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There is a bright spot amidst what can feel like the countless challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic: the smiling faces of Jewish Home residents able to connect with family and friends. Thanks to the Home's iPad donation program, our seniors can laugh, celebrate and catch up with loved ones—all while safely avoiding exposure to the harmful effects of COVID-19. The program was born out of necessity. The pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone, and the residents of the Jewish Home have not been immune to that disruption. Due both to the highly contagious nature of the disease and seniors' particular susceptibility to it, the Home took early and aggressive action to safeguard residents' lives. The Jewish Home's protective measures included temporarily halting visits, which meant finding alternative ways for residents to be in contact with the people they hold most dear. Generous donor contributions from all parts of the community enabled the Home to purchase iPads for use across both the Eisenberg Village and Grancell Village campuses. Residents are able to access the technology to reach out to connect with their family members. If they are unfamiliar with iPads and how they work, Jewish Home staff are available to help get them up and running on the equipment. The program, notes Corey Slavin, vice president of community engagement, has been a crucial lifeline for residents at an especially vulnerable time. "The iPads are a touchstone for residents and their families, allowing them to see one another, express their feelings, and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives," she says. "Due to pandemic safety measures, there have been no visits from the public at the Home for months, and that includes holidays like Mother's Day. We recognize it's been hard on our residents and their families, and things like having ‘face-to-face' conversations can make such a difference." The Home is grateful to the supporters who have made the iPad donation program possible. When they first heard of the needs, Marilyn and Cal Gross immediately provided funding for the purchase of 30 iPads; Dr. Boris Ratiner bought iPads, as well, and the Oscar Litwak Foundation raised money to help buy even more. "Our donors are amazing, and they have once again stepped up at a critical juncture," Slavin says. "Their generosity, warmth, and compassion are helping our residents stay happy, healthy, and optimistic about the future."

The Los Angeles Jewish Home is extremely fortunate to count among its staff some of the finest physicians and medical providers working in senior care today. Foremost among them is Noah Marco, MD, who serves as chief medical officer for the Home and the Brandman Health Plan, executive director of the Brandman Research Institute, and medical director of Los Angeles Jewish Health Medical Associates, the Home's independent physician association. This fall, Dr. Marco's expertise and impact were recognized with the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine's prestigious 2021 CALTCM Leadership Award, celebrating his exemplary leadership and dedication in post-acute and long-term care. The award was presented virtually during CALTCM's Summit for Excellence on October 9. "I was honored to receive this award and am gratified I have been able to play a role in making a difference at the Jewish Home and beyond," Dr. Marco says. "It's a team effort at the Jewish Home, and I am particularly grateful to my colleagues for their skill, passion, and support." Dr. Marco has built a track record of excellence spanning decades, and always with a focus on strengthening health and welfare across our community. With more than 30 years of experience as a physician, he is also a prolific writer and sought-after speaker who has presented numerous lectures and led workshops on a broad range of topics including elder care, clinician-patient communication, and physician training. His podcast "Who Cares? The Future of Home Care" is available on iTunes. Prior to joining the Jewish Home, Dr. Marco held positions as vice president of medical affairs at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and head of the medical staff for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills. He also worked in private practice in conjunction with an appointment as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the USC School of Medicine. Mostly recently, Dr. Marco has been instrumental in leading the Jewish Home's response to the pandemic. His efforts were acknowledged by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who praised Dr. Marco's determination and effectiveness in setting standards for COVID-19 testing in nursing facilities. "I am proud of the work we have done, during this pandemic and throughout my time at the Jewish Home, to keep our seniors safe and healthy," he says. "Above all else, the award from CALTCM signifies that this work has been successful and that seniors at the Home can continue to rely on us for exceptional quality care."

