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March 2015
- 1. 1 Yehuda Lebovits, Executive Director Wehere at Park Plaza wish everyone a happy and healthy Purim! This is always a fun and exciting holiday for residents and their families. Thank you to every- one who attended our annual Purim Family Carnival. It was wonderful to see our residents enjoying the holiday with their families and friends. PARK PLAZA PASSOVER RESERVATIONS ARE NOW OPEN. Park Plaza is finalizing plans for Passover. This time of year has always been a special one for spending time with friends and family. Reserva- tions should be made as EARLY as possi- ble. Our building is still in the midst of a major renovation. This means that we have limited rooms available. Priority will be given to families of current resi- dents on a first come first serve basis. Payment in full is due at the time of res- ervation. Reservations should be made with Adina, between 9:00am-1:00pm every weekday. We look forward to spending Pesach together! We are completing renovations on all the bathrooms in the west wing! The process has been smooth thus far and March 2015 Volume 7, Issue 3 Seymour Abrams, Chairman Park Plaza is busy preparing for Pesach. It is a huge job, and it will be here before we know it. Remember how living at your home and your family was growing up. If you were lucky and went away for Passover, you missed most of the burden of making Pesach. Well this year everything is being done for you. Our menu will be most appetizing. The whole week’s activities will keep you busy. Check your programs for times of meals, activities, and religious services. Mark your calendar on Saturday April 11th the eighth day of Passover we say Yizkor. Expecting guests for Pesach and need rooms and/or meals? Don’t wait to make reservations! We will run out of spaces. Stay well and be careful when you go out. Seymour Abrams
- 2. 2 we are extremelypleased with the re- sults. We have relocated the 3rd floor and are now relocating the 2nd floor of the West Wing. Adina is coordinating these temporary relocations. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Relocation times have varied from 2-6 weeks. Some floors have moved very quickly, but unexpected construction is- sues on other floors have caused delays. Our staff will do their best to keep every- one informed of the progress and any possible changes that occur. Our con- tractor expects everyone who is current- ly relocated to be back in their apart- ment for Passover. Due to the construction Mailboxes 100- 324 were temporarily relocated to the former Wellness Center office in the Lob- by. Signs are in place in the lobby and entry way to direct you. Please see the front desk for any questions. With winter in full effect, it is time to take extra precautions. Please avoid go- ing outside when weather is below zero. Bundle up with a good winter coat, boots, scarf, hat and gloves. Finally enjoy all the inside activities we have to offer here at Park Plaza. FEBRUARY RECAPTURED Super Bowl- A group of residents enjoyed our second annual Super Bowl Party. The New England Patriots took home the vic- tory. Love Day- Roman and Rabbi Falk led a fes- tive Love Day Musical Program followed by a French Themed Dinner. Memorial Concert featuring The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band Trio- A concert in memory of Dr. Edward Gelerinter was sponsored by the family. Thank you to the Gelerinter family for making this event possible. Presidents Day- Ventriloquist Chuck Fields performed for residents and their families as part of a Presidents Day Luncheon. Chicago Symphony Orchestra- Park Plaza enjoys an amiable relationship with the CSO that makes it possible for residents to attend their performances. More resi- dents were able to enjoy the sounds of Mozart and Brahms this month. Looking Back PARK PLAZA WELCOMES NEW RESIDENTS TO OUR COMMUNITY Please welcome the following new residents to Park Plaza: Sherwin Samuels (Table# 29) Bernard and Muriel Finkel
