda was forced to raise her hand and call out 'Heil Hitler.' Today, her voice rings out as a cherished leader among her peers."

At the Los Angeles Jewish Home, every resident has a rich and unique story. From diverse backgrounds and points of origin, they come together to create an exceptional community of seniors able to take advantage of a wide array of programs and services, and to maximize their enjoyment of each new day. Toby and Clara Silnik together are a case in point. Natives of Argentina, where Toby worked as a jeweler and Clara as a photographer, the Silniks left Buenos Aires for New York in 1963 in search of better economic opportunities. They settled in Queens, which served as their home base for over a decade—until, in 1975, they were ready for warmer weather and moved to sunny Southern California. In Los Angeles, Toby continued to ply his craft in jewelry making, while Clara pivoted, enrolling in business school, and ultimately working for a broad range of companies across the city. The pair lived a happy and fulfilling life in the San Fernando Valley and grew older together, appreciating each other's companionship and marveling at how far they had come from their South American roots. Eventually, living on their own grew harder. Clara, now 87, was afflicted with significant back pain and was unable to be on her feet for long periods of time, making cooking and keeping a house difficult. Toby, 91, had also slowed down, and they decided to make a move to the Jewish Home, which they had driven by for years on their way to and from their home in Northridge. "We liked the Jewish Home from the very first moment," Toby recalls of their move, which took place seven years ago. "We didn't have anyone—most of the people we knew, including our siblings in Argentina, had died—and the people at the Home took us in and were so welcoming." Clara echoes her husband's sentiments. "We're very happy here. Toby and I are both very busy—I knit things that are sold in the arts and crafts studio and Toby designs and makes beaded jewelry for sale to raise money for the Home," she says. "And we love the residents of our building; everyone at the Jewish Home is like family." Adrienne Berman is a newer member of the Jewish Home family, having only recently relocated to the Home in December. At 89, she is thrilled to have landed at the Home, though her own journey, like the Silniks', began far away. Born in England to an Anglican family, Adrienne always had the spirit of a wanderer. As a young adult, she moved to Paris to learn French, but her adventures ended up taking her further afield. "I always knew I wanted to get to America," she says. "After traveling through Canada for a year and a half with friends, I headed south to Los Angeles." She loved the city and the lifestyle, and when the time came for her to return to London, she went half-heartedly. Yet, she soon found a job as part of an American film crew shooting on location, and a producer and his wife took her under their wing and brought her back to the States for good. Back in California, Adrienne met and married Bayard Berman ("the love of my life," she sighs), a Jewish-American soldier who served in World War II and took advantage of the GI Bill to earn his law degree from Harvard. The couple adopted and raised two children, and Adrienne threw herself into involvement with a local synagogue, Leo Baeck Temple. "I wasn't raised Jewish, but I had a real affinity for Judaism," she says. "In fact, when I was 24 and single living in Los Angeles, I took a course in comparative religions at UCLA, and Rabbi Leonard Beerman, who led Leo Baeck Temple for 37 years, came to speak. He absolutely blew me away, and I remember thinking, 'That's for me.'" Adrienne loved the Jewish life she built, and she and Bayard were together until he passed away in 2003. She was left with limited financial resources. She lived with her daughter in her daughter's duplex in West Hollywood for a number of years after that, but she ultimately knew she would need additional support. "I had always hoped there would be a place for me at the Jewish Home, but then COVID hit, and everything was shut down," she said. Fortunately, during a lull in the pandemic, the Jewish Home was able to restart its admissions process, and Adrienne got the spot she had been dreaming of for so long. At the Home, she—like many of her fellow residents—receive government assistance to help cover the cost of care. "It's absolutely wonderful," she says. "I am so grateful to be here." At the Home, Adrienne, Toby and Clara have access to comprehensive care at all levels, from skilled nursing and adult day care to memory care and beyond. As the spread of COVID-19 in the community continues to slow, the Jewish Home is pleased to once again be accepting applications, with current openings available. To learn more, contact us at (822) 227-3745 or visit us online at www.jha.org.

From the outset of the pandemic, the Los Angeles Jewish Home pursued a proactive approach to COVID-19 management, taking critical steps to ensure the health and safety of all residents in our care and staff who work at the Home. Recently, these efforts were recognized with a certificate of achievement from the Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The award, part of HSAG's Full Speed Ahead! program, honors nursing homes that reach and maintain high vaccination levels in California and Arizona. Recipients of this prestigious distinction were the Jewish Home's Eisenberg Village campus and its highly regarded Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center (JEKMC). In both places, the Home exceeded a 90 percent staff vaccination rate against COVID-19 for four consecutive weeks during the fourth quarter of 2021. It's a remarkable success, particularly when measured against the 74 percent of Californians who are fully vaccinated (78 percent in LA County), and it reflects a real commitment on the part of the Jewish Home to enhance the well-being of people throughout our community. Noah Marco, MD, the Home's chief medical officer, notes that the organization's accomplishment stems from the commitment of diverse stakeholders to nurturing an environment defined by mutual support. "Given the massive amount of misinformation there was at times regarding the vaccine, and the early challenges in obtaining sufficient doses, our staff's vaccination and booster rates are truly reflective of the relationships and trust that Jewish Home leadership has with its staff," Dr. Marco says. As special as HSAG's acknowledgement of specific areas of the Home is, it is actually reflective of low total numbers of infections in our facilities—not just in Eisenberg Village and at JEKMC, but across all of our campuses. "In this most recent wave, we have not had one serious case of COVID-19 among any of our residents," Dr. Marco points out. "The few residents who did get sick had very minimal symptoms, at most. Due in no small part to staff efforts, our residents have been able to continue enjoying the benefits of living at the Jewish Home and being part of the lives of those they love."

