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From the president, Kenneth R. Heyman
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Jews of 2 countries are united by a love of the land
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Lilyan Kreitchman Lilyan Kreitchman of South Orange and Boca Raton, Fla., is an institution in the MetroWest Jewish community, as well as a guiding light for those who are involved with UJC and who are dedicated to the vision of Jews helping Jews wherever in the world there are Jewish needs to be met. Kreitchman sets a standard for living generously, for she is the living embodiment of the very ideal that UJC and all who work with UJC strive to represent. to learn more about Lilyan, click here |
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MetroWest community professionals build bridges to Israel The recent Business and Professional Mission, sponsored by UJC, has just returned from a very busy and highly successful trip to Israel. |
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Passover: the meaning of freedom
Passover is almost here, and Jews everywhere are looking forward to celebrating what has become the most popular of the Jewish holidays.
Passover is our celebration of freedom, the freedom from slavery and the creation of the Jewish people as a nation. And the freedom we celebrate is more than just our own. Freedom, as an idea, is something that the Jewish people have given to the world. The command of Moses, "Let my people go," is the first call for freedom in the history we know, and its words have been adopted by those who seek liberty all over the world.
It is appropriate, as Passover approaches, for us to consider the meaning of freedom, the reason why people of all cultures and backgrounds thirst for it.
Freedom is something more than just the release from oppression. The promise of freedom goes further. It is not just a condition, it is also a feeling, a feeling of being able to live as one wishes, being able to live with joy, being able to fulfill one's dreams. It is a feeling like cool water, like fresh air.
Anything that presents an obstacle to people trying to fulfill their dreams is an obstacle to freedom. Removing those obstacles is precisely what we do at UJC – whenever we help a youngster with disabilities learn to get and keep a job and make his own way in the world, whenever we provide job training to a man suddenly out of work, whenever we find clean, proper, dignified housing for the elderly, or provide counseling to the troubled and medical care to the ill, and so much more.
Helping Jews around the world to live in safety and with dignity, helping them to live their dreams, is fulfilling the promise of freedom. It is completing the gift that Judaism gave to the world.
On this Passover, we can hope that one day soon, Jews everywhere, and all people, everywhere, will be able to live their dreams, live with hope and opportunity, and with happiness. When we have helped that happen, we will have fulfilled the ideal of Tikkun Olam, of repairing the world, as well as the idea of freedom. And people everywhere will discover that freedom is truly the promised land.
Together, we
Live Generously!
Kenneth R. Heyman
President
United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ
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Jews of 2 countries are united by a love of the land
On Jan. 28, a special Seder Tu B'shevat was held for the Diller Teen Fellows from Rishon LeZion, one of UJC's partner communities in Israel. Hosted by Meir Nitzan, the mayor of Rishon LeZion, in the municipality building, the event welcomed both Diller fellows and their parents, and was devoted to introducing the fellows and families to the close relationship between Rishon LeZion and the MetroWest Jewish community.
The event they gathered together to celebrate was symbolic of the connection between Rishon LeZion and the MetroWest community. Tu B'shevat is Israel's equivalent of Arbor Day. It is a celebration of the environment and traditionally of the planting of trees. But it has also come to be a celebration of Erez Yisrael – the land of Israel – a holiday in honor of "the land of milk and honey," of the reality of the Jewish homeland, created again after 2,000 years.
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Seder Tu B'shevat. |
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A Seder Tu B'shevat with the Israeli teens who are participating in the Diller program is a celebration of two lands. The Diller Teen Fellows is a joint Israel/MetroWest leadership development program sponsored by UJC, in which 20 teens from MetroWest and 20 teens from Rishon LeZion go through a year of parallel leadership education and training in their home communities. During the year, the MetroWest participants will make a three-week visit to Israel, and at another point in the year, the Israeli participants will come for 10 days to MetroWest.
As an event in the Diller program, the Seder was distinctive for including the parents of the participating teens. As part of the celebration, the parents were asked to select songs that they felt represent their families. What resulted was a wonderfully varied evocation of the many different cultural groups that make up contemporary Israeli society.
According to Michal Zur, program director in UJC MetroWest's Israel office, "When presenting the songs, we could see a mosaic of Israeli society and the variety of different ethnic groups and origins. It also reflected their strong connection to the land of Israel and its people. It was clear to all that these are families who taught their kids a lot about the love of Israel."
Several MetroWest residents were in attendance at the Seder, and one of them, Elizabeth Lacher of Millburn, has a special relationship with a Diller teen, a relationship that represents the bond of help and mutual concern that connects Rishon LeZion and MetroWest. Moria is a participant this year in the Diller program. She immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia with her family, and due to her leadership potential, was accepted into the program despite her poor English skills. Lacher, who lives in Tel Aviv for several months each year, has been tutoring Moria in English.
