They’re back! Yes, after 2.5 years in Florida, the two Cedar Sinai Park Torahs out for repair are back on campus and ready to ring in 5784.

“The Torahs have had a wonderful vacation in Miami, and now they’re back!” said Eddy Shuldman, board trustee and spiritual life committee chairperson. “We are the people of the book. Our story as a people, and the guidelines for how we should live our lives, is contained within those scrolls. It’s hard to describe the emotions we feel welcoming our Torahs home again.”

Cedar Sinai Park’s three Torahs were inspected by a sofer for the first time in 2019, thanks to the generosity of Marcy Tonkin. Suffering from cracks and smudges, two of the Torahs were taken by plane for repair by Rabbi Menachem Bialo, who checked one Torah (without its staves), and packed the other Torah in his carry on bag.

Plans for Rabbi Bialo or another sofer to bring the repaired Torahs back to Oregon kept getting waylaid, primarily due to Covid, and so it was decided that the Torahs should be mailed back instead.

We are grateful to Rabbi Michael and Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, and Aki and Devora Fleshler, who generously provided the postage to help us get our Torahs safely across the country!

One of the Torahs just repaired is a “vuv,” a 21-inch heavyweight Torah scroll written in a Good Bet Yoseph Sephard script approximately 50 to 60 years ago in Israel.

The other Torah repaired is our 16.25″ lightweight Torah scroll written in a Good Bet Yoseph script approximately 120 years ago in Germany.

“The Torahs needed repairs to fix cracking and faded letters, as well as “airing out” in a climate-controlled space,” said Eddy.

The Nudelman family generously donated one of the Torahs in 1997 in memory of Alysmae Nudelman, and “the fact that there are Nudelmans living with us now, makes the Torahs coming home even more special,” said Eddy.

The latter Torah, the smaller one, had to be reassembled upon arrival, since its staves were removed for the flight to Florida, and were still off for the trip home.

Staff and residents used sinew and instructions provided by Rabbi Bialo to re-attach the parchment to the stave through three small holes.

“My dad was a tailor,” said Eddy. “I should have been paying attention!”

Then, the group carefully rolled the Torah through the five books of the Old Testament to re-attach the stave similarly on the other end.

“What an experience!” said resident Jeanine. “This is an honor.”

Agreed resident Ruth: “Isn’t this something? This is so moving.”

Noted resident Eve: “I have read from Torahs that aren’t nearly as legible. I’m impressed with the writing. This is so readable.”

Finally, the group put the Torahs in their beautiful covers, and placed them back in the ark in Cogan Chapel.

“There’s something lovely about this gathering because it integrates the holiness of sacred work with having fun,” said Spiritual Life Director Cathy Zheutlin. “This experience is priceless.”

All are welcome to attend a special celebration/re-dedication of the two repaired Torahs, at a Saturday, October 7, Simchat Torah observance in Zidell Hall that begins at 7 p.m.

We still have one Torah on campus that needs repair! There is now a dedicated Torah/Judaica Fund to which people can contribute for the religious and spiritual upkeep of the Torahs and prayer books, through the Cedar Sinai Park Foundation.

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The Jewish community chaplain, Rabbi Barry Cohen, is going to be spending more time at Cedar Sinai Park!

“Before Covid, Rabbi Barry used to come to breakfast once a week to spend time with the residents and have conversations,” said Spiritual Life Coordinator Cathy Zheutlin. “Now that Covid is on the wane, he will be here for one-to-one visits throughout the campus every Monday. In addition to occasionally leading Shabbat and other holiday services, he’ll offer some educational opportunities.”

Rabbi Barry grew up in Memphis, but was in the Midwest for school and much of his career. He and his family moved to Oregon in 2018, and Rabbi Barry joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland as its community chaplain.

Besides Cedar Sinai Park, Rabbi Barry visits seniors at 11 other retirement communities in the Portland area.

“A lot of people feel like they are on the outside looking in when they are Jewish living at a non-Jewish facility,” he said. “There are definitely times during the year when Jewish residents in non-Jewish facilities feel very lonely.

“In elder communities all across the city, people are really looking for connections. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the same or different religion, most elders are looking for someone to spend time with them.

“You never know what kind of interaction you’re going to have,” added Rabbi Barry. “Sometimes, it’s surface level, and other times it’s a very engaging conversation, and then once we have a personal connection, it can go deeper into the spiritual arena.”

“What I’m offering is support, where I’m present and actively listening, being as compassionate as possible.”

Robison Jewish Health Center/Harold Schnitzer Center for Living resident David Cohen (no relation to Rabbi Barry) said the Rabbi’s visits are wonderful. “I never really went to synagogue, but it’s nice to be able to talk to a rabbi,” he said.

