February 2014 Newsletter

Moriah is funded by the NYC Department for the Aging and your generous contributions.

A project of Agudath Israel of America, Community Services Inc.

Moriah thanks the following people for their generous donations to our Center:

We Welcome Our New Members!

Shuli Gutmann, Director

Chani Hilewitz, Bookkeeper Ruthy Feigenbaum, Program Assistant

Ms. Zofia Janicka Mr. Freddy Diaz Mr. Juan Sanchez Mrs. Margareta L. Galanter

Mr. Nestor Cortes Mr. Jose Henriquez

Mrs. Blanche Breidenbach on the birth of a great-grandson Mrs. Hilda Kromnick on the yahrzeit of her parents

Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Lowenthal Mr. & Mrs. Sol Apfelbaum Mr. & Mrs. Eric Hanau Mrs. Gertrude Frankel

Mrs. Shirley Auslander Anonymous Mrs. Judith Levi

Mr. & Mrs. Norbert Hellmann on the yahrzeit of her father z”l

Mrs. Constance Gruen Mr. Ira Meadow

Ms. Cynthia Briggs

Dear Friends,

The weather might be cold outside, but it is warm and welcoming here at the Center.

Come for the activities in addition to lunch and enjoy a fulfilling and active day with

friends.

Our monthly Book Club will meet on Monday, February 3rd

at 2 pm to discuss “The Light

Between Oceans”, a powerful historical novel fraught with emotion and moral dilemmas.

Tai Chi Tuesdays are scheduled this month for February 4th

and 18th at 11 am.

We will be hosting another concert courtesy of The Monica Cohn Endowment for Music

and the Arts on Monday, February 10th at 2 pm. Join tenor Darrell Lauer as he presents

“It’s a Great Day for a Tenor”, a program of opera, art songs and folks songs, for your

listening pleasure.

Our monthly Birthday Party will be held this month on Wednesday, February 12th.

Shelley Bulman, Housing Director at the JCC, will join us on Monday, February 17th

during lunch to discuss Tenants’ Rights and Responsibilities.

Kim Kotary returns to our Craft Class on Monday, February 17th at 2 pm for a fun sewing

based project - making sleep masks. Space is limited, so sign up in the office at your

earliest convenience.

Moriah will be open for a PICK UP LUNCH on Sunday, February 23rd at 10:30 am.

Make an appointment for your monthly Chair Massage on Monday, February 24th at

2 pm. Take control of your health and join in our Hypertension Self Management

Workshop which will be running concurrently.

As always, join us for Computer Lab on Wednesdays, Exercise Classes on Wednesdays

& Thursdays and Yoga on Friday mornings.

If you haven’t already added your name to our email list, please come in to the office and

give us your email address. It’s the best way to stay on top of news and events.

2014

“Shalom” - the Hebrew word for peace—is also used alternately as a way of saying Hello and Goodbye. Shalom is a very apt word this month at Moriah, as we bid a fond farewell to Zahava Goldofsky, as she moves on in her career, and as we welcome Ruthy Feigenbaum into her new position as Program Assistant at the Center.

Zahava has accepted a position at Mt. Sinai Medical Center doing discharge planning. We wish her the best both professionally and personally as she moves to her new position. While we will miss the day-to-day interaction with her - she’s been an indispensable part of our team - we know she will continue to do well and achieve major milestones. Zahava - Please keep in touch!

Ruthy Feigenbaum has been a resident of the Washington Heights community for 15 years. She brings a vibrant and energetic outlook to her new role, along with considerable experience dealing with children and seniors. Please introduce yourself to Ruthy - she is excited to get to know each and every one of you. Please continue to allow our office to assist you in any way we can - whether it be insurance issues, housing issues or renewals of your benefits and entitlements. Zahava and Ruthy have been working very closely together to ensure a smooth transition.

Goodbye and Hello at Moriah

NEWS FROM THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

The U.S. Postal Service will be charging higher postage rates effective January 26, 2014.

Following is a summary of some of the increases.

Letters and Postcards Regular 1st class letter stamps, such as the Forever stamp, will increase from 46 to 49 cents. A single stamp covers a one ounce letter (typically 4 to 5 sheets of paper plus an envelope).

Additional ounces will cost a penny more, at 21 cents each.

Postcard rates also go up a penny, to 34 cents.

As always, the Moriah office continues to be a convenient place to purchase your stamps.

Groundhog Day is held on Feb. 2, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania every year, and you might be wondering how a groundhog landed the job of predicting the weather. If you're unfamiliar with the tradition, it goes like this: If the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow, we're stuck with six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we luck out with an early spring.