The special and strong connection that has developed between Lacher and Moria was a living symbol of the meaning of the Seder Tu B'shevat.
For a personal statement about the importance of this relationship to Lacher, please see "MetroWest volunteers find warmth and friendship in Israel" in this issue of Speak E-Z.
The Diller teens from Rishon LeZion will be coming to MetroWest on approximately April 8.
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Donor Spotlight: Lilyan Kreitchman
Lilyan Kreitchman of South Orange and Boca Raton, Fla., is an institution in the MetroWest Jewish community, as well as a guiding light for those who are involved with UJC and who are dedicated to the vision of Jews helping Jews wherever in the world there are Jewish needs to be met. Kreitchman sets a standard for living generously, for she is the living embodiment of the very ideal that UJC and all who work with UJC strive to represent.
Kreitchman's involvement with UJC is a long-standing one, which goes back decades to the time when she and her husband, Morton, were young and could do for the Jewish community only what little they could afford.
"I started many years ago as a worker at Women's Division," Kreitchman recalled. "I made calls, did all the things a young person can do there. Later, my husband and I remained active as donors. We couldn't do all that we would be able to later, but we always did what we could do. As things got better and easier, we did more and I became more involved on my own."
The roots of Kreitchman's steady dedication go back to her family and the examples she saw growing up.
"I remember as a kid," she explained, "my father, when he lost his family in the Holocaust, became involved with HIAS, making donations and attempting to find who was left of his family in Europe, but to no avail. And my uncle, Leo Brody, was the head of UJA, and my cousins, Arthur and Martin Brody, were very involved with UJA. These are the things I remember."
She feels her roots are also in the community, and that gives Kreitchman a special and enduring dedication to MetroWest, even though she began spending winters in Boca Raton many years ago. "I grew up and was lucky enough to be successful in New Jersey, and that's where my allegiance is. To this day, I feel that way."
And those who grew up in MetroWest, moved to Florida, and then moved their allegiance, as well, particularly irk her.
"I see so many people who have moved to where I am in Florida and who then feel their allegiance is to Florida. They cut their donations to New Jersey, and that cuts into the things that can be accomplished in our area."
And she is particularly bothered by people who appear to be more interested in being recognized for their contributions than in helping those who need our help. "It's much easier to be a 'big shot' in some organizations, for not so much money, than it is in UJA. To some people, being honored is much more important than giving charity. I tried in my earlier days to change their minds, but now I just do what I feel is right for me."
Even though she sees many of her generation moving both their residences and their commitment away from the MetroWest community, Kreitchman feels that the younger generation here is taking up their responsibilities. One of her daughters is Lori Klinghoffer, who has become as much a fixture in the UJC community as her mother and has held many leadership positions, including past chair of the UJA campaign. Currently, Lori serves as chair of United Jewish Communities National Women's Philanthropy.
"I see that commitment with my own daughter, and with my two other daughters, one of whom lives in MetroWest and the other who lives in Somerset County. They are charitable; they are carrying on the commitment. And I do see a lot of young faces working for UJA. I do feel that it is being perpetuated."
The continuation of the tradition of giving is imperative for Kreitchman, because it is the very essence of being human.
"You've got to help your fellow man. If you've been lucky enough to have enough that you can spare something for someone else, I think that's part of living. Charity is part of living, tzedakah, it's your obligation as a person, not just as a Jew. That's the way my husband and I always felt. You've got to share it, give so that somebody else can get some of the fruits of your labor."
Nevertheless, for Jews, it's the Jewish community that must come first.
"You've got to protect your own people. If we didn't, there are poor Jews all over the world who would be suffering more than they are right now. No one else is going to do it for us."
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MetroWest community professionals build bridges to Israel
The recent Business and Professional Mission, sponsored by UJC, has just returned from a very busy and highly successful trip to Israel.
Sixteen leading businessmen in the MetroWest Jewish community traveled throughout the Jewish homeland from March 10 to 17, meeting with counterparts in Israel’s business world, visiting UJC partner communities, and taking in the richness and beauty of the land and history of Israel.
The participants were Fred Aueron, Jeffrey Cohen, Peter Feinberg, Robert Frischman, UJC President Kenneth R. Heyman, Steve Kany, Kenneth Mandelbaum, Steven Roth, and Saul Simon, all of Short Hills; Mark Bernstein of Boonton; Bruce Cohen of Glen Head; Howard Guttman of Ledgewood; BJ Reisberg of Roseland; Leonard Solondz of Livingston; Howard Rabner of West Caldwell; and Robert Wolfson of Mountain Lakes.
As a result of their participation on the mission, many of the leading movers and shakers in the MetroWest business world have begun to build relationships with their Israeli professional peers, and have learned first-hand where UJC contributors give their support and how those resources are employed.