“This is a good place,” said Rabbi Barry. “I like how it’s filled with a diversity of residents, but at the same time, you know you’re walking into a Jewish space.

“When you meet the residents and find out where they’re from, it doesn’t take long before you’ve made a connection. And then that connection leads to a conversation with someone else, and then that leads to a class you’re teaching on a Jewish topic or a worship service you’re leading, and the conversation goes from there.

“It’s hard to quantify, but when you walk into Rose Schnitzer Manor, it feels different here.”

It’s not always easy to chase down Margaret Leontyev. She not only moves fast, but the longtime catering manager has many different projects that she is working on, all at the same time. We ended up chatting while Margaret multi-tasked.

“Events are a big part of my job,” said Margaret, as she moves toward her computer.  “We organize and prepare everything, set up, and then clean up afterwards.  For some events we will also help serve as well.”

Margaret opens her spreadsheets to share the hundreds of invoices she codes, signs, and tracks monthly for both sides of campus, and then sends to accounting.  Margaret loves crunching the numbers. Each month she also creates reports on spending.

Human Resources Director Geneva Dougal says people are always talking about Margaret’s wonderfulness and how amazing her spreadsheets look. “If Margaret’s ears are itching,” said Geneva, “it’s because people are always saying nice things about her. She is brilliant.”

Margaret and her husband Andrey came to the United States from Lithuania in the late 1990s to join Andrey’s six sisters and two brothers who had earlier moved to the states.  In 2014, Andrey’s mother (who is now 93), also joined the rest of her family as she flew in from Ukraine.

Cedar Sinai Park was the first job offer that Margaret received in the United States.  Formally trained as a civil engineer in Lithuania, Margaret started as a server at Rose Schnitzer Manor when it opened its doors in January of 1998.

Ten years ago, Margaret became catering manager, and in January she celebrated her 25^th year at Cedar Sinai Park.

“I like it here,” said Margaret. “The philosophy of Jewish facility to respect, to love, and to be kind; I truly support what we stand for.  And the friendships that we have formed with everyone truly makes this job so fulfilling and rewarding.”

Was there ever a time in 25 years when Margaret wasn’t busy?!

“No, never,” she says. “It’s not in my character to not do something. I like people who work hard and who pursue goals.”

Did the 25 years go fast?

“Yes, very fast. We have had hard times, and we have had good times,” Margaret says, smiling.

It’s probably no surprise that when Margaret leaves Cedar Sinai Park for the day, she goes home to cook.

“I’m always cooking,” she said. “We have a big family [three grandchildren now] and a fruit tree orchard. We are planting tomatoes and cucumbers, and I am canning, making sauerkraut for winter.”

“Margaret is always helping, even if you don’t ask,” says Dusanka, over the whirr of the blender.

Dusanka has also been with Cedar Sinai Park in food service for many decades, and added: “Margaret is so dedicated. She always jumps in to help and she makes sure everything is done. I’ve seen her line up tables and tablecloths in Zidell Hall; and they have to be just right before she is satisfied.

“Margaret will never walk away from an event until it’s perfect. She really deserves to have her story told.”

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Watching our slender volunteer Alan Moses lug his 21-pound accordion through the halls of Cedar Sinai Park to then set it on his knee for a playing and singing session with the residents is truly a lesson in dedication.

“It still feels like I’m wrestling an octopus every time I strap this thing on,” said the self-deprecating Alan, with a chuckle, as he nibbled an apple between gigs at our Home. “I found some great videos on accordion ergonomics, and I’m working my technique, but I think the main thing is just not to play too many hours in one day.”

Alan is typically at Cedar Sinai Park once or twice a week, in between playing for a hospice group, and helping to care for his pre-teen grandchildren.

“Knowing viscerally that you have made a difference in a person’s life is a great experience,” said Alan. “I knew as soon as I retired that I wanted to find an avenue to give back.

“I like to envision myself as helping, but it’s such a great feeling for me; it just feels good to do.”

This National Volunteer Week, please thank our beloved Cedar Sinai Park volunteers, like Alan, who help us daily with the care and support of residents.

Alan grew up in the Santa Barbara area in a musical family, and learned to play the piano as a child, participating in bands and other group settings. As a young parent attending camping festivals, he was frustrated that his given instrument was not portable and that he couldn’t participate. Then in the early 1990s, his wife Nancy Friedland found him an accordion.

“The right hand of the accordion is similar to the piano,” said Alan. “The biggest difference is that the accordion is a wind instrument. So, if you run out of breath in the bellows, it doesn’t make any noise. So that took me a while to get my head around. And then the left-hand buttons are quite different than anything I’d ever used.

“My right hand feels at home, and my left hand feels lost. It’s kind of an interesting challenge. I still feel like a bit of a duffer.”

