Los Angeles Jewish Home

Heaven is under our feet
     as well
As over our heads  ~Thoreau


At the 2012 Largest Mother's Day Celebration in the World, Jewish Home resident Ella Kalan, 101, read a touching poem that melted the hearts of everyone there. We just had to share.

Spring at the Home

Slowly, I walk along the rainbow colored
     garden paths
Still sparkling with early morning dew
My heart leaps with joy and
     AWE—
At the magical sights I view.

The trees are dripping pink blossoms on
     growing things below
The roses are all in full bloom
     bursting with love
          and perfrume
     setting one's soul aglow.

Intoxicated with the fragrance
     The bees are buzzing wildly
          among the purple lavenders
          they kiss and sip the nectar
               like greedy scavengers.

I watch a pair of humming birds
     dancing from tree to tree
     They do some pirouettes - then fly free
          to rest at the bubbling fountain
               nearby

"Tis there - behind the fountains rocks -
          I spy
     some frightened little dandelions.
I hold my breath and look up at the sky
     As the gardener passes them by
Among the fleecy clouds I see
          God smile

~Ella Kalan

Labels: Centenarian, Ella Kalan, Jewish Home Residents, Largest Mother's Day Celebration in the World, Mother's Day, Poems, Poetry, Spring, Thoreau

by Kay Carmona
Los Angeles Jewish Home Resident

Holidays are an important part of our lives. They mean different things to different people; but we all agree that more than anything else, they bring families together and enrich our lives with nostalgic memories — memories to treasure and fill our lives with the love and warmth of family. This is especially true of Jewish holidays because, not only do they bring families together and weave sweet memories that last a lifetime, they are our link, or connection to the generations before us who passed on the values, commandments, and traditions of Judaism — even under the most trying circumstances — keeping it alive and current down through the ages.

Spring ushers in the festivals of Purim and Passover. I think most of us have memories of our childhood days, dressing up in wacky costumes as Queens Vashti and Esther, Mordechai, King Ahasuerus, and the booing, banging, and noisemakers at every mention of Haman. The delicious hamantaschen goodies, and the atmosphere of camaraderie and joy among family and friends.

Passover is a little more sedate, but also happy, recalling how Moses with God's Mighty Power brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, leading us to the Promised Land. There, again, most of us have sweet memories — or maybe not-so-sweet memories — of Seders from our early childhood with our parents and relatives, and with Seders of our own families and relatives. I remember as a child how long and boring the Seder seemed. My Dad was a Hazan and insisted on doing the entire Seder from cover to cover, which seemed to me to last all night! Dipping in the salt water and making little matzoh sandwiches was kind of fun, and I really liked the haroset. I was so happy to hear my father say, "Now dinner is served." I remember the first time my husband and I hosted the Seder at our house. We had finally furnished our dining room, but it was barely able to accommodate so many people. We have learned from our folks that there is always room for one more, even if you have to bring in the barbeque table from the patio and the kitchen chairs. I remember how proud I was when I "graduated" from the children's table to the adults' table, and how it brought back memories when our children came to sit with us. Yes, the Jewish holidays bring fond memories of loving family and happy times.

Labels: Carmona, Family, Jewish Holiday, Judaism, Memories, Passover, Pesach, Purim, Seder, Staff

Change your life: that is the driving philosophy behind the Annenberg School of Nursing (ASN) as it seeks students for the vocational nursing Class of 2013.

ASN is currently accepting applications for the class, beginning June 2012. The 12-month full-time program will host open house events on April 3, April 17, and May 1.

The Annenberg School of Nursing, affiliated with the Los Angeles Jewish Home, is designed to prepare students for the NCLEX-PN® licensure exam. Including comprehensive classroom and skills lab instruction as well as clinical training at local hospitals and other sites, ASN students acknowledge they're better prepared in the field than their counterparts from other schools.


Interested? Come by and visit ASN during one of its open houses. Open to prospective students, high school counselors, and healthcare professionals, the next open house dates are April 3, April 17, and May 1. They all start at 5:00pm. Visitors will get an overview and tour of the facility from the school's director, Marie Fagan, as well as a talk about financial aid options from financial aid director Barbara Noblet.

The Annenberg School of Nursing is located on the Grancell Village campus of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, 7150 Tampa Avenue, in Reseda. Space is limited and reservations are required. To RSVP, or for more information, please visit the ASN website, or contact Cindy Thomas at (818) 757-4431 or ASN@jha.org.