The Executives Golf Co-Chair David Feldman and son Hunter Feldman This year, two of the Home's esteemed support groups—The Guardians and The Executives—held their annual golf tournaments with great success. In both cases, participants made significant contributions to supporting the health and welfare of our beloved seniors at the Jewish Home. The COVID-19 pandemic had put a necessary hold on in-person gatherings for more than a year. Fortunately, at the Los Angeles Jewish Home, a number of events are back and better than ever. The Guardians Golf Open XXII was held in October at Los Robles Country Club in Thousand Oaks. It was the group's first large-scale event since the onset of COVID-19, and golfers returned in droves. Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer and Mel Keefer were the event's title tournament sponsors. One hundred eight players—even more than pre-pandemic in 2019—joined together to raise nearly $121,000 for the Jewish Home. Michael Beck and Sean Lahijani served as event co-chairs. "There were a lot of us working together to find sponsors, recruit players, and make sure people had the event on their radar," Sean says. "It ended up going really well, and the attendees had a blast!" For Sean, a member of The Guardians since 2017, the tournament was a perfect example of what keeps him engaged in the group's activities. "It's the combination of the cause and the camaraderie," he says. "The people are great, and I love chatting and networking. It's fantastic to be able to build relationships and make friends at the same time I'm supporting an important mission." The Guardians Young Men’s Division Co-Chair Jesse McKenzie and Jewish Home CEO and President Dale Surowitz Members of The Executives inspire similar enthusiasm, and they came out in force for this year's 18th Executives Annual Golf Classic in August. Held at the North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, the event attracted 159 golfers and raised $251,000 for the Jewish Home. The event's title tournament sponsors were Taffy and Barry Berger/Accredited Home Care. "I've helped lead this event for the last eight years, and we always outdo ourselves, but this year saw the largest increase ever," says co-chair David Feldman, who planned the tournament along with co-chair Michael Resnik. "I have such compassion for the elderly. By supporting the Jewish Home, I feel like I'm paying it forward to help those in need." To learn more about The Guardians, contact Aaron Levinson at [email protected]. To learn more about The Executives, contact Cheryl Kater at [email protected].

The Los Angeles Jewish Home has always taken its responsibility of being a good neighbor and giving back to the larger community in a significant way. This partnership has been present in the 108-year history of the Jewish Home. This is why we ourselves find it so gratifying to give back during this time of urgent need. For the past several weeks, the Jewish Home has been partnering with food banks and other community organizations in donating our surplus grocery items and meals. The process of donating surplus food, however, began well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In January of this year, Jewish Home CEO-President Molly Forrest asked Cindy Cordon, Director of Dietary Services at the Home, to explore the logistics of donating our surplus food to local charities that are feeding the less fortunate in our community. Cordon explains that every two years the Home replenishes its emergency supplies. Often there are high-protein food items that are about to expire that need to be replaced with new items. Also, after a holiday there are holiday-specific items leftover. All of these items, Cordon discovered, could be distributed to food banks and other nonprofits in the community. The Jewish Home’s Board of Directors approved the initiative to donate the surplus food, which they viewed as aligning with the Home’s core values. Once she received the green light, Cordon began contacting local organizations she knew were in need of extra help. An additional benefit, she says is that "the process of donating surplus food has made all of us look at how we can reutilize our food, in both kitchens and for all meals." Occasionally Cordon finds herself with leftover meals, such as cold deli plates. "Sometimes we’ll have untouched plates because one of our residents chose an alternative meal, such as a tuna or egg salad," she says. Fortunately, she found a good match to receive those leftover meals, the Hollywood Food Coalition, which serves food and other services to those in need. But what about those leftover grocery items? Turns out, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles SOVA food pantry was delighted to receive the food donations. Cordon herself delivered canned goods, granola bars, instant Quaker oatmeal and a myriad of grocery items. "So many households have lost their sources of income and find it impossible to meet all of their basic monthly expenses," says Fred Summers, Senior Director of Nutrition, Transportation, and SOVA programs at Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. "Additional food supplies, like those from the Jewish Home, make a huge difference in our ability to meet the rising need." For Cordon, developing relationships with food banks such as SOVA is a profound experience she knows will continue once the COVID-19 pandemic ends. "It feels fantastic to be part of the solution!" Cordon says.

