Most people know that regular physical activity is good for you. What some may not realize is that older adults benefit from regular exercise as well. Unfortunately, inactivity increases with age. This inactivity may be due to the loss of strength and stamina in older adults, but this loss of strength or stamina attributed to aging may be due in part to their reduced physical activity. It’s sort of a “chicken and egg” thing, which came first?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have shown that older adults can obtain significant health benefits with even a moderate amount of physical activity, preferably daily. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of falling and fracturing bones, it can reduce blood pressure, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve the feeling of well-being. Exercise also helps maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, and improves stamina and muscle strength. And, perhaps best of all, it can be fun!

But, what does exercising look like when you are in your 90’s? Well, the days of “step” aerobic classes, and long runs in the neighborhood may be over for most, but there are many other more gentle options. At Handmaker, residents can choose from a variety of physical activity programs every day except Saturday. These programs offer aerobic, strengthening and flexibility that are specifically designed for older adults. There is yoga, tai chi, chair exercise, and a new chair balance class. There is something for everyone.

And for those who prefer not to participate in an organized class, the long, air conditioned halls within Handmaker, fondly referred to as “Main Street”, provide the perfect space for long walks, without having to go outside in inclement weather. And on any given day, you will see many residents taking advantage of this. There is also a billiards table and table shuffleboard.

With all of this activity, Handmaker residents have many opportunities to keep up their strength and stamina. And a great number of those who participate are in their late 90’s, some even over 100. They must be doing something right!

"Even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion.” – Elie Wiesel (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016)

The world lost a great man earlier this month. Elie Wiesel, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal winner, human rights advocate, writer, and Holocaust survivor, passed away at the age of 87.

Wiesel is probably best known as the author of “Night", in which he touched millions of people with his honesty about what he went through physically, emotionally and spiritually.

He helped to establish the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. And, in the words of the museum, Wiesel was the international leader of the Holocaust remembrance movement.

Wiesel became an activist against racism and discrimination, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. In his acceptance speech, he spoke of the need to keep the Holocaust’s memory alive to prevent future genocides.

Some Handmaker residents shared their memories of Wiesel on his passing…

Gertrude remembers when the Dalai Lama was forced out of Tibet by the Chinese. She recalls that he came to Elie Wiesel to ask him, in her words “what the Jews have done to survive for so many years that he could apply to his people. Since he (Wiesel) had survived the Holocaust, he had to have knowledge enough to help. That to me” says Gertrude, “was a very big thing.”

Nathan says that Elie Wiesel was a terrific and prolific writer. He thinks that he heard him speak once. “The remembrance of the Holocaust is a part of our history”, said Nathan. And it was important that Wiesel was a leader in ensuring that the world never forgot. Nathan recently took a trip to the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust Center in Tucson. And he said that even though it was sad to look at the exhibit and to remember, it is important that we do so.

Gloria recalls hearing about a trip that Wiesel took to Europe where he won people over and showed everyone that “Jews were not so bad”. Perhaps she is speaking of his world travels and efforts on behalf of oppressed groups throughout the world, including Jews living in the Soviet Union. In any case, she thinks that the message that she got from him and his life is to “Keep your head up. Keep going.” And that is what she is doing.

Much has been said about the power of music. Confucius says “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”  Rabbi Jonathan Sacks puts it beautifully, “There is an inner connection between music and the spirit…words are the language of the mind. Music is the language of the soul.” And recently there seems to be growing scientific evidence that there are measurable positive neurochemical changes as a result of listening to music in the areas of pleasure, stress, pain management, and immunity. With all of that in mind, Handmaker regularly fills its halls and neighborhoods with the sounds of music, and much of it is live.

Even without reading a profound quote or a scientific study, it is fairly obvious to most anyone watching the reactions of Handmaker residents while listening to music that the music affects them in a very positive way. When they listen to music, you see the smiles on their faces. You notice how focused and calm they appear. Those who can, may tap their feet or their hands, sing along, clap or even shimmy their shoulders. Clearly this is good medicine, with no side effects, no contraindications.