Alan’s audiences certainly don’t agree with that assessment. “Oooohhh, I love that song,” said Ruby, as Alan charges into a rousing verse of Yankee Doodle Dandy.

“The accordion looks funny,” said Alan. “It puts people at ease.”

Alan and Nancy used to perform at senior centers in California (Nancy plays the mandolin). The couple moved to Portland in 2014 with the birth of their second grandchild. Both retired—Alan said he was in “middle management at a university”—he began volunteering as a musical companion for bedside visits to a hospice organization.

“My mother moved at the same time we did. She said ‘you can run, but you can’t hide!’ Eager for a change since Alan’s father had died a handful of years previously, Marilyn Moses called Rose Schnitzer Manor on her own and made a reservation for a guest visit. After two weeks, she said, ‘do I have to go back?’”

Marilyn lived at Rose Schnitzer Manor from 2014 to mid-2020 when she unexpectedly had a stroke.

She loved the place, the quality of care she got from everyone,” said Alan. “This place does an incredible job of staffing so she had a last good phase of her life while she was here. I am just so impressed with this organization.”

After Marilyn passed, Alan began volunteering for Nancy Heckler [Adult Day Services Director] on the Robison side of campus, and he has steadily bumped up his volunteer time ever since.

“It’s not performance; it’s about getting everyone to participate and comfortable with the singing, and the chatting in between,” said Alan.

“Being able to bring music to people in various times of their life is very gratifying. The benefits of music become really visible.

“When my wife’s dad was in cognitive decline, we would play for him. He was no longer able to remember Nancy’s name, but he could recall every word of the folk songs. We were able to see how much the music brought to him. At a time when he was confused, he could sing a song and feel competent.

“I learned a lot of the songs from my parents,” added Alan, “so there’s a feeling of connection there with my family, too.

“I feel connected to this place, as well. It’s one of the things that keeps me coming every week.”

Trevor Richen grew up in Portland in the food world. His great grandfather owned Griffin’s, a 1970s “cafeteria” in downtown Portland, where his parents and extended family worked before Trevor was born. The prep cook/dietary aide considers himself a foodie.

“I like everything,” said Trevor, wearing one of his stylin’ baseball hats and duds after a shift. “I’m a sucker for pizza, but I also love branching out. I love Mexican food, Thai, Chinese. And I like to cook.”

Trevor even took a 16-week culinary class, which brought him to Cedar Sinai Park in December of 2021.

“My culinary class was led by Chef Jon who used to work here, and he recommended I apply for a job. I already lived here [at Kehillah] and he put in a good word for me with Andy [Staggs, culinary services director].

“Andy contacted me and scheduled an interview, which was literally right after I graduated from the class.

“I love it here,” said Trevor. “It’s the best decision I ever made. And the second-best decision was living at Kehillah.

“I love being around the people, coworkers, and the residents. I think being amongst a community that’s full of good vibes and love is really big. It makes things easy.

“And my parents can tell I’m happy, and they are truly indebted to this place.”

Trevor grew up in Portland and attended Madison and Wilson (now Ida B. Wells) High Schools, the latter of which was a family tradition (his grandfather was in the first Wilson graduating class).  He moved into Kehillah when it opened 10 years ago for adults with developmental disabilities. Located on the Cedar Sinai Park campus, Kehillah supports resident inclusion within the community through social activities and employment assistance.

Previous to Cedar Sinai Park, Trevor worked as a dishwasher at St. Honore Bakery, and had to get up at 5 a.m. to take the bus to Northwest Portland. Covid closed St. Honore, and Trevor was out of work for a few months, then returned to St. Honore from May to August 2021, until he began his culinary course.

“I like that I can walk now literally straight up the hill, and don’t have to take the bus to work,” said Trevor.

Trevor’s favorite part of Cedar Sinai Park?

“I like working with people and getting to know everybody. Seeing everyone smiling because of the food we make is great. And I really like the vibe here; everybody’s just really, really nice and is in good spirits.

“Everybody’s always good to me. I can’t really pinpoint one thing. This place is really amazing for me. I love working here. I think my parents can see that I’m happy, and working in a place that I love.”

Trevor typically works Thursday through Monday. During the recent snowstorm, he had no trouble getting to work so he picked up extra shifts and hours for colleagues who could not make it in.

In his off time, Trevor loves to write and paint and listen to music such as classic rock, reggae, or hip hop. He is an avid exerciser and goes to the Jewish Community Center to lift weights and shoot baskets. He loves to talk hockey!

What’s the best meal on campus?

“I really like when we do the spaghetti with meat sauce,” said Trevor. “I’m a sucker for meat sauce.”

Trevor is a favorite on campus if you want a hug or a good listening ear.

“All of the people here are really cordial and sweet,” he said. “I enjoy it here. It’s probably one of the best places to work.”