- 3. 3 3/1/2015 2:00PM FamilyPurim Party 3/1/2015 7:00PM Sam Magdae, singer 3/2/2015 1:20PM Purim Program- Chicago Hebrew Day School 3/3/2015 5:00PM Persian Theme Dinner 3/4/2015 2:30PM Pre-Purim Musical Program 3/4/2015 5:30PM Purim Begins at Sundown 3/4/2015 11:15AM Visit from Yeshivat Tiferet Tzvi 3/5/2015 2:30PM Ruby Harris- Musician 3/5/2015 Day of Purim 3/6/2015 11:15AM Visit from Hillel Torah students 3/8/2015 12:00AM Daylight Savings Begins 3/8/2015 7:00PM History of the Jews in Chicago, Part 2 with Elise Ginsparg 3/8/2015 7:00PM Lyric Opera- M. Weinberg "The Passengers" 3/9/2015 3:40 PM Isac Kapulski, History of Our Sages 3/10/2015 7:00PM Yan Steadman- Piano 3/10/2015 2:30PM Sing-A-Long with Mark Hoffman 3/11/2015 2:30PM Carmine Menna- singer 3/12/2015 7:00PM Richard Klein, "My Jewish Travelog" 3/12/2015 Outing to Chicago Botanic Garden for the Orchid Show 3/15/2015 3:00PM Current Events with Mayer Sherman 3/15/2015 7:00PM Musical Duo Bernie and Randy 3/15/2015 3:00PM Current Events with Mayer Sherman 3/17/2015 7:00PM Mike Basin- Musician 3/19/2015 3:00PM UZO- "Zionism- Is it Still Relevant Today?" American Zionist Movement Rabbi Veron Kurtz 3/19/2015 7:00PM Health Lecture, Pharmacist Art Gordon 3/22/2015 3:00PM Current Events with Hyma Levin 3/22/2015 7:00PM Marilyn Allswang Eisenberg- piano/singer 3/25/2015 2:30PM Birthday Party 3/26/2015 7:00PM Elise Ginsparg, The Life of Dona Gracia Nosi 3/29/2015 3:00PM Current Events with Mayer Sherman 3/29/2015 7:00PM James Sanders- Violin 3/30/2015 Outing to the Chicago Cultural Center for free concert: The New Chamber Orchestra Mark Your Calendars: March Events Looking Forward
- 4. 4 PARK PLAZA’S MONTHLYFESTIVE THEMED DINNERS We hope you are en- joying our monthly themed eating experi- ences at Park Plaza. This month’s Persian Themed Dinner will take place on March 3rd. Please let Executive Chef Sam know what culinary tastes you would like to see and we will do our best to feature them on our menu for everyone to taste and en- joy. PARK PLAZA’S UNITED ZIONIST ORGANI- ZATION (“UZO”) comprised of Hadassah, Na’Amat, ARTZA and AMIT meets monthly. This month’s UZO, “Zionism- Is it still Rele- vant Today?” is presented by Rabbi Veron Kurtz of the American Zionist Movement. Please join us on the second floor, March 19th at 3:00pm. If you want to socialize while supporting and sharing your love for the State of Isra- el, come for these fun, entertaining, and educational meeting events. Refreshments provided. Watch our bulletin boards and weekly activity sheets for upcoming pro- grams. AM YISROEL CHAI! WE LOVE HEARING YOUR SUGGESTIONS. If you have an activity, outing, or program idea, please contact Roman our Activity Director, Adina or Rabbi Falk. THANK YOU TO LAST MONTH’S GUEST RABBIS, SPEAKERS, AND PERFORMERS. Thank you to all our guest speakers and performers from February: Conley Johnson, John Boda, Lyric Opera, Gelerinter Family, Maxwell Street Klezmer We are excited to bring you new outings and activities in 2015 as well as some old favorites. Sign-up sheets for outings will be placed in the transportation book at the front desk as soon as dates are fi- nalized. Look for these exciting events in your weekly schedule and announcements! If you have an activity, outing, or program idea, please contact Roman our Activity Director, Adina or Rabbi Falk. CURRENT EVENTS Do you enjoy discussing news and cur- rent events? Then join us for Park Plaza’s new Current Events group. We are excit- ed to have Mayer Sherman, Professor June Sochen, Leah Polin, Charlotte Glass and Regine Schelessinger for our current events series. Current Events is held on Sundays at 3:00pm on the 2nd Floor. TALKS AND TALES WITH ADINA Interested in sharing stories and stimu- lating discussion? Please join Adina for Talks and Tales every Monday at 10:30am in room 504 (the Movie Room). Each week we will share in refreshments and have different topics, stories and conver- sation. Anyone can join at any time! See You There! HEALTH LECTURE SERIES AT PARK PLAZA- This month’s Health Lecture, “How to Handle Medication” is given by Art Gor- don, and will take place at 7:00PM on March 19th. We look forward to seeing you there. Park Plaza News
