16 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020
The Most
Vulnerable
Among Us
The Jewish community rallies to make
the holidays special for isolated seniors.
W
hen you participated
in your virtual seder
last Passover, did
you really think five months
later you’
d have to “Zoom”
through another
Jewish holiday
on your laptop,
iPad or iPhone?
Welcome to the
High Holidays
2020. Same
pandemic, same
challenges. And
nowhere are those challenges
more prevalent yet again than
in our Jewish older adult resi-
dences.
There is heartbreak in
knowing that many residing in
independent and assisted living
communities will not be able
to join their families in person
during Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur. To the rescue, if
you will, are the leadership at
those residences and Jewish
organizations I spoke with who
are working tirelessly to help
ensure any voids in observing
the High Holidays are filled.
“Jewish Senior Life (JSL) has
been very concerned about
our residents and their ability
to celebrate during this time
of isolation,
” said CEO Nancy
Heinrich, whose communities
consist of six senior residences,
three each on the JCC cam-
puses in West Bloomfield and
Oak Park. “Understanding that
we can never substitute for the
embrace of family, we wanted
our residents to be able to expe-
rience as much of the flavor and
spirituality of the holidays as
possible.
”
That includes being especially
mindful of residents who can-
not connect with family or their
congregation through digital
technology. “To that end, we are
offering call-in numbers to hear
the shofar blown, recorded hol-
iday services available over the
phone and over loudspeakers,
”
Heinrich said.
The toll-free number is
now activated to hear holiday
messaging for both residents
and the community at large
[(605) 313-4107, Access Code
270368#]. Where possible, some
residents will also have access
to streaming of services on a
closed circuit television channel
in their apartments.
Hands-on items are also
being prepared including cus-
tom treat-filled holiday bags
designed by Jo Strausz Rosen,
JSL executive director of devel-
opment. “I have an outdoor
studio in my yard,
” Rosen said.
“I hung up dozens of our JSL
holiday bags to spray paint in
vivid happy colors.
”
Leslie Katz, director,
FRIENDS of JSL, shared a
working list of other High
Holiday options that will be
made available and delivered
to residents including activity
packets that include a memo-
rial service and a written d’
var
torah by JSL chaplain Rabbi
Dovid Polter. Plus, a team of
JSL
’
s “Sunshine Callers” stand at
the ready to make Happy New
Year greeting phone calls to
residents.
Through its Isaac z”l and
Yetta Pann Bikkur Chaverim
Fund, Temple Israel is providing
an extraordinarily special gift
for all six of JSL
’
s residences on
their West Bloomfield and Oak
Park campuses. Between Rosh
continued on page 18
Alan
Muskovitz
Rosh Hashanah 5781
JERRY ZOLYNSKY
Joshua Balan blows
the shofar outside
of Fleischman
residence.