Music is regularly scheduled at Handmaker, weekly live performances in our skilled nursing neighborhoods, and several times a week in the assisted living and memory care neighborhoods. And those are just the regularly scheduled performances. Handmaker has also hosted UA Encore, the Tzofim Friendship Caravan and the Arizona Music and Dance Academy, just in the last few months.

There are religious musical offerings as well. Every Friday night residents are invited to join in a musical Friday evening Shabbat service in the Rubin Café. We are fortunate to have Lindsey O’Shea lend her beautiful voice as she leads the service, and even residents who do not participate in the service enjoy listening to the music as they eat dinner in the dining room next door, or as they pass by on their way to dinner. And every Saturday morning the Shabbat service led by Mel Cohen and Dan Asia fills the Great Room at Handmaker with prayers, songs and chanting from the Torah.

Music can bring out the best in people, and bring out the best people. There are some residents who rarely participate in any of the large variety of activities offered on the Handmaker campus, but they may be the first to grab a seat at a musical performance. And we are thrilled to have them humming along.

“Yishar Koach” exclaims Hannah as she reaches out to warmly shake Betty’s hand with a huge smile, and a look of pride on her face for her friend who has just read the Torah Blessing. And so it goes every Saturday morning at Handmaker as the residents of this tight knit community support one another as they participate in the Shabbat morning service.

Led by Mel Cohen and Dan Asia, these Shabbat morning services help to create a wonderfully connected and caring community at Handmaker. These mornings are such an important part of the week at Handmaker, and each individual has an essential and valued role in the service. Mel and Dan make sure of it.

 “Would you believe that I had never read the Torah blessing before I came here?” says Handmaker resident Gertrude Shankman. Gertrude has been living at Handmaker for nearly ten years, and at 101, she is their oldest resident. She has been a Temple member for all of her life, but until Mel asked her to participate in the Handmaker service, she had never had the honor of an Aliyah. Now she does it every week, and she will be forever grateful to him for asking.

Nathan Shapiro, a Handmaker resident who had a stint as a boy cantor back east over 80 years ago, regularly lends his still steady and beautiful voice to the Shabbat morning service as the unofficial cantor. Another Handmaker resident, Les Waldman, can be found at the Bimah most Saturday mornings leading the Sh’ma and serving as the Gabbai. And most anyone who wants to can have the honor of an Aliyah, reading the Torah blessing. Dan and Mel take turns carefully draping a Tallit over the shoulders of each congregant before they are led up to the Bimah, and “Yishar Koach”s (well done, in Hebrew) abound with kisses and hugs for each other after each blessing is read and the residents are carefully guided back to their seats. It is both inspiring and heartwarming to watch them take such pride in their own and each other’s accomplishments.

In addition to the residents, there are others who regularly join the service. One family comes weekly with their two young sons, because they “just really enjoy the service”. Handmaker volunteers, Tucson Hebrew Academy students, and family members and friends of residents are often in attendance, and more are always welcome. These services are a peaceful way to spend your Shabbat and beautiful way to honor our mothers and fathers by spending time with the elders in our community. And every service is followed by a beautiful Kiddush spread, complete with pickled herring! What's not to like?

This is an essay written by Natalie Leonard, a Tucson Hebrew High Student who participated in the Tracing Roots inter-generational program at Handmaker this past year.

Anna has no legs. Her birthday is September 25th, a day and 79 years before mine. I visit her every month.

My participation in Tracing Roots Planting Trees was forged by a few well-placed guilt trips and marketed as a worthwhile college-resume filler. My Hebrew High School Principal, Sharon received a grant to create a partnership program, that would culminate in a documentary and art installation. So I reluctantly dragged myself into the "Old People's Home", expecting slimy spinach and boring board games.