The tradition dates back to 1887, and though the origins are unclear, it is said to have originated from ancient European weather lore in which a badger or sacred bear predicts the weather, rather than a groundhog. It also has religious origins, as it shares similarities with Candlemas Day, which is also on Feb. 2. According to an old English song, "If Candlemas be fair and bright,/ Come, Winter, have another flight."

Punxsutawney Phil has definitely adapted to the times. He can now text you his Tuesday weather prediction. Just text "Groundhog" to 247365 on Groundhog Day.

States without groundhogs are taking matters into their own hands by choosing their own weather predictor. Texas, for example, chose its state mammal, an armadillo, to predict the weather for their first "Armadillo Day." Only time will tell whether the groundhog or the armadillo is the true prognosticator.

Here are five facts you probably didn't know about Groundhog Day:

1. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen it 15 times, and nine years are unaccounted for. 2. The National Climatic Data Center reportedly stated that Phil's predictions have been correct 39 percent of the time. This number is in conflict with Phil's club, which states he's been right 100 percent of the time.

3. According to the funny website groundhog.org, there's a legend that during Prohibition, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn't allowed a drink.

4. In the years following the release of Groundhog Day, a 1993 film starring Bill Murray, crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney where the ceremony takes place. 5. Though groundhogs typically live only six to eight years, Groundhog Day lore suggests that Phil drinks a magic elixir every summer, which gives him seven more years of life.

Groundhog Day: A History, And 5 Facts You Didn't Know

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

http://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/history/

http://news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=265507&SecID=2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/02/punxsutawney-phil-sees-sh_n_163032.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1436501/the_history_of_groundhogs_day.html

http://www.groundhog.org/

http://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/history/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/

http://www.groundhog.org/more-to-know/faq/

After four harrowing years on the Western

Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia

and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper

on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey

from the coast. To this isolated island,

where the supply boat comes once a

season, Tom brings a young, bold, and

loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two

miscarriages and one stillbirth, the

grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the

wind. A boat has washed up onshore

carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles

have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant

immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and

against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name

her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the

mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the

world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

Register in the office and receive a library copy of

this New York Times Bestseller for advance

reading.

See what everybody has been reading

and join in the discussion!

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GROUP

Come join the group on Monday, February 3Come join the group on Monday, February 3rdrd

at 2 pm, at 2 pm,

as we discuss M.L. Steadman’s bestas we discuss M.L. Steadman’s best--selling novel, selling novel,

The Light Between OceansThe Light Between Oceans

PRESENTS

“It’s a Great Day for a Tenor”

Featuring tenor Darrell Lauer Accompanied by James Besser

a program of

Opera, Art Songs and Folk songs

Including Italian & Irish selections

and favorites from around the world

Monday, February 10th at 2 pm

90 Bennett Avenue

Darrell Lauer holds a master’s degree in vocal performance and a master’s degree in speech/language pathology. Mr. Lauer, a tenor, has performed in opera, oratorio and recital throughout America, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia and the Far East. His students have performed in many European opera venues, in regional opera in America, Broadway and off-Broadway, regional theaters and rap & rock concert tours.

Tai chi Tuesdays CONTINUE in FEBRUARY

JOIN US ON SELECT TUESDAYS IN FEBRUARY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4th

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18th

AT 11 AM

Fun Facts About Our Presidents

John Quincy Adams was a slob. John Quincy Adams cared very little about fashion and clothing. He wore the same

hat for ten years.

Martin Van Buren popularized the phrase "OK". Van Buren was from Kinderhook, NY which was also called "Old

Kinderhook". His support groups came to be known as "O.K. Clubs" and the term OK came to mean "all right".

Ulysses S. Grant was given a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse too fast down a Washington street.

James A. Garfield was ambidextrous. Not only was he the first president to be both righty and lefty, but it was said

he could write a sentence in Latin with one hand and write it in Greek with the other hand.

Herbert Hoover spoke Chinese. Herbert Hoover moved his family to China before becoming President, and he and his

wife learned to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently. They would speak the language around the White House to prevent

others from understanding them.

Richard Nixon was a card shark. While in the Navy, Richard Nixon noticed that his friends were winning money in

poker games. Always the opportunist, Nixon had the best poker player in his unit teach him how to play the game.

Within only a few months, Nixon had won around $6,000 in poker games, which he used to fund his first congression-

al campaign.