- 5. 5 Band Trio, AbigailSivan, Michai Vlad, Ven- triloquist Chuck Fields, Lindsey Poling and Larry Baer, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Irina Kaufman, Carmine Menna, Joanne Stein. VOLUNTEERS, DONATIONS, AND SPON- SORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT PARK PLAZA If you would like to volunteer, make a donation, sponsor a program in honor or in memory of a special person, or special occasion, there are plenty of opportuni- ties at Park Plaza. Contact Yehuda for more information. Someone You Should Know Milton Gershovitz You may know Milton Gershovitz from his years as a “The Soft Drink Guy.” Milt worked in the soft drink business for over 40 years, delivering our favorite beverages. Milt moved to Chicago in 1953 from his home town of Canton, OH. As a young man he took up body building, and even built a gym in his home to help him train. When he first began delivering soft drinks, he sometimes would have to park his car half way down the block and carry his deliveries up three flights of stairs. It was hard work at first, but it helped Milt stay in shape. In 1959 he per- formed feats of strength that included lifting 30lbs with his head and neck. Milt per- formed in local social centers. Milton moved to Park Plaza two and a half years ago, after retiring from the soft drink business. He still body builds in his spare time, though not quite so rigorously. He en- joys the people and the activities here at Park Plaza; is a regular in shul and enjoys a variety of movies. Milt shares, “An evil tongue is like sword, it cuts people down. Instead we should build people up.” MAZEL TOV: Sylvia Shabbat on the birth of a great- great grandchild. David Yaakov Gelerinter, youngest son of Mrs. Pearl Elaine Gelerinter, on winning the KINS Cholent Cook-Off. IN MEMORIAM: On behalf of the entire staff at Park Plaza Retirement Center, we would like to ex- press our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of: Rita Wind May their families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim and know of no further sorrow. WE CARE ABOUT YOU and welcome your comments and suggestions. Please let us know how we can make Park Plaza a more enjoyable and comfortable place to live. YEHUDA
- 6. 6 PARK PLAZA’S RABBI Thisyear the month of March corresponds to latter two-thirds of the Jewish month of Adar and the first third of the month of Nisan. The holiday of Purim takes place in the middle of the month of Adar. The short version of the story of Purim is as follows: the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem over 2,400 years ago and sent the Jewish people into exile. During the seventy years of exile that followed, the Persians took control from the Babyloni- ans. The Persian king, Achashverosh, ruled over an enormous empire from In- dia to Ethiopia. When Vashti, his queen, refused to accede to his request to parade naked before his guests at a lavish ban- quet, Achashverosh had her executed. Beautiful woman were then taken from all around the Persian Empire for Achash- verosh, in order for him to select one to be his new queen. A beautiful young or- phaned Jewish woman named Esther was taken to the king’s palace. Achashverosh was smitten with her and married her. But under the instructions of her cousin, Mordechai, Esther did not reveal that she was Jewish. A few years later, Achashverosh promot- ed Haman to be his chief advisor. Haman demanded that all the people bow down to him wherever he went. Our sages tell us that Haman wore an idol around his neck, and in the process of bowing to Haman, everyone was also bowing to the idol. Mordechai, who was a Jewish leader, refused to bow and Haman was furious. He conspired to have the king issue a de- HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday to our dear residents and neighbors. We hope you enjoyed your very special birthday. Barbara Barasch March 3rd Rochelle Frank March 3rd Milton Gershovitz March 11th Harold Edelman March 17th Claire Zerkin March 18th Esther Reiss March 26th Rosalie Grad March 31st Leslie Rubin March 31st We will be celebrating all March resi- dent birthdays on Wednesday the 25th at2:30p.m. Families are encouraged to join their loved ones and celebrate their birthdays. We celebrate during lunch on the day of a resident’s birthday and at our monthly Birth- day Party. May we all celebrate many more birthdays together in good health and happiness.