Anna tells me the same story each time: "I was in the Navy and I helped invent  syn-the-tic ru-bber during WWII", carefully articulating the words she remembers to make up for the words she forgets. Every month, I transcribe more of her story, show her the Google street-view of her childhood apartment, and draw her family tree. She struggles to remember the names of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents but her face lights up with each sibling she recalls. We eat lunch; the spinach tastes better than I thought. After diving into her past, she wheels herself back to her room, refusing my assistance, and offers me a cookie from one of her jars.

I realize that Handmaker is filled with people who were 17 once, not long ago, and that my being there beckons Anna back to her college days. For fleeting moments, I am there with her.

Hebrew High gave me the opportunity to meet both teens and elderly people from all walks of life. I wouldn't have known Anna without the help and encouragement of Sharon. Tracing Roots youth partnership program transported me for a few hours a month to 1930s Europe, and 1920s New York and 1880s Vilna as Anna and I went further back and back through her family tree. Just last week, we had our last Sunday meeting for Tracing Roots, and Sharon gave all of the Hebrew High students a feedback sheet to assess the program: what both the residents and students had learned over the course of the last few months. Anna couldn't remember me this last week let alone everything that we had been doing for the last 9 months. But I remember, and I'm so grateful that Hebrew High gave me the opportunity to remember, even when Anna can't.

What do you think of when you think about Passover? The story of the Jews’ exodus out of Egypt? The four questions? Singing “Chag Gadya” with your family? For many, Passover also conjures up fond memories of matzah ball soup and brisket, potato kugel and tzimmes. It seems that whenever you ask anyone about memories of their favorite holiday, food usually plays a huge role. The foods that we eat during holidays are often a big part of the tradition of the holiday. Thanksgiving makes most people think about roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  Hanukkah is associated with the delicious potato latkes that mom used to make. Food even plays a large role in the observance of some holidays. Matzah, horseradish, parsley, and charoset (mixture of chopped fruit, nuts and wine) are all essential parts of the Passover Seder.

At Handmaker we try to prepare many of the foods that are traditionally served during the observance of the Jewish holidays. These foods are part of many of our residents’ traditions and memories. And since Handmaker is their home, we want them to feel at home.

But what is interesting about this, is that while Handmaker may have served a delicious brisket at the first night Passover Seder this year, it was not necessarily the brisket that everyone remembers from their childhood, although it was still tasty to everyone. Even within a religion’s traditions, there are many individual family traditions, especially when it comes to food.

In a recent conversation with Handmaker residents on this subject, the issue of matzah brei came up. Matzah brei is a dish of Ashkenazi Jewish origins made from matzah and egg. This sounds simple enough, but there are dozens if not hundreds of ways to make this dish. Some like it savory, some like it sweet. Some like it fried up like a pancake, others prefer it like a scrambled egg. So this year we decided to give the Handmaker residents an opportunity to make their own matzah brei however they liked it. The crumbled their matzah the way they liked. They soaked it in water to soften it to their preferred consistency. They cracked and beat the egg in the manner that they chose. There were some sweet, and some savory flavors added. We even had to make a run to the kitchen to get some apples and walnuts for a resident who liked to make it that way. They enjoyed comparing their different methods and techniques, and the memories that cooking brought up. So, while there were a variety of recipes even within this small group of residents, the end result was the same for all, delicious! And it brought back many delightful memories, while creating a few new ones as well.

An Orthodox, a Reform, and a Conservative Rabbi walk into a room…Sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it really happened at Handmaker on April 10. On a rainy, windy Sunday afternoon, nearly 100 people arrived at Handmaker to hear what these Rabbis believed, and they were not disappointed.

Rabbi Robert Eisen had brought the idea of “This I Believe” to Art Martin, the CEO of Handmaker, last fall. “I had participated in panels like this before in other cities. I have always wanted to organize one in Tucson, and I thought that Handmaker would be the perfect venue”.  Art Martin agreed. He asked Rabbi Thomas Louchheim, who is a former Handmaker board member, to participate as well. Rabbi Yossi Shemtov was happy to help out too. “There is no place like Handmaker in town. I want the community to know that I endorse Handmaker, and this program is a great way for me to show them”.

