Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach!

Weekly News & Updates

Caring for Older Adults Since 1907

JOYFUL DAYS AHEAD

By Rabbi Dovid Polter

This week we transitioned from the solemn day of Yom Kippur (day of atonement) to Sukkot, joyful days of celebration.

On Yom Kippur we have forgiven others as we hope others have forgiven us. We have mended our circle of family and friends so that peace reigns.

Now, we can move on to joy.

Sukkot is joy, not of one day, but of eight consecutive days. We sit in the sukkah (booths of a traditional nature) and remember the miracles that our Creator wrought for us upon leaving Egyptian bondage. Many engage their families in decorating the sukkah structure. One may wonder, what is the purpose of decorating a temporary structure?

The festival of Sukkot is short and temporary, yet is daily life not the same? Those who are wise and appreciative, decorate and adorn every morning with hello, and every afternoon and evening with positivity, love and embrace. No moment is ever too short and insignificant to ignore and not to cherish, value and adore.

Let us forgive and let us spread the joy.

KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTED

Recently our residents enjoyed beautiful outdoor performances by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as a holiday gift from the Isaac z"l & Yetta Pann Bikkur Chaverim Fund at Temple Israel! All of our residents and staff thoroughly enjoyed these beautiful performances and the lovely holiday card from both organizations. Thank you for bringing the gift of music to us.

Find more photos and stories like this by visiting "Keeping Our Community Connected: Stories From Residents, Staff and Volunteers" on our website.

NATURAL FIXES FOR STRESS

By Jo Strausz Rosen

There are several natural complementary approaches to ease stress-related symptoms that don’t involve a medical procedure or a prescription. Take some deep cleansing breaths, turn on relaxing music, meditate and try some approaches from this list:

Massage is not simply a splurge. It can improve your emotional state by reducing stress hormones and increasing feel-good brain chemicals, like serotonin.

A Mediterranean diet, defined as a diet that emphasizes plant-based eating with lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats while limiting red meat, sugar, and dairy, helps reduce inflammation in your body.

Meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction are both ways to use your mind and your breathing to increase calmness and promote relaxation. There are many books, phone apps, and classes (both remote and in-person) that teaches the basics of these time-honored techniques.

Yoga is a mind and body practice that is grounded in ancient Indian philosophy. Yoga can help reduce overall stress, as well as improve anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Chiropractic care focuses on the spine and its function. A national survey on the perceived benefits of complementary and alternative medicine for back pain suggests that this can be useful in relieving back pain as well as headaches.

Acupuncture stimulates specific points on the body, usually by inserting thin needles through the skin and often helps with tension headaches and the prevention of migraines.

Everyone feels stress, you are not alone. By using some of the practices we just listed, we hope you will feel better.

IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING

By Jo Strausz Rosen

Continuing to delve into our own attitudes about bias at JSL, we recently met with Joanne Robinson and Dr. Lynda Jeffries of The Leadership Group LLC, who facilitated a zoom call with staff about unconscious/ implicit bias: from awareness to action.

In addition to a thoughtful conversation about gender, race, disability, stereotype activation and application, we discussed bias and unconscious bias in ourselves that leads to discrimination.

Remember the book by Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence? We discussed 5 dimensions of EI along with empathy and the two levels of thinking – Higher -Deliberate, Rational and Thoughtful vs. Lower - Automatic, Impulsive and Unthinking – many of us operate from this lower level.

In the shadow of political and social unrest, we must be open to test ourselves to see how we can transform ourselves and learn where we honestly fit into the solution for peaceful coexistence on our planet. Let’s continue to think at a higher level.

Take action and check out this site below. Get to know yourself better. You may be surprised at your own unconscious biases.

TAKE TEST

SPECIAL KOL NIDRE/

YOM KIPPUR SERVICE

Last Sunday, the Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program hosted a Kol Nidre/Yom Kippur service via Zoom especially designed for seniors living with dementia in Metro Detroit. A special thank you to Cantor Pamela Schiffer for leading everyone in such a spiritual service. Here is the recording for those who were unable to join.

A SWEET GIFT

Susie Kresch, daughter of Coville resident, Lenore Solomon delivered jars of honey from the family beehive as a thank you to the staff of Coville. Several years ago, Susan and Eddie Kresch’s son, Max, encouraged the family to become beekeepers in their Oak Park backyard. Although Max is currently living in Israel, Susan and Eddie have continued with the family project. What a sweet New Year's gift for the dedicated staff at Coville.

Help Monitor Outdoor Visits

Help oversee outdoor social distanced visitations for residents with family and friends. Volunteers will be trained to guide these visits safely.

Visitation hours and days are:

Fleischman 11-3 M-F

Meer 10:30-3:45 M-F

Hechtman 10-3 M-F

Prentis 10-Noon and 1-3 M-F

Teitel 10-Noon and 1-3 M-F

For questions and additional information please contact Leslie Katz at 248-592-5062 or lkatz@jslmi.org

Help Shop For Oak Park Residents

While out grocery shopping for yourself, please consider this mitzvah opportunity and assist our isolated residents in Oak Park by shopping for them. Volunteers will be given a resident’s shopping list and will be reimbursed for these purchases. Once completed, drop the bags off at the front desk and our onsite staff will deliver them to the resident. Contact Leslie Katz at 248-321-1437.

Help support JSL and stay dry this fall by purchasing one of our cute and functional rain jackets! Shop this and other great deals on:

jslfriendshop.com

START SHOPPING

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Stew In A Pumpkin Shell

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 1½ inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pumpkin
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
3 white potatoes, peeled and diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups beef broth
1 medium-sized pumpkin
1¼ cup white wine
2 cups corn fresh, frozen or canned, drained

PREPARATION

1. Trim any excess fat from beef. Heat the oil in a stock pot and add the onion, garlic and meat. Cook just until the meat is browned.

2. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, sugar, apricots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, cut top off pumpkin and discard. Scoop out seeds and stringy membrane. Brush inside of pumpkin with evoo and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4. Stir sherry and corn into the stew and spoon the mixture into the pumpkin shell.

5. Place shell in shallow pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour, or until pumpkin meat is tender.

6. Place pumpkin in large bowl and ladle out stew, scooping out some of pumpkin with each stew serving.

This recipe is from jamiegeller.com