This past January 17th played witness to a unique confluence of events: the simultaneous observation of Tu B'Shvat—the birthday of the trees—and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Los Angeles Jewish Home ushered in both holidays with a spirited and soulful celebration broadcast to all residents via closed circuit TV and YouTube. Hosted by Rabbi Karen Bender, the Home's chief mission officer, and Rabbi Ron Goldberg, Eisenberg Village campus rabbi, the event also featured special guest Pastor Kenneth Davis. The clergy members gathered virtually to discuss the meaning of the two holidays and to engage Jewish Home residents in reflecting on these two distinct, but in some ways complementary, legacies. To kick off the festivities, Pastor Kenneth offered insight into Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting that, "it's really a celebration of a movement of people of goodwill to stand in the face of evil." Rabbi Bender related Dr. King's work to our society's present-day challenges around social justice, suggesting that, as we confront those challenges, each of us has an obligation not to stay silent. "We can't just hope things will get better," she said, "we have to see ourselves as participants" in building the world we want. Linking Tu B'Shvat and Martin Luther King Jr. Day together, Rabbi Ron said that, "MLK Day reminds us of how we're supposed to treat our fellow human beings, and Tu B'Shvat reminds us of how we have a responsibility to treat the physical environment and the earth around us."In preparation for the event, the Jewish Home's dietary department prepared a beautiful plate of fruit for clergy and residents alike; the fruit was delivered to residents in advance so they could engage in a tasting simultaneously with the rabbis during the broadcast. To mark the occasion, Rabbi Bender led all those participating in a shehecheyanu, the traditional Jewish prayer thanking God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this occasion.

A Message from Dale SurowitzChief Executive Officer and President Dale Surowitz After two long years, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. This most recent variant, Omicron, is impacting communities across the globe threatening not only our health but also our long-desired return to normalcy. At the Jewish Home, meeting the ongoing challenges presented by COVID continues to dramatically drive up expenses related to care. Additional staffing resources remain critical in maintaining our exceptional and highly regarded level of senior care. Ongoing need for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, face shields, and masks all contribute to strains on our budget. Protecting and caring for our seniors is always job number one. The support of our donors is essential in making that possible. If you are able to contribute to the Jewish Home, we ask you to do so today. Your ongoing help brings safety and comfort to our most vulnerable seniors. Members of the Jewish Home team—including the dedicated staff who provide our residents with laundry services, housekeeping, and meals each day—continue working around the clock keeping our seniors healthy and secure. We are deeply grateful for their extraordinary efforts and for your ongoing commitment in support of their work. Your philanthropic gifts make a critical difference for every one of them. In the face of challenging times, like those the country is now confronting with Omicron, the Jewish Home quickly springs into action. Our experience over the past two years has demonstrated that taking decisive, proactive, preventive steps is the best way to mitigate COVID's potential impact. This action includes reaching out to you, our treasured supporters, and asking for your continued partnership so we can provide our seniors with the love and care they so richly deserve. On behalf of all of us at the Jewish Home, especially our cherished seniors, thank you for your partnership as we together work to make it safely through COVID-19 so our seniors can continue to find joy and contentment now and in the future.

Twice each year, the students at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, a Catholic boys' high school, gather in the gym for an interfaith religious service joining Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish clergy together to celebrate the common roots of our shared humanity. In November, at Crespi's invitation, Eisenberg Village Campus Rabbi Ron Goldberg was on hand for one such service as a co-officiant, sharing his wisdom and tradition and representing the Los Angeles Jewish Home. Rabbi Ron co-led the service (which was attended by approximately 500 young men from the Catholic boys' school) with Crespi's Brother Roberto Reyes and Iman Suhail Mulla of the West Valley Islamic Center. Each member of the clergy presented a meditation on the topic of "gratitude," followed by a morning blessing for the student body from their respective faith traditions. "Crespi holds these services around the winter holidays and then again in the spring to coincide with Easter and Passover," Rabbi Ron says. "This was my third time being invited, and it's something I very much look forward to." During his presentation, Rabbi Ron offered the students a lesson on understanding the difference between gratitude and thankfulness. "As a practical demonstration, I asked if someone would hand me a pen; once he did, I thanked him," Rabbi Ron said. "As I told the students, that's being thankful; it's transactional. Whereas gratitude is how we live our lives—knowing we value the efforts of others for making our lives better, and that we have the same responsibility toward them." The Jewish Home-Crespi relationship began a number of years ago, when the high school started sending students to the Home for Sophomore Service Week, an opportunity for Crespi 10th graders to give back by volunteering. During non-COVID times, the students would come to campus to visit with residents of the Goldenberg-Ziman Special Care Center and other Jewish Home facilities. "We always tried to make it a memorable time for the students and for our residents," Rabbi Ron says. "The last time they were here, pre-COVID, we had a panel discussion with our Holocaust Survivors Group. It was an interactive event, and we made it available on YouTube. One of the things we did was show a famous photo of the Anschluss—Hitler taking over Austria. In it, Hitler is going down a main boulevard in Vienna, in an open-air convertible, surrounded by crowds. I told the Crespi students, ‘Two of the people you're going to meet at the Jewish Home today were actually in that crowd and saw Hitler in person.' The look of utter amazement on their faces was profound." Rabbi Ron says the Crespi students are always a welcome presence on the Jewish Home campus. "I love having them here because they bring a lot of interesting questions and ideas, and it allows me to bring my faith tradition to a group of people who otherwise wouldn't encounter it," he says. "It's also a joy for our residents, who benefit from the students' youthful energy and kind attention. I look forward to continuing to evolve this wonderful partnership!"