March 2016

MARCH 2016
VILLAGE PRESS
The Newsletter for Village Apartments
PURIM
Celebrating March
Irish-American
Heritage Month
Women’s History Month
Employee Appreciation Day
March 4
Iditarod Begins
March 5
Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 13
St. Patrick’s Day
March 17
International Sister
Cities Days
March 26–28
Purim
March 24
Easter
March 27
International Hug a
Medievalist Day
March 31
The story of Purim is told in the Bible book of Esther.
The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young
Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin
Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter.
Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of
Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus
loved Esther more than his other women and made
Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was
a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her
identity.
The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant,
egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai
because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so
Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a
speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the
king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and
dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of
your realm. Their laws are different from those of every
other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws;
therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them."
Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people
to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned
to exterminate all of the Jews.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on
behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous
thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into
the king's presence without being summoned could be
put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther
fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into
the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of
Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people
were saved, and Haman and his ten sons were hanged
on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.
Continued on page 2
Purim continued from Page 1
Finding Common Courtesy
The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the
only book of the Bible that does not contain
the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually
no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague
reference to the fact that the Jews will be
saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but
that is the closest the book comes to
mentioning G-d. Thus, one important
message that can be gained from the story is
that G-d often works in ways that are not
apparent, in ways that appear to be chance,
or coincidence.
Many lament that common courtesy is not so
common anymore. If someone you know is acting
less than civil, March 21, Common Courtesy Day,
is the perfect opportunity to tactfully share a few
tips and reminders on how to treat others with
respect.
The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to
the lottery that Haman used to choose the
date for the massacre. The Purim holiday is
preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther,
which commemorates Esther's three days of
fasting in preparation for her meeting with the
king. The primary commandment related to
Purim is to hear the reading of the book of
Esther. The book of Esther is commonly
known as the Megillah, which means scroll.
This is the one people usually mean when
they speak of The Megillah. It is customary to
boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers
(noisemakers; see illustration) whenever the
name of Haman is mentioned in the service.
The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the
name of Haman." We are also commanded to
eat, drink and be merry. In addition, we are
commanded to send out gifts of food or drink,
and to make gifts to charity. The sending of
gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach
manos (lit. sending out portions). Among
Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat at this time
of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's
pockets). These triangular fruit-filled cookies
are supposed to represent Haman's threecornered hat.
Some are quick to blame the death of common
courtesy on technology. Psychiatrist Dale Archer
notes how “common courtesy is thrown out the
window when we’re on the phone.” Others believe
that as we become more self-centered, we
become less empathetic. Research presented by
the Association for Psychological Science shows
that college students today are actually 40% less
empathetic than students 30 years ago. Colleen
Harding, founder of the Cleveland School of
Etiquette, presents a historical perspective. In the
1960s and ’70s, it became cool to be a rebel and
break the rules. Common courtesy suffered
collateral damage. This phenomenon is not limited
to America. Danish theologian Joakim Garff finds
the same social breakdown at work in
Scandinavia. Breaking social rules in the name of
“liberation” has led to a more hands-off style of
child-rearing in the name of “the child’s automony
and integrity.” Such laissez-faire parenting,
however, begets “cynicism and insensitivity.”
If we do not practice empathy every day, we may
have to rely on others to pass laws of courtesy for
us. Restaurants declare “No Cell Phone Zones.”
Sports stadiums regulate fan conduct. Even New
York City imposes a fine on those who prop their
feet on a subway train seat. Psychologist Marie
Hartwell-Walker believes that even “faked”
manners can teach empathy, that cornerstone of
courtesy. Simple acts such as holding doors open,
returning phone calls, treating clerks and cashiers
with respect, friendly driving, making eye contact
in the grocery store aisle, saying please and thank
you—these daily reminders to consider others’
feelings lay a foundation for building empathy.
March
Upcoming Events
 Floral Design Workshop
 Watercolor Painting in the Dining
Room
 Woodbridge Mall, Boscov’s &
Wegmans
 Trader Joes & Century 21
 Poetry Workshop
 Barnabas Health: Sleep Disorders
 Kean University Gallery & Lunch
at Mark Twain Diner
 Who Said That? Quotes by
Famous Women
 Purim Entertainment with Hagit
Sheer
 JCC Purim Program
 Newark Museum
 Willowbrook Mall
 Crossword Fun
 Livingston Bagel & Rt 10
 Holiday Religious Service
 Hirschhorn: Getting What You
Want
 Playing Nice in the Sandbox by
JFS
 Exercise with Tami
 Eppes Essen
 Knitting Club
 Current Events
 Walmart & Rt 22
 Exercise
 Senior TV Movies
 Supper Club
And much more…Please check your calendar for
dates & times of all events.
Happy March Birthday
March 05
Sari Becker
March 05
Esther Segarnick
March 12
Barbara Doucette
Tuesday
Grocery Shopping Update:
Effective as of Tuesday, March 1st,
Transportation/pickup for food shopping will take
place at 10:00 a.m. instead of 10:45 a.m.
Please update your schedule accordingly.
Thank you in advance!