This was not a debate. Each Rabbi told some stories, and gave the audience a general sense of what was most important to them. Rabbi Shemtov shared his belief in the importance of a person’s connection to G-d. Rabbi Louchheim talked about “Jewish Americans”, and “American Jews”, and that he does not label himself as either one, but as an American who is Jewish. Rabbi Eisen stressed that we all have a reason for being here, and that we should always strive to do better to accomplish our mission.

And while there were some slight differences in opinion, it was all done with great respect for one another. One point that they all agreed on is that it does not matter which congregation you are a part of, everyone should choose the one where they are most comfortable, and attend.

The audience was given an opportunity to ask questions of the Rabbis. There were many, and unfortunately time ran out before they could all be answered. One attendee asked how to keep youth engaged in Judaism after their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. On this subject the Rabbis were all in agreement, this begins at home. They suggested creating interesting and memorable Jewish traditions in your home, and finding ways to share with your kids how important Judaism is in your life.

Another visitor posed a question about whether the Mashiach (Messiah) has come, and if not, when he does come, how will we know. Rabbi Shemtov playfully responded that he would know that the Mashiach had come when Rabbi Eisen and Rabbi Louchheim came knocking on his door to tell him, and then they would drink l’chaim together. They all agreed that that would be something to look forward to.

“This is not the stuff that I learned in Hebrew School’, commented Handmaker resident, Nathan Shapiro (age 98), with a smile after this week’s Torah Study class at Handmaker. He might have been referring to the discussion that residents had about the advanced age of so many biblical figures. (Methuselah lived to 969 years old!) Which lead to residents wondering, was the bible history or simply “his story”?  And the questions about where the wives came from for Adam and Eve’s sons was not exactly the type of Hebrew School conversation that Nathan remembers having, but certainly fascinating for those well into their 90s.

Since January, Handmaker residents have been extremely fortunate to have community volunteer Dr. Eliot Barron leading this Torah study class on Monday afternoons at 1pm. The response has been tremendous! The room is packed every week with residents eager to learn. They started in the beginning, with Genesis. Residents have listened, questioned, taken turns reading aloud from the Old Testament, and have been enthralled with Eliot’s discussions. He has yet to be stumped by a question, and patiently answers every one, often with another question.

The one hour study session flies by, with Eliot sometimes taking time to examine certain text in great detail when there has been interest. They spent nearly 20 minutes talking about Genesis 2:21-23 when G-d took Adam’s rib to make Eve, marveling over the poetic phrasing of Adam’s, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” And they loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much to Dr. Eliot Barron for spending this meaningful time with Handmaker residents, helping to keep their keen minds active.

What does a 93 year old Handmaker resident have in common with a 16 year old boy? Plenty, it turns out. And they are not alone. Nearly a dozen Handmaker residents have had the opportunity to build some beautiful friendships with Jewish teens in Tucson, thanks to a recent “Better Together” grant from the Legacy Heritage Fund.

Since September, each participating resident in the “Tracing Roots and Building Trees” program has been paired up with a Hebrew High student to be their partner for the entire school year. The pairs meet once a month at Handmaker to enjoy lunch, a Jewish learning activity, and to get to know one another.

Sharon Glassberg, Director of Education at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, has planned monthly themed activities in order to facilitate conversation and connections in an interesting and comfortable way. And in many cases, she has succeeded well beyond her expectations.

Handmaker resident Helen and Hebrew High Teen Max are a perfect example. In the short time that they have known each other, Helen has already met Max’s entire family, including his grandparents. To their delight, she has shared her life stories and recipes with them all, and exchanged holiday cards as well. Max is a little on the shy side, and Helen has really taken him under her wing to boost his confidence and share her views and wisdom with him, especially about the importance of friendship. In her opinion, life is all about relationships. And clearly, you are never too old to develop new ones. Certainly, this special friendship is going to last well beyond the length of this year long program.