- 7. 7 Columns and Contributions creecalling for the destruction of the en- tire Jewish people at the hands of their enemies. Mordechai led the Jewish peo- ple in fasting and prayer. Esther heroically went to Achashverosh and revealed that she was Jewish and that Haman therefore planned to kill her as well. The king was furious with Haman and had him execut- ed. The king then appointed Mordechai to replace Haman as his top advisor. The Jews were allowed to defend themselves from their enemies on the day that had been appointed for their destruction, and they emerged victorious. Following their victory over their enemies there was great rejoicing amongst the Jews. The day of the battle was the 13th of the month of Adar. We mark this date with the Fast of Esther. The day of celebration was the 14th of Adar, which we celebrate as the holiday of Purim. This year, the Fast of Es- ther is Wednesday, March 4th, and the holiday of Purim begins that night and continues on the day of Thursday, March 5th. On Purim there is a rabbinic command- ment to hear both at night and the follow- ing day, the events of this story as written immediately after it occurred in the Megil- lah (scroll) of Esther. The Megillah will be read on the 2nd floor Wednesday, March 4th at 6:30 pm, and on Thursday, March 5th at 8:45 am, and again at 1:15 pm for anyone who missed the reading in the morning. Following Purim, Chametz Sale forms will be available as Passover will be in early April. May all our residents and their families be blessed with a joyful Purim, Rabbi Yitzchak Falk PARK PLAZA’S EXECUTIVE CHEF Hello Everyone! March is here and winter is starting to slow down, and as we know in Chica- go that means very slowly. This means that Passover is soon approaching. Passover is the busiest and most hectic time for us here in the kitchen as we have A LOT of work to do. We clean every inch of the kitchen spotless from floor to ceil- ing, pack up our regular kitchen, Kasher all of our equipment and then unpack our Passover kitchen. As Passover approaches, we also need to make room for all of our Passover products. This means reducing our regular inventory and making room for our Passover inventory. We apologize, and ask for your patience and understand- ing, if we cannot meet every one of your requests during meals or run out of some product towards the end of March as we get closer to Passover. We will still try to meet your requests as long as the item is available and we have the room to store it. We will have several days during the week before Passover that we will not be serving you on our fine china, but on dis- posables. I thank you all for your patience and understanding. Have a great March! Sam Landman PARK PLAZA IS UPDATING OUR EMAIL LIST and would like to send you and your loved ones a digital copy of the Park Plaza Post and our weekly activity schedule. If you would like to be added to our email list, please send your request to Yehuda@park-plaza.org
- 8. 8 • Improves balanceand helps to minimize fall risk • Instructs in safe use of cane, walker, and other assistive devices and assesses your equipment needs Occupational Therapy: • Can assess your new or temporary bath- room and your safety • Improves ability to transfer in/out of the tub, shower, bed, and car • Treats swelling, joint pain, muscle weak- ness and in-coordination in the arm or hand • Instructs in techniques to compensate for loss of vision or impaired perceptual skills • Improves endurance through energy conservation techniques, pacing, and proper breathing • Addresses ability to complete home management tasks to maintain your inde- pendence • Offers a mental fitness program de- signed to sharpen thinking skills and memory A physician’s order is needed for therapy services, which we can help you acquire. We accept Medicare and most other pri- vate insurances. For more information, contact Shelley Kleinman, PT & Rehab Manager 