Dear Friend,

I am so pleased that you could join us. If you were not able to be here, we really missed the pleasure of your company.

I am referring to the Fifth Commandment Initiative’s celebration we held at the Home on the 1st of this month, when community and colleagues, rabbis and residents, families and friends came together to honor our Rabbi Sheldon (Shelly) Marder’s work at the Home and to mark his 10th anniversary with us.

The full amount of our community’s generosity is not in quite yet, as this special fundraising initiative is ongoing, so opportunities still exist to join our valued supporters who have already honored our rabbi’s work and acknowledged the significance of the Home’s department of Jewish Life programs. What I can share with you at this point is that your generosity to date has contributed tens of thousands of dollars in tribute to this special occasion and the importance of Jewish life at the Home.

The success of the celebratory event is a testament to the thought and planning that went into it, to the way in which everyone involved embraced the spirit of the occasion. It was a wonderful example of collaboration – from the event committee’s giving of their time, energy and knowledge, to the enthusiastic participation and attendance by respected community partners and dear friends.

The day’s celebration included many stand-out examples of the Fifth Commandment – to honor our parents. Voices rang out at the Shabbat service, which included the thematically appropriate line, “God of this day, as You were with our mothers and fathers, be with us as well,” as well as a blessing for Rabbi Marder,” which noted, “You have given yourself, with love and integrity,/To the people of the Jewish Home.”

The afternoon’s program incorporated a dynamic songwriting workshop. Using Psalm 84 as the springboard, participants were inspired to create an original song, which ended with the lines, “How radiant the place,/Happy is the community.” In our creative arts center residents and community members painted beautiful silk wall panels, which will be hung with pride in our synagogue. We would be delighted to show it off to you when you visit the Home, but in the meantime, you can enjoy photos from the event on our website. The synagogue was the location of a provocative panel that discussed, among other things, the relationship with parents and the significances surrounding the Fifth Commandment.

All in all, a feeling of warmth and community, of fun and hospitality, pervaded the day. It was profound and insightful, exuberant and entertaining. I echo this paraphrasing of Rabbi Marder’s remarks as he brought this wonderful occasion to a close: “The Jewish Home is a rare and special place, a place where the extraordinary is normal, where we experience both the fragility and toughness of life. Working here makes me a better person.”

Daniel Ruth
President & Chief Executive Officer

We are tremendously proud to announce that the Jewish Home has been awarded a five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that ensures effective, up-to-date healthcare coverage and promotes quality care for beneficiaries. The Home’s terrific overall rating was achieved by CMS combining data from our most recent annual survey by the Department of Public Health (where the Home’s results were excellent), from nursing home staffing, and from quality measures.

At the Jewish Home’s 16th annual golf tournament, held at the scenic Peninsula Golf & Country Club on May 10, supporters teed off for golf, savored an elegant banquet, and then took part in the exciting, lively auction. When we totted up the score sheet, we had raised over $220,000 (beating last year’s historic gross total of over $190,000) to help us continue to fulfill our mission of enriching the lives of older adults.

That amount is extraordinary in any year, but particularly impressive given the current economic climate. And the current economy is exactly why the Bay Area needs an organization like the Jewish Home – now more than ever – to act as a critical safety net for the vulnerable elderly individuals in our community and care.

A photo gallery of the tournament will soon be available on our website. We will provide you with the link in our June e-newsletter.

As always, we are extremely grateful for everyone’s valuable and meaningful support. See you on the green in 2011!

“From my long laundry list of self-identifying labels, the first two would be activist and writer,” says resident Judy Freespirit (nee Ackerman, b. Berkowitz). Read Judy’s profile to learn that this is a woman who not only knows how to wield a pen, but lives up to the pen name she chooses to go by.

Omega-3 fatty acids – found in fish oil and flaxseed – are already known to help protect against age-related illnesses such as heart disease. Now research shows they may slow cellular aging.

Doctors followed 608 San Francisco patients over five years and found that those with high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had less telomere shortening. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. (Imagine the plastic tips that keep shoelaces from fraying to get an idea of what telomeres are.) Their length is increasingly seen as a marker for biological aging, in other words, age determined by physiology rather than chronology.

In earlier research, cardiologist Ramin Farzaneh-Far, who led the new omega-3 study, helped show that telomere length can be a predictor of death risk in humans. He is excited by the new finding because “it means that telomere shortening is not inevitable.”

A good diet – one that includes omega-3 fatty acids – may therefore not just maintain our health but might really keep us young.