Last week, Jewish Home seniors gathered at the Schulman Activities Center for a special Yom Ha'Shoah— or in English, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day— program. Skirball Director of Spiritual Life, Grancell Village Rabbi Karen Bender led the seniors in prayer and song. During the program, six seniors came to the front of the room to light six candles, each candle representing one million of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. Several survivors were in attendance. Some shared poetry, sang songs, and spoke about their experiences. Rabbi Bender emphasized the importance of Yom Ha'Shoah is remembering. "Each year on this special day, we must remember the victims and the heroes of this catastrophe and we must make sure that a tragedy like this will never happen again."

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.

Each year Dean and Brooke Collins, ages 11 and 9, make a donation in honor of their great-grandfather, Izzy Slome. This year, due to COVID-19, these young philanthropists chose the Los Angeles Jewish Home to be the recipient of $500 worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Dean and Brooke wanted to donate to an organization in need, and determined that the Los Angeles Jewish Home's staff, true superheroes, would be the recipient of their generosity. "I wanted to donate PPE to the superheroes at the Jewish Home for the Aging, because I really respect how they are risking their lives to protect families' elderly loved ones," says Brooke. Her older brother Dean added that helping others is important, "because we are not perfect and it's important to do good deeds to make up for this, and also because Judaism teaches us to do Tikkun Olam and repair the world." Brooke and Dean came to drop off the PPE at the entrance of the Jewish Home on a very hot Tuesday in July with their mother, Dr. Brynie Collins, a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. They were also joined by their Pediatrician Dr. Daniel Bruckner, who the children fondly refer to as "Dr. Danny." Dr. Bruckner has been donating PPE to the Home, and Brooke and Dean "felt very proud to deliver the PPE, especially to help out Dr. Danny, too." Their special gift and the love with which they gave it to the Home, is significant, helping the Home's staff to continue to provide the best quality of care, as safely as possible. If you are interested in donating to the Home, please contact Corey Slavin, Vice President, Community Engagement, at 818.774.3031 or [email protected].

Everyone loves Purim because it is such a festive and joyful holiday, with costumes and homantaschen, megillah readings and silly shpiels, gift giving and tzedakah. It is almost uncanny that a book as irreverent as the Megillah of Ester was included in our Bible. The name of God is not even in the story! The characters in the Megillah are very extreme, which is what makes the story both funny and entertaining: The King is a fool who can be manipulated by anyone, Mordecai is perfectly good, Ester is a gorgeous heroine and Haman is completely evil. And let us not forget Vashti—a feminist before her time, because she refused to dance with only her crown on in front of the King’s friends and courtiers. But what if there is a Haman inside of each of us? My colleague Rabbi Amy Eilberg cites Rebbe Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev (18th century Ukraine) as he addresses this very question, saying: “Not only are Jews commanded to wipe out Amalek (who is the equivalent of Haman), but each Jew has to wipe out that negative part that is called Amalek in his or her heart. So long as the descendants of Amalek are in the world—and each of us is also a small world, when the power of evil arises in each of us, Amalek is still in the world, then the reminder, ‘to wipe out Amalek’ calls out from the Torah.” Rebbe Yitzhak is referencing our most cruel persecutor in the Torah, Amalek, who was said to purposefully attack our ancestors from the back, thus harming the most vulnerable—the aged, the children, the disabled. Torah teaches us to “remember to blot out” the name of Amalek. Haman is seen as another manifestation of Amalek, as are all villians in history intent on destroying the Jewish People. That is why we shout “Boo!” when we hear his name. Purim, then, takes on new depth, where we are not only prodded to fight against evil forces in politics and society but we are also reminded to confront the capacity for cruelty that we each have inside of ourselves. But don’t panic! A willingness to admit that we may each have a bit of Haman inside of us is important, so that we are on the lookout to keep our worst impulses at bay and under control. But remember that we certainly have a Mordecai and an Ester and Vashti inside of us too. Sometimes we are utterly wise and courageous. There are moments when we feel deeply faithful and religious and hopefully most of the time we overflow with goodness and kindness. Purim comes this year at the end of February and the beginning of March. Like so many other Jewish holidays, you can find it at the next full moon. As our people have done for millennia, let us rejoice in the survival of our people against those who have sought to harm us and be inspired to recognize, nurture and celebrate our inner Esters and Mordecais. Happy Purim 2018!