In February we learned how to keep our hearts
healthy.
Village Residents created decorative, delicious
treats which were hung outside to feed the birds.
Momma Sandi the Storyteller told delightful and
thought provoking stories in honor of Black
History Month.
All are invited to attend a special Purim
entertainment celebration event featuring
the beautiful and talented Hagit.
End of the Line
After a long lifetime, more than 100
years, America’s telephone
infrastructure is starting to fall apart.
Disappearing, too, are the engineers
and technicians who maintain
landline telephone service, according
to professor of telecommunications
Rob Frieden. Not so fast, say those
who celebrate Landline Telephone
Day on March 10. Consumer Reports
also insists that we keep our
landlines. Not only is sound quality
often better, but because landline
numbers are directly connected to a
home address, emergency calls from
landlines make you safer. And when
power goes out, many landlines stay
on thanks to backup batteries.
Telephone companies, though, prefer
a digitized network. It is a cheaper
infrastructure to maintain, after all. So
enjoy landlines while you can,
because they may soon be obsolete.
MARCH 2016 VILLAGE Calendar is subject to change
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
1
9:15 Exercise
10:00 Shopping
12:00 Congregate
Lunch
1:00 Bridge
2:30 Floral Design
Workshop
5:30 Watercolor
Painting in the
Dining Room
7:00 Movie
6
7
8
1:30 MOVIE
10:30 Trader
Joes & Century
21, Rt 4
5:45 SUPPER
CLUB
10:30 Walmart &
Rt 22
7:00 MOVIE
9:15 Exercise
10:00 Shopping
12:00 Congregate
Lunch 1:00
Bridge
5:30 Poetry
Workshop
2
3
4
10:30 Livingston &
Shorthills Mall’s
1:30 RELIGIOUS
SERVICE
5:45 SUPPER CLUB
9:15 EXERCISE
10:30
Woodbridge
Mall Boscovs &
Wegman’s
12:00
Congregate
Lunch
9 10:30
10
11
9:15 EXERCISE
10:30 Kean
University
Gallery & Lunch
Mark Twain
Diner
12:00
Congregate
Lunch
1:30 RELIGIOUS
SERVICE
11:15 Exercise with
Tami
2:00 CURRENT
EVENTS
4:00 KNITTING CLUB
Essex Green
11:15 Exercise with
Tami
1:00 Sleep Disorders
Barnabas Health
2:00 CURRENT
EVENTS
4:00 KNITTING CLUB
5:45 SUPPER CLUB
7:00 Movie
13 Daylight
14
Savings Time
Begins move all
clocks ahead 1
hour
10:30 Walmart &
Rt 22 Shopping
5:45 SUPPER
CLUB
1:30 MOVIE
7:00 MOVIE
15
9:15
Exercise
10:00
Shopping
12:00 Congregate
Lunch 1:00
Bridge
5:30 “Who Said
That?” Quotes by
Famous Women
7:00 Movie
20 Spring
Begins
1:30 MOVIE
7:00 MOVIE
8:00 Senior
TV Movie
21
10:30 Willowbrook
Mall
5:45 SUPPER
CLUB
22
9:15
Exercise
10:00
Shopping
12:00 Congregate
Lunch 1:00
Bridge
28
1:30 MOVIE
10:30 Essex
Green
5:45 SUPPER
CLUB
7:00 MOVIE
29
9:15
Exercise
10:00
Shopping
12:00 Congregate
Lunch 1:00
Bridge
5:30 Hirschhorn:
Karen Frank
Getting What
Your Want
7:00 Movie
Saturday
5
5:45
SUPPER
CLUB
7:00 Tenant
Assoc. Meeting
12
5:45
SUPPER
CLUB
7:00 BINGO
16
17
18
11:15 Exercise with
Tami
9:15 EXERCISE
TBA: Newark
Museum
12:00
Congregate
Lunch
1:30 RELIGIOUS
SERVICE
1:00 Purim Program
by Entertainer Hagit
2:00 CURRENT
EVENTS
4:00 KNITTING CLUB
5:45 SUPPER
CLUB:Irish Theme
Night
7:00 BINGO
5:45
SUPPER
CLUB
23
24 Purim
25
10:30 Livingston Bagel
9:15 EXERCISE
TBA: JCC Purim
Program
12:00
Congregate
Lunch
1:30 HOLIDAY
RELIGIOUS
SERVICE
11:15 Exercise with
Tami
2:00 CURRENT
EVENTS
4:00 KNITTING CLUB
5:45 SUPPER CLUB
5:30 Crossword
Fun
7:00 Movie
27
Friday
7:00 BINGO
30
31
10:30 Rt 10 Shopping
& Farmers Market
9:15 EXERCISE
10:30 Eppes
Essen
12:00
Congregate
Lunch
7:00 TENANT
MEETING
11:15 Exercise with
Tami
12:30 Playing Nice in
the Sandbox by JFS
2:00 CURRENT
EVENTS
4:00 KNITTING CLUB
5:45 SUPPER CLUB
5:45
SUPPER
CLUB
19
8:00 Senior
TV Movie
26