LILLIAN & SAMUEL HECHTMAN II APARTMENTS

Discover Jewish Senior Life!

Contact Jackie Rosender

248-444-2430 jrosender@jslmi.org

by Jo Strausz Rosen

At a holiday gift exchange with one of my monthly book clubs, I was fortunate to unwrap “How to Know a Person - The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen” by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Brooks.

Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen – to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard and understood.”



We all can recall deep conversations with people who listened to what we were saying and looked into our eyes with complete understanding. Being understood and listened to, feeling considered, and the joy of connection never get old. 

JSL IN THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

HOW TO SURVIVE THE DAY WHEN IT FEELS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD IS

AGAINST YOU

by Talya Jankovits

Rise.

Grasp the handles of the holy cup

with alternating hands.

Rinse. Repeat.

Rinse. Repeat.

Rinse. Repeat.

FRIENDS

Light

As we lit the last Chanukah candle, many of us are still in the middle of or just getting into the holiday season. If you need stocking stuffers, grab bag gifts, secret holiday buddy presents, etc. the boutiques at Meer and Fleischman are the perfect place to pick up a last-minute gift. Visit us for lunch at Marvin’s Bistro / Krohlik Café and a little shopping and the cheerful feeling supporting JSL provides.

Or you could stay home and order a copy of “Don’t Write Me Off!” Penned by our residents, it offers 39 short takes on the lives of older adults. Engaging, deeply touching, and often quite entertaining! It’s available in the boutiques, on Amazon, and on the JSL website and makes a wonderful gift.

Warmth

It may (finally) be cold outside, but the feeling inside our JSL residences is always a warm one. And that’s in large part because of our wonderful volunteers. Every volunteer position helps make JSL work, and is also an opportunity to bring the community in to our residents. Every social connection is so valuable, particularly when winter makes it harder to get out. It’s a busy time of year, but as we head into the heart of winter, JSL residences are a bright spot of light where we welcome you to be part of the community!

New Friends

Current volunteer opportunities on West Bloomfield and Oak Park campuses include:

Arts and Crafts / Painting

Walking / Visiting with Residents

Boutiques

Dining Room

Beading

Bingo

Discussion Groups and Lectures

Games

Flower Arranging

Visit our website for more information. Or call me at 248 592-5062 or email brobinson@jslmi.org.

------------------------------

Your FRIEND, Beth

WORKOUT OF

THE WEEK

Stretch Into the Holiday Season

This gentle stretching session will help improve your flexibility and circulation, and relieve stress. It can be done any time of day, standing or seated. It’s perfect for older adults and beginner exercisers.

WEEKLY RECIPE

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Cold weather calls for warm casserole! This casserole allows freedom of vegetable choice -- mix peas or other vegetables in it, plus spices to your liking!

DECEMBER FUN FACT

By 2030, one in six people in the world will be 60 years old or over. At this time, the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion. By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between now and 2050 to reach 426 million.

FRIDAY FUNNY

MARGOT & WARREN COVILLE

ASSISTED LIVING &

MEMORY CARE

Come see the JSL Difference!

Contact Janet Antin

248-967-4240 jantin@jslmi.org

HOW TO SUPPORT JSL WITH DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS

At a recent meeting with Certified Financial Planners Josh Levine and Ari Fischman in their offices at Telemus, we discussed the art of gift giving with a focus on Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). CFP Ari Fischman described a DAF as a tax-advantaged charitable investment account that allows donors to contribute to JSL and other charitable organizations we care about. One common strategy when setting up a DAF is to find stocks in our portfolios that have experienced the biggest gains. If we have held those stocks for at least 12 months, we can get the most bang for our gift since we won’t recognize the gain in this tax year and can take the full deduction.

HAPPY HANNUKAH HAPPENINGS

Across JSL campuses, candles were lit and hearts were a-GLOW for Hanukkah 2023, JSL residents and staff made the celebrations special, and everyone participated in singing, games and dancing.

On the sixth day of Hanukkah, Hechtman residents celebrated the season with a festive lunch that included delicious latkes and cheese blintzes. The Hechtman 1 Activity Room was beautifully decorated in blue and gold. Dreidels, chocolate gelt, and other festive party favors were enjoyed by all. Residents listened and sang along to the music of Henrik Karapetyan, who played a selection of klezmer and holiday music on his violin.

Play the video above to enjoy the Fleischman celebration featuring dance moves by Rabbi Polter! Fleischman residents celebrated, enjoying delicious food and music. 

At Coville Apartments in Oak Park, Life Enrichment Coordinators Gillian Faust and Joanne Kristal joined 15 residents on the first day of Haunkkah. They enjoyed jelly donuts and gelt, and sang Hanukkah songs with Rabbi Polter.

At Meer Apartments, the group of 'grandfriends' were visited by members old and young of The Shul and celebrated Hanukkah over joyful conversation and festive foods. Earlier in the week, Rabbi Arnie Sleutelburg presented an afternoon of comedy, with programming geared towards Jewish history, keeping the residents laughing with jokes.

A HANUKKAH EXTRA:

"SPIN AND STOP"

Transcribed from subtitles of a 30-second video by Rabbi Dovid Polter.

WINTER TIME WINE AND DINE

Plum Market Sommelier Paula Hartson informed and delighted invited guests to Hechtman Apartments in the elegant and cozy Fireside Lounge on the campus of JSL in West Bloomfield. Paula shared trips and tricks from many years of knowledge and expertise in wine. Guests learned decanting and pouring techniques, wine temperature storage and "serving from the Punt."

JSL Culinary team members paired perfectly mouth-watering Spanish tapas with Plum Market's selected vintages. The Kosher wines came from Urville, France; Coombsville, California and Efrat, Israel's oldest winery from the Shomron region. Attendees left with a sumptuous swag bag that included the new book, "Don't Write Me Off" written by 39 JSL residents. Three lucky guests won the lottery and took home special bottles of wine from the event.