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.