PLAZA PRESS The Newsletter for Jewish Federation Plaza

Celebrating

April

Passover April 4-8

Stress Awareness Month

Jazz Appreciation Month

Golden Rule Week

April 1–7

Easter

April 5

Metric System Day April 7

International Moment

of Laughter Day

April 14

Earth Day

April 22

Yom HaShoah

April 16

Yom HaAtzma’ut

April 23

Passover

April is the month that Passover is celebrated. Passover is probably the best known of the Jewish holidays. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu’ot and Sukkot). The primary observances of Passover are related to the Exodus from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. This story is told in Exodus Chapters 1-15. The name “Passover” refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In Hebrew, it is known as Pesach which is based on the Hebrew root meaning “pass over”. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzoth (the Festival of Matzahs), and Zeman Herutenu (the Time of Our Freedom). The most significant observance related to Passover involves the removal of chametz) from homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing arrogance, and pride). Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after coming into contact with water. Traditional Jews of Ashkenazic background also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, and legumes (beans) as if they were chametz. All of these items have been used to make bread, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion. Such additional items are referred to as “kitniyos.” We may not eat chametz During Passover; We may not even own it or derive benefit from it. All chametz, including utensils used to cook must either be disposed of or sold to a non-Jew.

Continued on page 2

April 2015

Passover Ccntinued from page 1

The process of cleaning the home of all chametz in preparation for Passover is an enormous task. After the cleaning is completed, the morning before the seder, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and remaining chametz is burned. The grain product eaten during Passover is matzah unleavened bread, made from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. The day before Passover is the fast of the firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague. On the first night of Passover (first two nights for traditional Jews outside Israel), we have a very special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder, from a Hebrew root word meaning “order.” Passover lasts for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). The first and last days of the holiday (first two and last two outside of Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo’ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot.

New Men’s Club at Plaza

1st Meeting Thursday, April 23rd

3:00 p.m. Promeande

Paul Rabinowitz will be presenting various topics for discussion that are

of mutual interest to our male residents. Topics will include Current

Events, Israel, the Economy, Technology, Medical Research,

Business and much more.

This month's presentation will be on the challenges facing the United States and Israel in a changing Middle East.

Plaza Pizza Party

1.

The Activities Office is planning a Pizza Party for residents of Jewish Federation Plaza

during the month of April featuring entertainment by Tuvia.

The party is scheduled to take place on

Monday, April 20th at 12:00 p.m. in the Plaza Dining Room.

Invitations will be issued within the next

week. Please be sure to RSVP if you plan to attend.

Manager’s Corner

A Few Holiday Reminders:

Passover begins April 3rd and ends April 11th

1st Seder, Friday April 3rd @ 4:15 pm 2nd Seder, Saturday April 4th @ 4:30 pm

Easter Sunday April 5th

Other Reminders:

Everyone has an assigned parking space for which only you are allowed to park in; if there is a need for a closer

parking space you must come to the office to put your name on the waitlist.

(you cannot just switch spaces with anyone!)

Smoking is NOT PERMITTED in the building and only in the designated areas outside the building.

We ask that if anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to contact the office @ 973*530*3973.

As we have now entered into spring, we can all begin to get out and enjoy the weather and the blooming scenes,

and be thankful for winters past!!!!

Ann Marie Bass

Welcome to Jewish Federation Plaza

We are pleased that you have chosen our community as your new home. We want you to be happy at

Jewish Federation Plaza and welcome any suggestions. We appreciate having you as one of our tenants and

hope that you will enjoy your new home.