773.381.3314 “A Bubbed Meiseh” By Marilyn Zuckerman The Wellness Corner: I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy during these brutal cold weather months. Remember to always stay well rested, drink plenty of fluids and call your doctor when not feel- ing well. To better serve you during the move of our wellness center we will have blood pressure clinic hours from 1pm-2pm Monday through Friday. Feel free to stop in and get your weight and blood pres- sure taken. RPI THERAPY Your Rehabilitation Services at Park Plaza A comprehensive rehabilita- tion program is provided on site at Park Plaza through Rehabilitation Professionals Inc. (RPI) Therapy Services. Residents are assisted in their goals for maintaining independence through the efforts of our interdisciplinary team of caring, experienced rehabilitation profes- sionals. Physical Therapy: • Helps reduce your arthritic pain • Addresses impaired movement caused by disease or injury • Improves the ability to walk, transfer, and manage stairs • Helps improve endurance and strength through a personalized exercise program • Treats swelling, joint pain, and limited range of motion
- 9. 9 Mrs. Rokeach taughtmy Baba fleishigs, kugels, fish, etc. Mrs. Breakstone taught my Baba milchigs, challahs, cakes, parve, etc. She could not have had better teacher- two women: the wives of the biggest ko- sher food manufacturing companies in America. She learned the best from the best. My mother told me this story when I was a child. She also related that Mrs. Break- stone owned a little black and white dog that she loved dearly. But as a result, when her husband, Mr. Breakstone came home from work, the little dog promptly bit him on his legs and ankles out of jeal- ously. This caused constant barking and hollering from their apartment. But Mrs. Breakstone would not give up her dog. I often heard these stories as a child, but they meant nothing to me. “Bubbe Meis- es” as they say. About fifteen years ago, I changed my mind after watching a strong advertising campaign for Breakstone’s dairy products on TV. There, filling the screen, was an ac- tor playing the part of Mr. Breakstone- bald and fat and wearing a big white apron while on the floor was a little black and white dog eagerly biting his legs and ankles. My Baba’s “Bubbeh Meiseh” was true after all. What if?... By Isac H. Kapulski What if one day we could jot down all or most of our unfulfilled wishes… My Baba came to America in 1885 with her younger sister and two older brothers. Her name was Mariassa bas Zalman HaLe- vi Raschkin. Those were the years of the great immigration from Russia. All boys in Russia were being conscripted into the Czar’s army. And Jewish fathers, rather than allowing their sons to eat Treif in the army, were blinding and crippling their sons so they would be unfit for service. The lucky families had money enough to leave Russia and go to America or Pales- tine. The voyage in steerage was too much for my Baba’s mother and she died soon after landing here. A step-mother was found to care for the four little ones. But she soon had children of her own to care for, so her husband’s children were left on their own and taught nothing. In 1899, at the age of 16, my Baba mar- ried my Zayde, Israel Sholemson, in Wil- liamsburg, Brooklyn, and set up an apart- ment there. For several days after, my Zayde came out of the front door crying bitterly. The women sunning themselves outside asked him, “Vus is die mer?” Why are you crying? He answered, “My wife! She doesn’t know how to cook anything; not eggs or coffee, cereal or fish! I’m hun- gry. I haven’t eaten in days. I buy her food, but she doesn’t know what to do with it. What shall I do? What shall I do?” Two of the women, listening to my Zayde’s cry for help, told him, “Don’t worry Mr. Sholemson. We’ll go upstairs and teach your wife how to cook. Your worries are over.” And, true to their promise, they did.