Ronald Reagan did Stand-Up Comedy. In 1954, Ronald Reagan's acting career was going so badly that he took a gig

as a Las Vegas stand-up comic for a few weeks.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Solomon Apfelbaum Azucena Fernandez Eileen O'Neill Meena Smith

Ruth E. Baez Frieda H. Gottfried Donald Paneth Ann Sprayregen

Vulf Benenson Carmen Hernandez Catherine Parker Helen Stein

Fay Blank Stanley Kurtzman Nestor D. Reyes Thomas J. Synder

Helen Bojes David Kach Eula Rice Margarita E. Terc

Eula Chase Mark Kanal Libertina Salomon Jose Torres

Nestor Cortes Inge Levy Rosalind Scheer Kate Trunin

Vilma De La Providencia Herbert Millet Sally Schwartz Simonne Varsano

Carmen Dyer Isfried Neuhaus Ada Sequenot Vasantha Vaidyanathan

Celeste M. Estades Ana Nourakis Aron Shapiro Peter P. Weis

February 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

MENU ITEMS MONDAY 2/3 TUESDAY 2/4 WEDNESDAY 2/5 THURSDAY 2/6 FRIDAY 2/7

APPETIZER Vegetable Soup

Lima Bean Soup Orange Juice

Split Pea Soup Pineapple Juice

Vegetable Soup Chicken Soup w/ Noodles

MAIN DISH

Eggplant Parmagiana

Baked Fish Loaf w/ Horseradish

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Meat Stuffed Pepper

Roast Chicken w/ Gravy

SIDE DISH 1 Cauliflower Mixed Vegetables Brown Rice Egg Barley Succotash

SIDE DISH 2 Spaghetti Beet Salad Steamed Broccoli Sliced Carrots Carrot Tzimmes

BREAD Whole Wheat Whole Wheat Whole Wheat Whole Wheat Challah

MARGARINE X X X X X

DESSERT Cantaloupe Cubes Chocolate Pudding

Unsweetened Applesauce

Pineapple Chunks Mandarins

MILK with meal with meal on way out on way out on way out


APPETIZER

Mushroom Barley Soup Apple Juice

Minestrone Soup Blended Juice

Pineapple Juice Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup Apple Juice

Consommé Orange Juice

MAIN DISH Cheese Blintzes

Salmon with Tartar Sauce

Turkey w/ Cranberry Sauce

Meatballs Southern Baked Chicken

SIDE DISH 1 Egg Salad Carrots Baked Yams Spaghetti Noodle Pudding

SIDE DISH 2 Peas & Carrots Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Mixed Vegetables Cauliflower


MARGARINE X X X X X

DESSERT Fresh Oranges Pineapple Tidbits Birthday Cake Apricot Halves Diced Pears



APPETIZER Cream of Tomato Soup

Split Pea Soup Apple Juice

Vegetable Soup Mushroom Barley Soup

Consommé Orange Juice

MAIN DISH

Breaded Pollock Tartar Sauce

Baked Fish Loaf w/ Horseradish

Vegetarian Pizza Hamburgers w/ Sautéed Onions

Baked Chicken

SIDE DISH 1 Carrots Brown Rice Broccoli

Home Fries in Skin

Ratatouille

SIDE DISH 2 Mashed Potatoes Ratatouille Carrots Mixed Vegetables Roasted Chick Peas

BREAD Whole Wheat Whole Wheat Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns Challah

MARGARINE X X X X X

DESSERT Cantaloupe

California Fruit Salad

Unsweetened Applesauce

Pineapple Chunks Peaches



APPETIZER

Mushroom Barley Soup

Orange Juice Butternut Squash Soup

Vegetable Soup Lima Bean Soup Pineapple Juice

Chicken Soup w/ Noodles

Blended Juice

MAIN DISH Cheese Blintzes Salmon

Chicken with Tangy Orange Sauce

Swedish Meatballs

Southern Baked Chicken

SIDE DISH 1 Egg Salad

Baked Potatoes in Skin Au Gratin

Baked Barley w/ Mushroom & Carrots

Spaghetti Noodle Pudding

SIDE DISH 2 Peas & Carrots Broccoli Italian Green Beans

California Blend Vegetables

Sliced Carrots


MARGARINE X X X X X

DESSERT Pineapple Tidbits Fresh Apple Apricot Halves Applesauce Diced Peaches


FEBRUARY 2014

Come join the group on Monday, March 10th at 2 pm, Come join the group on Monday, March 10th at 2 pm,

as we discuss Roberta Rich’s gripping historical fiction, as we discuss Roberta Rich’s gripping historical fiction,

The Midwife of VeniceThe Midwife of Venice



reading.



Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice

for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from

their mothers—a gift aided by the secret

“birthing spoons” she designed. But when a

count implores her to attend to his wife,

who has been laboring for days to give birth

to their firstborn son, Hannah is torn. A

Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering

medical treatment to Christians, but the

payment he offers is enough to ransom her

beloved husband, Isaac, who has been

captured at sea. Can Hannah refuse her

duty to a suffering woman? Hannah’s choice entangles her in a

treacherous family rivalry that endangers the baby and threatens

her voyage to Malta. Despite the rapidly spreading plague and

threats of Inquisition, Hannah is determined to get to Malta,

where Isaac is running out of options in his battle to survive. In

this compelling historical novel, adversity tests the love,

compassion, and faith of both Hannah and Isaac as they struggle

to be reunited.

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GROUP

At The New York

Botanical Garden

Experience Key West in Bloom

This year’s Orchid Show will be inspired by the stunning beauty of Key West, Florida. Towering palm trees, rich foliage, and breathtaking orchids fill a luxuriant tropical landscape that will transport you to a magical Floridian paradise.

Join Moriah as we take a trip to this spectacular exhibit and receive our own private tour. Advance registration required. Space is limited.

When: Tuesday, March 25th Where: Leaving 90 Bennett at 10:15 am Returning in time for lunch Cost: $8 per person

Music Monday Sing for your Health!

It’s been said that music heals the heart. But can it promote healthy aging ? To find out, cognitive neuroscientist Julene K. Johnson is studying health changes in choir members at 12 senior centers in San Francisco. The professor at the University of California in San Francisco has already studied choruses in Finland and found an improved quality of life among older choir members. Another study at Georgetown University concluded that older adults who sang in a chorus for one year had fewer falls, fewer doctor visits and less loneliness than those in a control group. Choral singing, Johnson says, allows people to “use their bodies and minds while creating something beautiful. If you have never attended Moriah’s popular “Music Monday” sessions, why not consider giving them a try? Cantor Eric S. Freeman’s class is always thoughtfully themed, informative and uplifting. Join him on Monday, March 3rd - sing along, improve your mood and improve your HEALTH!

Overheard at the Center Senior A: “ I couldn’t hear what was said. What was that announcement?” Senior B: “Tomorrow’s movie is called Blackfish.” Senior A: “Oh, that’s OK. I eat anything…”

Senior A: “I’m interested in attending the memory workshop. What day is it scheduled for?” Senior B: “ I saw, but I don’t remember….”

Senior commenting on Moriah Chef Yehuda’s cooking: “He makes things that you don’t even like taste delicious!”

“It’s not easy being 99……….”

On the coldest day - Staff member to Senior: “I’m amazed you came!” Senior: “I’m amazed also!”

Staff member: “Age is only a number.” Senior: “And my number is unlisted…..”

Staff member to senior ‘flirting’ with kitchen staff: “Stop flirting and go to exercise.” Senior to staff member: “Exercise I can do on my own. Flirting I can’t.”

Senior at the milk pick up station: “I remember when I used to go out to the barn…..”

Senior at the Center: “Oy vey! It’s sad to see what happens to people….”

A 94 year old to an 88 year old on her birthday: “In the next six years you’ll forget everything.”

Come join the group on Monday, April 28Come join the group on Monday, April 28thth

at 2 pm, at 2 pm,

as we discuss Ka Hancock’s heartbreaking novel, as we discuss Ka Hancock’s heartbreaking novel,

Dancing on Broken GlassDancing on Broken Glass

A powerfully written debut novel offering an intimate look at one couple's unconventional marriage that survives against all odds.

Lucy Houston and Mickey Chandler probably shouldn’t have fallen in love, let alone gotten married. They’re both plagued with faulty genes—he has bipolar disorder, and she has a ravaging family history of breast cancer. But when their paths cross on the night of Lucy’s twenty-first birthday, sparks fly, and there’s no denying their chemistry.

Cautious every step of the way, they are determined to make their relationship work—and they put it all in writing. Mickey promises to take his medication. Lucy promises not to blame him for what is beyond his control. He promises honesty. She promises patience. Like any marriage, they have good days and bad days—and some very bad days. In dealing with their unique challenges, they make the heartbreaking decision not to have children. But when Lucy shows up for a routine physical just shy of their eleventh anniversary, she gets an impossible surprise that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly, all their rules are thrown out the window, and the two of them must redefine what love really is.

An unvarnished portrait of a marriage that is both ordinary and extraordinary, Dancing on Broken Glass takes readers on an unforgettable journey of the heart.



reading.



Book Club

Discussion

Group

Join us for another very special evening event at Moriah Senior Center Sunday, February 2, 2014 Party Kickoff at ???? Pm

Ending with the Halftime Show

February 2014 Newsletter

Documents

new position

program assistant

moriah thanks

program of opera

welcome ruthy feigenbaum

sinai medical center

new members

join tenor darrell lauer