Zahira Aliabadi Roberta Atti Irene Bau

Arthur Greenberg Jinny Jeon

William & Ruth Kraut Sondra Lang Shirley Linker Vivian Mobley

Joanne Pedicini Claudette Pfeffer

Gary Prager Toby Rosenstein Seymour Spierer

Gary Weisbrot

A Letter from Judy Solomon

It's hard to believe that another month has passed and spring is actually here. It even feels like spring at times. March was a fairly busy time as we celebrated Purim, saw movies and streamed to the television sets of residents that have Senior TV. We also enjoyed meeting one adorable service dog. We even have the Promenade completed with new comfortable seating, card tables and cabinets. The updated new area looks as good as they feels… The month of April starts with celebrations for almost everybody here. Both Passover and Easter are celebrated at the same time-so Happy Holidays to everyone. During this time we will also have Tenants Association meetings to vote for the officers for 2015-2016. We will also be planning the Mothers Day-Fathers Day luncheon for your enjoyment. Here's to a busy and beautiful April. Judy

Laughing Matters

You may be laughing until it hurts, but that laughter is doing some powerful healing. Pull up a chair next to the class clown or pull out some jokes of your own, because April is Humor Month Humor may be one of the oldest and most effective methods of social bonding. No matter what your culture or background, all laughter sounds the same. Better yet, studies show that the more you laugh, the more attractive you become to the opposite sex…or perhaps that is just a joke? Most laughter doesn’t come from listening to jokes. Most laughter comes from spending time with friends and family. Furthermore, people tend to laugh more when they’re in groups. Laughter truly is contagious. Doctors have become wise to the positive health effects of laughter. Laughter has been shown to decrease blood pressure, improve the function of blood vessels, increase blood flow, decrease hormones associated with stress, and strengthen immune systems by increasing infection-fighting antibodies. Laughter even reduces pain by stimulating the release of endorphins. One doctor believes laughing is such good exercise that he calls it “internal jogging.” One minute of laughing, he says, is equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. Laughter is not just good for the body; it’s also good for the mind. Humor stimulates creativity, improves problem-solving abilities, enhances memory, and teaches resilience. All April long, make sure to take “laugher breaks” every day. Avoid the news and instead watch a sitcom or funny movie, read the daily comics, perform a sight gag, tell a joke, play games, spend time with children, and most importantly, do these things with friends. Hoot and holler with reckless abandon and your body will thank you. Plaza residents are invited to join us for a comedy program featuring award winning comic Marion Oxenhorn on April 9th at 2:00 p.m. in the Recreation Room.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES

To: Sandy Garrison

From: Rhoda Morris

Gert Freeman

To: Norma Tooter

From: Rhoda Morris

Dottie Kleinert

Gert Freeman

Dolores Lederman

Helen Mandel

To: George Aptecker

From: Rhoda Morris

To: Joe Podnos

From: Dottie Kleinert

GET WELL WISHES

To: Millie Podnos

From: Sandye Garrison

To:

Barbara Palin

From: Sandye Garrison

Gert Freeman

Clara Beckerman & Aggie

To: Batia Horn

From: Sandye Garrison

To: May Berenson

From: Thelma Gottlieb

Welcome Home

To: Renee Levy

From: Marlene Mankoff

Condolence

To: The Orowsky Family

From: Gert Freeman

Norma Tooter

To: Dulcie Johnson

in memory of beloved

mother & father

From:

Sandye Garrison

Donations for Birthday Cake

From:

Sandye Garrison

Eleanore Berkowitz

Clara Beckerman

& Aggie

Thank You for Library Donations

George Aptecker

Alyce Atkins

Pearl Berkowitz

Irene Goldberg

Marcia Goldberg

Shirley Linker

Sarah Moskowitz

Barbara Palin

Norma Tooter

Florence Widelitz

HAPPY APRIL BIRTHDAY

Rhoda Morris 4/08 Joann Guarino 4/10 Donald Rubenoff 4/11 Jeng Jeon 4/14 Carol Schneider 4/16 Wanda Robinson 4/20 Cywa Wajner 4/22 Rita Rosenfield 4/28

Robert Kraut 4/30

Yom HaShoah

Many people in the United States observe Yom Hashoah, which is also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. It commemorates the lives and heroism of Jewish people who died in the Holocaust.

Yom Hashoah is not a federal public holiday in the US. The state of Israel moves the observance of Yom Hashoah when the actual date falls on a Friday or Sunday. It is then observed on the preceding Thursday or following Monday.