I love my new 2019 calendar. You're probably picturing twelve months of kittens or various natural wonders. But I am actually not referring to the art or photographs. I enjoy the barren part, with the squares and dates on it. As 2018 comes to a close and 2019 begins many of us will be saying, "Time flies!" or asking, "Where did the year go?" We wonder if we squandered time and if we are going to be more deliberate next year. Some will make New Year's resolutions and a few will even keep their resolutions! The Rabbis advise in the Talmud, "Do not say, 'When I have leisure time I will study,' because perhaps you will not have leisure time" (Pirkei Avot 2:4). In other words, if there is something you believe will enhance your life or improve the lives of others, try to do it as soon as possible. If you tell yourself "It can wait; there is no need to do today what can be done tomorrow," you may find yourself pushing off what matters most onto a thousand tomorrows. I love the empty boxes in the calendar because they remind me how every day is an opportunity to do something—and to do it now. The sooner we actualize our dreams and enact our hopes the more we live aligned with our values. And the calmer we feel. Life becomes more meaningful and purposeful. Those who live in the now thrive. Happiest and most content are those who wake up every day grateful for another day and eager to do something that will make them feel like the day was worthwhile when they lay their heads on their pillows at night. Most fulfilled are those who do at least one thing every day they do not have to do.No wonder in a nearby section of the Talmud, the Rabbis say, "The day is short and the task is great, the labourers are sluggish, the compensation is great and the Master of the house is urgent" (Pirkei Avot 2:15). Do it for God, or do it for yourself, or do it for the ideal of love. Happy New Year 2019!

This year on National Caregivers Day, February 17th, we acknowledge the caring individuals who dedicate countless hours providing compassionate care to their senior loved ones. In the United States, 44 million people —about one in five American adults—act as unpaid, family caregivers. Day and especially night, caregivers make meaningful contributions to help maintain the well-being of the senior they care for. They provide assistance through a variety of services—meal preparation, hygiene, housekeeping, shopping, transportation, medication, companionship, and financial support to name a few. Informal caregivers act as the unsung heroes of a senior’s care team. Caregivers become personal advocates and care coordinators for their loved ones— communicating with medical professionals, performing difficult nursing tasks, and navigating the health care system. Despite their important role, most family caregivers do not receive the training, preparation, or ongoing support they need. The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), established in 2000, provides support and assistance to family caregivers so they can care for their loved ones at home for as long as possible. Caregivers can access counseling, training, respite care, and supplemental services through the Administration on Aging website. Through the loving care they provide, caregivers are able to form a close bond with their frail family member. Caregivers often gain a better understanding of their family member’s medical condition and experience a sense of relief from knowing their loved one is well cared for. While providing care for a family member can be a very rewarding personal experience for a caregiver, it can take a serious toll on the person’s career, family life, financial situation, quality of life, and overall health. Caregivers can become over-stressed and exhausted or experience an increased risk of depression or excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. They are also more likely to have a chronic illness such as heart disease or obesity. Caregiver burnout is a common cause of hospitalization of the frail elderly and has been shown to be a factor in elder abuse cases. “In order to continually provide high quality care, caregivers must first focus on their own self-care,” says Dr. Noah Marco, chief medical officer of the Jewish Home. “By regularly practicing self-care activities such as maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, engaging in social activity, getting enough sleep, and making a yearly visit to a doctor, caregivers can enhance their physical, mental, and emotional health, allowing them to better serve their loved ones for many years to come. The third law in the classic novel House of God by Samuel Shem was 'At a cardiac arrest, the first procedure was to take your own pulse.' The rule is also appropriate for people providing care to their family members." To all caregivers— thank you for your commitment to providing compassion and care to those who need it most.