Metro
The many faces of Carol Rosenberg.
On-The-Job Pizzazz!
Gala honoree is Jewish Home & Aging Services' dynamic
director Carol Rosenberg.
Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News
A
t age 12, she ran a summer day
camp for neighborhood children.
It looked like she would eventu-
ally become a camp counselor or director.
As a young woman, on a professional
stage, she played in the musicals Gypsy
and Guys and Dolls, and the comedy Our
Town. Looked like a career in the theater.
As a young married, she taught liturgi-
cal music on Sundays at Temple Israel in
Detroit, then taught at her alma mater,
Detroit Mumford High School, and in the
Berkley Public Schools. Definitely a full-
time school teacher.
So, how come Carol Rosenberg will be
honored for 27 years of work with aging
Jewish adults and her expertise in the field
of gerontology?
Rosenberg is executive director of
the Detroit area's Jewish Home & Aging
Services, consisting of several assisted-liv-
ing facilities and nursing homes, mostly in
West Bloomfield, with 150 employees.
Honoring Rosenberg will be a highlight
of JHAS's 100th anniversary celebration
on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Detroit Opera
House. Included will be a gala dinner,
video presentation, and entertainment
titled "From Hammerstein to Bernstein."
It will feature local cantors singing the
music of Jewish composers from the past
100 years, plus a surprise appearance by a
Michigan Opera Theatre star.
It's anyone's guess how the jolly,
dynamic, 5-foot-11 Rosenberg, known for
her outlandish costumes at JHAS events,
will show up on the Opera House stage to
receive her honor. At past JHAS fundrais-
ers and parties, she has portrayed Mother
Goose, the Wicked Witch of the West,
Mother Nature, Uncle Sam, the Statue of
Liberty, a waitress, a clown and others.
"She's sort of a giant Goldie Hawn,"
quipped one long-time JHAS employee.
"She keeps everyone around her happy."
Rosenberg gets staff to join in the fun,
wear costumes and perform at an annul
luncheon honoring volunteers. When
speaking at serious Fleischman Residence
events, she often bursts into song or an
impromptu dance to lift the morale of
the elderly residents. She jokes with them
and keeps her office assistants hopping by
juggling phone conversations on different
lines while holding meetings — and chat-
ting with residents who happen to pass by.
This is the fun-filled side of Rosenberg,
who has a gigantic sense of humor. "It
takes only 12 muscles to smile and 36
muscles to frown:' she said, "so why not
be happy, and make sure everyone else is
happy? Part of my entire being is happi-
ness. I'm a perfectionist and I have a sin-
Resident David Lewis with Carol Rosenberg
cere love for elderly people; I want to make
sure they're taken care of properly.
"And our staff and volunteers are ter-
rific. This is a 24/7 job for many of us. The
Fleischman program department con-
ducts about 250 programs a month. We're
following the tenets of the Jewish religion
and enhancing the quality of life for frail
older adults!'
Rosenberg's favorite expression of
thanks to volunteers is: "When it comes
time for you to live here, you'll get a room
with a view" She presides over most vol-
unteer committee meetings, hammering
home every detail of a project — always
adding a humorous anecdote — to make
sure it will be carried out successfully,
meet the needs of residents, the high
standards of JHAS, and ultimately become
profitable for the organization.
"She seems to talk in exclamation
points!" mused a veteran volunteer.
Pizzazz! on page 12
August 16 • 2007 11