Israel’s Knesset (parliament) established Yom Hashoah, as a memorial to about six million Jewish people who were slaughtered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. It is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan. The full name of the day is Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah, which means the "Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism".

Laurie Loughney presented a highly enjoyable program about Dog Sledding during the month of March entitled “Born to Pull.”

Many residents enjoy weekly Choral Group rehearsals which are conducted by Ronnie Weinstein. Barry provides guitar accompaniment.

The JCHC Choral Group sings beautifully.

A Cure for the Common Man

Looking for an excuse to treat yourself to a little TLC? Look no further than April 25, Mani-Pedi Day. Manicures and pedicures involve an entire host of hand and foot treatments, including filing and clipping nails, massages, and softening and moisturizing the hands and feet in hot paraffin wax, lotions, or oils. Some even choose to decorate their nails with tiny jewels, dried flowers, or glitter. The nail salon has long been considered the province of women, but more men now put the man back in manicure. Add a fingernail treatment to a well-tailored suit, barbershop shave, shoeshine, and a splash of cologne and you’ve got a well-groomed man. Even NFL athletes have been known to enjoy a calf massage while their feet are sunk into a bowl of warm paraffin wax. Still self-conscious of visiting the salon? Some top-notch manicurists pair the manicure with beer or scotch while the game plays on a big-screen TV.

Upcoming Events

Passover Religious Services

Passover Seders

Plaza Pizza Party Featuring Tuvia

New Plaza Men’s Club

Comedy with Marion Oxenhorn

Senior TV Movies

Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossoms

Art Class

Jewelry Making Workshop

Barnabas Health Cancer Awareness

Poetry Workshop

Mediation & Relaxation

Weekend Movies

Book Club

Life Long Learning

Choral Group

Bickford Theatre “Tally’s Follies”

NY Historical society: Abe Lincoln & the Jews

Please calendar for all event dates and times.

Chicago’s Deep Dish Debate

It’s a pizza that stands apart from all the rest, with three-inch-high walls of buttery crust holding in a simmering stew of sauce, cheese, sausage, pepperoni, peppers, onions, and whatever else your stomach desires. The Chicago-style deep-dish pizza has become such a culinary icon that it bears its own holiday, Deep Dish Pizza Day, on April 5. The deep-dish pizza debuted in 1943 at Chicago’s Pizzeria Uno restaurant, but locals debate its true roots. Was it the Malnati family, working at the first Pizzeria Uno, who invented the deep dish? Did the Malnati family matriarch develop the dough recipe for another restaurant entirely? The best way to settle the debate is to take one of Chicago’s Deep Dish Pizza Tours and eat until you’re as stuffed as a Chicago-style pizza pie

Me Gotta Go

Some call “Louie Louie” the most popular party song of all time. Others just call it the most incomprehensible. Try your best to decipher the lyrics on April 11, International Louie Louie Day, in honor of composer Richard Berry’s birthdate in 1935. It was the music group the Kingsmen who made “Louie Louie” a hit in 1963. A year later, the FBI opened an investigation into the song’s mysterious lyrics. One concerned listener believed they contained obscene language. After months of analysis, the FBI concluded the song was unintelligible. Today we know that it is a simple song about a seafaring man pining for his love

APRIL 2015 PLAZA Calendar is subject to change

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 9:00 Art Class 10:15 Walmart Rt

22

11:00 Move Today & Walking Club 12:15 Life-Long Learning 1:00 JVS Blood Pressure Screening NO CHORAL GROUP TODAY 7:15 BINGO