Labels: Annenberg, Annenberg School of Nursing, Class of 2013, Education, Healthcare, Learning, Licensed Vocational Nurse, LVN, Marie Fagan, NCLEX-PN, Nursing School, Nursing Students, Open House, Staff, Vocational Nursing

In some of my classes I have been discussing the subject of courage, following the recent Torah readings about the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. Throughout that period the faith of the Israelites, that they can and will escape their Egyptian slave-masters and become a free people, swings wildly between moments of trust and confidence – Yes, God is on our side! – and times when they want only to remain slaves, for freedom is just too risky.

When the Israelites complain to Moses – Why don’t you leave us alone, to remain in Egypt as slaves? – they want to stay in the world they know, rather than take all the risks of freedom. Freedom carries the dignity of making choices, and the possibility of good and new things in our lives, but also it means we live without knowing what tomorrow brings. Willingness to face the uncertainties and the difficulties of life, as well as its possibilities, is what courage is all about. The alternative, in the words of one resident, is: Just give up, stay in bed, and pull the blankets over your head.

Does growing older call on us to have courage? A resident answered: Yes we need courage, because we never know what’s going to happen. Perhaps she was thinking about the sudden change in health she had recently gone through – without a negative word! Another resident told us her first words on waking each morning: No surprises today please!

It is not just the unknown. Some residents live in almost constant pain or discomfort; others get on as best they can despite physical difficulties. Most know the loneliness of life following the death of their long-time husband or wife. As I see how the majority of residents make the best of life without complaint, it strikes me that courage is indeed an important factor in making senior years a positive time of life. Here at the Home, the staff does a wonderful job in making the life of residents as comfortable, dignified and enjoyable as possible. What is sometimes overlooked is that the residents do a wonderful job too. For me, to see such courage is both humbling and inspiring.

The Torah expresses courage as faith in God. For instance, when the Israelites are facing the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army coming up behind them, they initially complain to Moses who tells them: Have no fear, stand by and watch how God will save you! While many people have courage which is not based on faith is God, there are others for whom faith can be a source of courage. Psalm 23 puts it: Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. A sense that one is not alone can give great strength.

I have very great respect for those who came through years in the Nazi death camps or work camps. I know from my reading that not everyone kept their determination to survive; some just gave up. I am not surprised, so I asked the Holocaust survivors in my groups what gave them the courage to keep going. All without exception told me their faith was very important to them. One said his recitation of psalms sustained him. Another said she felt God by her side as she volunteered for work – which turned out to be her route to survival. Another said her religion was important to her, but she also believed a person’s childhood upbringing made a big difference. She herself had had a very poor childhood, and that difficult time gave her the strength she needed to face the enormous challenge of life in the camps. I understand that; although we all want an easy life, it is very often difficult experiences that strengthen us to face even greater challenges in the future.

We talked a little about the courage to face death. One resident was sad about the relative shortness of the time still left for her, wishing she had achieved more. But not one person expressed fear about the future.

Perhaps that is why I love being a rabbi at the Jewish Home: while I am no longer young myself, I work amongst my seniors and my teachers, who help me to think that maybe I too will be able to face all the uncertainties and hardships that lie ahead. For that I am grateful.

Labels: Aging, Bible, Courage, Death, Elman, For the Spirit, Holocaust survivors, Inspiring, Israelites, Jewish, Judaism, Letter from the Rabbi, Moses, Rabbi

A Poem by Ellis Simon, 87
Jewish Home Resident

To all the ladies at the JHA
The time has come for you to say
Come on guys, get off your duff
Then take our hand, as you huff and puff

When you take our hand, don't squeeze too much
The arthritis we have responds to touch
The tenderness you show, helps ease the pain
As we walk down the hall, you, me, and my cane

We get to the library, and sit side by side
As the real good feelings a try to hide
You whisper in my ear, but your words seem to fade
The battery went out in my hearing aid

You ask me to dance, I'm happy as can be
When you take me in your arms, it's heaven for me
You start to cough, and stick out your tongue
I guess it's too much for your one lung

We both get up, and go back to my room
You give me a peck, and my heart goes boom
You walk down the hall, I watch as you go
You say, "I'm a very happy lady, I now have a beau!"

Though i joke around, this is my wish for all
Then we would all be happy, and have a ball
Then our troubles would disappear
And everyone would be happy, I say hear, hear.

Labels: Aging, For the Spirit, Original, Poems, Residents, Seniors, Simon, Sweethearts Day, Valentine's Day