October 2013

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OCTOBER 2013
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
C O R P O R AT I O N
OF
METROPOLITAIN
NEW JERSEY
Where did September go! We started the month by celebrating Rosh
Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in 2013
from sundown on Sept. 4 to nightfall on Sept. 6. The Hebrew date for
Rosh Hashanah is 1 Tishrei 5774.
Though Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year," the holiday
actually takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei,
which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. This is because Rosh
Hashanah, one of four new years in the Jewish year, is considered the
new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral
tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the completion of the creation of the
world. Rosh Hashanah is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur “the day
of atonement” in which we fast and repent & reflect on sins committed in
the past year. Sukkot starts 5 days after Yom Kippur.. The Hebrew word
sukkot is the plural of sukkah, “booth or tabernacle”, which is a walled
structure covered with plant material such as leafy tree overgrowth or
palm leaves. Sukkot is intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile
dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in
the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the
holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and some people sleep there as
well. Sukkot lasts for 8 days with the last day called Shemini Atzeret,
which is the eighth day of Assembly, basically more Sukkot fun. Since
Sukkot marks the end of the Fall Festivals it is suggested that Shemini
Atzeret is meant as a time to reflect on the month of observance and to
store the memories within your hearts. Simchat Torah is celebrated the
day after Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah marks the end of the annual
cycle of weekly Torah readings and the beginning of the new cycle. It is a
joyous holiday that celebrates the Jewish love of Torah and study. The
scrolls are taken out of the ark in synagogue and the evening is spent
dancing, singing, and rejoicing.
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The Residents enjoyed the Sukkah with Rabbi Vernon
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
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NEW JERSEY
Our Community Room was closed for most of the summer due
to renovations in the kitchen. We celebrated the grand reopening of the Community Room on September 17th with a
delicious lunch sponsored by Bryna, and our Activities Coordinator Carolyn.
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OCTOBER IS:
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS
NATIONAL APPLE MONTH
NATIONAL PHYSICAL THERAPY MONTH
MON. 14—COLUMBUS DAY
WED. 23—HEALTHY EATING MADE EASY IN THE
COMMUNITY ROOM
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
Resident Service Schedule @ B’nai B’rith
Congregate Brunch served on Sundays @ 11:00 am
Marnie Kean, Social Worker will be here Friday 9-2
Office Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9-5, Friday 9-4
C O R P O R AT I O N
OF
METROPOLITAIN
NEW JERSEY
Birthday Wishes
EMILIA GUERRIERO 10/4
MARIE LARSEN 10/08
SONYA BITMAN 10/10
EVA COHEN 10/24
EUGENIA SMORODINSKY 10/25
VICTOR MASHINSKY 10/29
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B’nai B’rith Banner
October 1
October 2
October 3
October 7
October 8
JEWISH
October 10
COMMUNITY
October 14
October 15
HOUSING
C O R P O R AT I O N October 16
October 17
OF
October 21
M E T R O P O L I T A I N October 22
October 23
NEW JERSEY
October 24
October 28
October 29
October 30
Grocery Shopping
Essex Green
Computer Class, Exercise Class
Eppes Essen for lunch
Grocery Shopping, Chat with Bryna
Mt. Airy Lodge, Computer Class, Exercise
Farmer’s Market on Rt. 10 & Irving’s for lunch
Grocery Shopping
Burlington Coat Factory & IHOP for lunch
Molly Burack Lecture @ JCC, Computer Cls., Exercise
Essex Green
Grocery Shopping
Livingston & Short Hills Malls
Computer Class & Exercise Class
Trader Joe’s in Florham Park
Grocery Shopping
State St. Grill for lunch & Montclair Art
Museum
October 31 Day trip to Chester NJ for apple picking and the
beautiful roads on the way there, full of trees with their fall
colors.
COMING IN NOVEMBER
11/3/13 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS
11/5/13 ELECTION DAY
11/11/13VETERAN’S DAY
11/28/13 THANKSGIVING
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A letter from the Residents’ Association Co-President:
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
C O R P O R AT I O N
OF
METROPOLITAIN
NEW JERSEY
It was a welcome day, September 17, when we celebrated the reopening of
the Community Room, kitchen and main floor restrooms. It was a long, wearying summer of watching, hoping and waiting for the renovation and repair work to be completed. Our site manager, Bryna Stone promised us a celebration when the work was finished and we really looked forward to it.
When the day was set, our activities coordinator, Carolyn Schonthal, provided a festive atmosphere in the Community Room with brightly colored balloons and platters of sandwiches with all the fixings. It was a happy occasion
of relief and delight as we enjoyed the luncheon, topped off with red-capped
cupcakes. It was like old times to be back in the Community Room munching
and chatting with our fellow residents. Thank you Bryna, Carolyn, and Chris
who faithfully set up the room for us. We look forward to the first meeting of
our Residents’ Association in several months. Prior to the meeting we will
meet our site manager Bryna to discuss the new material from the B’nai
B’rith Leaders Retreat this past summer. Our aim, like B’nai B’rith’s itself, is
always to work toward improving the enjoyment and wellbeing of our residents. The workshops at the Retreat offered many ideas for us to consider
and possibly integrate into our activities. Although our residence is relatively small in comparison to most on the national scene, there are many
thought-provoking ideas which may prove workable for our residence.
We will continue to work with our activities coordinator Carolyn, who provides many programs for us. It is a pleasure to work with the management
we have—we appreciate their interest and helpfulness. From the plethora
of activities available we will work together to keep the calendar full of a
wide variety of programs to meet the varied interests of our residents. We
hope to be able to implement new ideas that will revitalize our Residents’
Association and increase participation.
Lavinia A. Walker, co-president
S.O. B’nai B’rith Federation House Residents’ Association
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Columbus Day, which is annually on the
second Monday of October, remembers
Christopher Columbus' arrival to the
Americas on October 12, 1492.
This holiday is controversial because the European settlement in the Americas
led
to the demise of the history and culture of
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
C O R P O R AT I O N
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the indigenous peoples.
Greetings from Bryna
October 2013
The leaves are changing and fall is finally here. Fall is my favorite
time of the year. The leaves are so pretty and the air is crisp after a
warm and muggy summer.
I would like to welcome Carolyn Schonthal as our Activities Coordinator. All of you know Carolyn is the Administrative Assistant here at
South Orange B’nai B’rith. She is now putting on another hat for part
of her day. Carolyn always has a bright smile and is willing to help
out whenever asked. Please feel free to give her your suggestions and
thoughts for any activities you would like to see here at SOBB.
With welcoming Carolyn we are also sad to see Ann Marie Bass leave
her position at SOBB. Ann Marie is now the Administrative Assistant
at Jewish Federation Plaza. We were also very fortunate to have Ann
Marie doing activities. She is a warm and special person and we wish
her the very best with her new position. We are planning a “goodbye” party for her in the near future. We will post the date and time
within the next few weeks.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Our door is always open or you can call me at my new number 973530-3950.
Bryna Stone
Site Manager
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B’nai B’rith Banner
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
C O R P O R AT I O N
OF
METROPOLITAIN
NEW JERSEY
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JCHC STRONG!!
STORM CHASER
Event
Date: October 29
Time:1:00 PM
Location: Community Room
Storm and winter weather season is once
again here. We want to assure all residents and
families that the Jewish Community Housing
Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey continues to have in place comprehensive emergency plans and services and will remain
“JCHC Strong!”
To this end, a Storm Chaser Event will be held
in the Community Room on Tuesday, October
29. At this event, there will be emergency supplies for sale, informational handouts, and
gifts for all attendees. Special speakers on
safety will be scheduled at a later date.