2 9:00 SHOPRITE

10:00 SHOPRITE

11:00 Exercise 2:00 Hirschhorn David

Aaron the Art of

Klezmer

3 Passover

begins at sundown OFFICE

CLOSES

1:00 PM

1:00 ONEG

SHABBAT

4:15-6:15

Passover 1st

Sedar

4 Passover Day 1 9:00 RELIGIOUS

SERVICE

11:00 KIDDUSH

4:30-6:30

Passover

2nd Sedar

5 Passover Day 2 9:00 PASSOVER

SERVICE

11:00 KIDDUSH

6 Passover Day 3 10:15 TOWN

BUS

10:45 Livingston Mall 11:30 TAI CHI

7:15 BINGO

7 Passover Day 4 11:00 EXERCISE 2:00 CURRENT

EVENTS 6:00 LIBRARY 8:00 Senior TV Movie: Power of Attorney

8 Passover Day 5

10:45 Essex Green

11:00 Move Today & Walking Club NO CHORAL GROUP TODAY 7:15 BINGO

9 Passover Day 6 9:00 SHOPRITE

10:00 SHOPRITE 11:00 Exercise 2:00 Comedy with Marion Oxenhorn

10Passover Day 7 OFFICE CLOSED

DINING ROOM

OPEN 9:00 RELIGIOUS

SERVICE KIDDUSH TO

FOLLOW

7:00 Religious

Service

11 Passover Day 8 9:00 PASSOVER

SERVICE

10:00 YIZKOR

KIDDUSH TO

FOLLOW

7:00 MOVIE

12 11:00

BRUNCH

2:00 MOVIE

13 10:15 TOWN BUS 10:30 Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossoms State Street Grill 11:30 TAI CHI 1:00 Social

Worker

Program

7:00 Life-Long Learning 7:15 BINGO

14 11:00

EXERCISE

2:00 CURRENT

EVENTS

6:00 LIBRARY

6:45 Meditation & Relaxation

15 8:45 Mt. Airy Casino 9:00 Art Class 11:00 Move Today & Walking Club 12:15 Life-Long Learning 1:30 CHORAL GROUP 7:15 BINGO

16 Yom HaShoah 10:15 Trader Joes

Millburn

11:00 Exercise 2:00 Poetry Workshop 7:00 Book Club

17 9:00 SHOPRITE

10:00

SHOPRITE

1:00 ONEG

SHABBAT

18 9:00 SHABBAT

SERVICE

11:00 KIDDUSH

7:00 MOVIE

19 11:00

BRUNCH

2:00 MOVIE

20 10:15 TOWN

BUS

10:45 Essex

Green

11:30 TAI CHI

12:00 Plaza

Pizza Party

with Tuvia

7:00 Life-Long Learning 7:15 BINGO

21 11:00 EXERCISE

1:15 Officer

Squires WOPD

2:00 CURRENT

EVENTS

6:00 LIBRARY 8:00 Senior TV Movie

22 Earth Day 10:45 Livingston Mall 11:00 Move Today & Walking Club 12:15 Life-Long Learning 1:30 CHORAL GROUP 3:00 Floral Design Workshop 7:15 BINGO

23 Yom HaAtzma’ut 12:00 Bickford Theatre “Tally’s Follies” 11:00 Exercise 2:00 Cancer Awareness by Barnabas Healthcare 3:00 MEN’S CLUB 1ST MEETING

24 9:00 SHOPRITE

10:00

SHOPRITE

1:00 ONEG

SHABBAT

25 9:00 SHABBAT

SERVICE

11:00 KIDDUSH

7:00 MOVIE

26 11:00

BRUNCH

2:00 MOVIE

Gamefest

after Movie

27 10:15 TOWN BUS 10:15

Woodbridge

Mall &

Wegman’s 11:30 TAI CHI

7:00 Life-Long Learning 7:15 BINGO

28 11:00

EXERCISE

2:00 CURRENT

EVENTS

6:00 LIBRARY 6:45 Meditation &

29 10:45 Irvings &

Farmers Market 11:00 Move Today & Walking Club 12:15 Life-Long Learning 1:30 CHORAL GROUP 6:45 Jewelry Making Workshop 7:15 BINGO

30 9:30 “NY Historical Society Exhibit: Abe Lincoln & the Jews” 11:00 Exercise 2:00 Traveling Stage: American Song Book