- 10. 10 …while there isstill time to take action and make them come true? What if we could prioritize them in order of meaning and importance and start im- plementing the steps needed to make them happen?... What if we could set the wheels of time back to a time when we could have start- ed doing something about transforming them into reality?... …and what if we could advance the wheels of time and take a peek into what may be and see how some of our imagined dreams might be evolving in the future?... …while looking back, could we have done something about speeding up the logis- tics and mechanics of transforming such dreams into meaning- ful, practical and working realities?... …and while looking into the future, could we do something about making our wishes work out more efficiently, in a more productive way?... …could we either in the past or in the fu- ture, add, subtract, delete, correct, im- prove what we wished for to begin with?... …could we either ask a friend, a relative, a loved one to help us out and make such dreams into a joint venture? …and if knowing that some of such dreams might be doomed, alter them, replace them or eliminate them? …But, no matter which way any of such dreams could have, might have turned out, would we have the ambition, initiative, courage to proceed with such endeavors and embark into adventures and projects that were dormant, latent embedded in our minds for years, decades, perhaps a lifetime? …and what if we made sure to vote for the candidates that would represent the best interests of their constituents?...and all of the inhabitants of our country and Eretz Israel? …and what if we could do all that we could to enable those people who needed our help to live a better life? …and what if we could donate to charita- ble organizations that would make our world a better place to live in? So, enough of conjectures, enough of speculations, let’s roll up our sleeves and get down to work! Manicures and Pedicures by Reeta Manicure $10 Pedicure $15 Threading/Waxing $5 -Eyebrow -Lip -Chin
- 11. 11 Park Plaza Services NOTARYSERVICES AT PARK PLAZA If you have documentation you need no- tarized, no need to go out. Our very own resident Isac Kapulski is a notary and will notarize you documents at no charge. Have your state I.D. or drivers license ready and he will gladly assist by notariz- ing your documents. Isac is only available for notarizing during lunch and dinner times. Please see Isac at table #18 in the side dining room. DENTIST AT PARK PLAZA Dentist, Dr. Lisa Blumofe has been making regular monthly visits at Park Plaza. We are pleased to hear such positive feedback coming from residents who have already seen her. Dr. Blumofe is available to see patients on the third Tuesday of every month. To set up an appointment please call Dr. Blumofe at 847-660-8355. DR. MARNI GOLDBERG Many residents see Dr. Goldberg at Park Plaza in the doctor’s office located in Room 426. To schedule an appointment or arrange a house call, please call Dr. Goldberg at 847-674-2251. CHICAGO MITZVAH CAMPAIGN COMPLI- MENTARY HOSPITAL VAN SERVICE In addition to our Park Plaza van service, the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign will pro- vide residents with round trip transporta- tion to St. Francis, Evanston and Skokie doctor’s office adjacent to the hospitals (or within a block or two of the hospital). To sign up for this complementary service, please stop by the front desk. Any ap- pointment the Mitzvah campaign can’t ac- commodate, Park Plaza will. PARK PLAZA SHABBAT ZMIROT (SINGING) Thank you to Art Gordon for leading our Friday night Shabbat Zemirot. Continuing the lovely tradition of singing songs on the Shabbat is meaningful and enjoyable for everyone at Park Plaza. Please join us for a moving Shabbat evening. PARK PLAZAS BEAUTY SHOP Viviana, Park Plaza’s professional beauti- cian is here every Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 am-2:30pm for haircuts, trims and shampoos, for both men and women. To schedule you appointment call Viviana at (847) 452-2941. PARK PLAZA’S WOMEN’S TEHILLIM PRAY- ER GROUP (PSALMS) meets for a half an hour on Sundays and Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in our Movie Room (Room 504) Our women's prayer group joins tens of thou- sands of other groups around the world praying for good health, peace, and pros- perity, now more important than ever. If you have anywhere from a few minutes to a half an hour to spare, if you long to offer prayers for a personal need, or if you would like to experience the power of group prayer...in Hebrew or English, your- choice...please join us on Sundays and/or Tuesdays at 6:30p.m., room 504.
- 12. 12 Park Plaza RetirementCenter 6840 N. Sacramento Ave. Chicago, IL 60645 Phone: 773-465-6700 Fax: 773-465-2490 E-mail: yehuda@park-plaza.org