Key among the many events during the mission was a roundtable discussion with leading Israeli businesspersons and government officials on the current state of the Israeli economy and the distinctive challenges facing Israeli businesses. The meeting included such prominent Israelis as Ambassador Zalman Shoval (Israel’s ambassador to U.S. from 1990-1993 and 1998-2000), Dr. Mina Tzemach, director of Dachaf Public Opinion Research Institute and world-renowned pollster, and Joseph Ciechanover, president of the Challenge Funds, who has extensive experience managing companies in Israel.
According to Mandelbaum, one of the chairs of the mission, the make-up of the group and the camaraderie that developed among them was a big part of the success of the mission.
“What made this mission a ‘business and professional’ one, and made it work so well, was the quality of the members of the mission. They’re all in business, from various industries, with similar interests and abilities.”
Simon agreed. “Being with this group was a highlight of the trip. The chemistry, the sharing, the feedback, and the bond we created were special.”
Beyond the business interests and programs, many of the more cultural events were very moving for the participants. In particular, several of them spoke about the lunch they shared with soldiers from the Lone Soldiers Program, supported by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a partner agency of UJC MetroWest.
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Lone soldiers are young Jewish men and women from around the world who, out of love for the Jewish homeland, have left their families for a time to come to Israel and serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. Some have made aliyah and intend to remain as Israeli citizens; others will return to their families following their tours of duty.
“Getting a chance to spend time with these kids,” Mandelbaum observed, “kids who are 18 to 21 years old, was remarkable. You identify these kids with your own children, and you think about what they go through. They see combat. They serve in some of the most elite units in the military. They have a calling to understand the importance of the Jewish State and to sacrifice a few years of their lives to make sure there is a Jewish State.
“And you hear their stories: where they come from, what kind of units they’re in now, the hardships they go through, and how much they appreciated us caring about them. One of the girls told us, ‘You don’t know how much this means to us. We have been looking forward to this for over a month, just to be off the base and speak English with other people, and the chance to relax for a few hours.’ That was really beautiful.”
Another memorable event was the visit to Kibbutz Erez, a mile from the Gaza border, for Shabbat services and dinner. Simon recalled that “I got emotional when I was davening with these men, in that location and in the manner in which they prayed, with such passion, knowing they and their families, their loved ones, are living in a position of harm.
“At dinner, I asked them, ‘Why do you continue to stay here? Why do you continue to put you and your family and your children in harm’s way?’ The leader of the kibbutz said, ‘I was born here, my father was born here, my children were born here. I hope my children’s children will be born here. If we give up this land, they will take it from us, and we will no longer have it.’ ”
The mission also created opportunities for future business connections. In particular, Howard Guttman has decided to attempt to offer his consulting services to Israeli business leaders.
“We work with the Fortune 500, aligning senior teams, coaching senior executives. On the mission, I made the observation that Israeli executives can sometimes be seen as too aggressive and alienate people, which doesn’t serve you in the global marketplace. When I thought about what I could do that would have an impact, I suggested that I could go there without charge and speak at universities, to groups of executives, on how to influence without positional authority, how to manage conflict, how to work in the global matrix world. All we need to make this happen are the links to connect us to the right people.”
With missions such as this, the future is open to many possibilities, which is the meaning of business in its best sense. But what has been achieved already is what the mission members took away with them.
“To really understand what UJA and UJC do in the communities,” said Mandelbaum, “to see where the dollars are going and how we make a difference in so many lives. And to know and support Israel, because without a Jewish State, our Jewish identity would diminish over time.”
Simon agreed. “I got to see that, when we write checks, they’re going to good use, and that we really need to support our friends and brothers, who are holding ground in the State of Israel for us, as Jews. I consider myself a reformed/conservative Jewish person, but when you go to Israel, you’re Jewish. There’s some feeling of being in the homeland.”
To learn more about UJC MetroWest opportunities for travel to Israel, contact the UJC Missions Department at (973) 929-3046 or .
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MetroWest volunteers find warmth and friendship in Israel
by Elizabeth Lacher
The following letter comes from a member of the MetroWest community, Elizabeth Lacher of Millburn, who has the opportunity to spend some months in Israel every year. For the past two years, she has been volunteering as a tutor at the matnas (the community center) at Ramat Eliahu, a neighborhood in Rishon LeZion, one of the partner communities of UJC MetroWest. There, she learned that her volunteer work gave her more than the opportunity to do the right thing – it brought her joy and a feeling of fulfillment that can be found in no other way.
Some time ago, my husband and I were put in a position where we are able to spend four months each winter in Israel. It has been my privilege to volunteer at the matnas (community center) in Ramat Eliahu, a neighborhood in Rishon LeZion.
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This year, I had the pleasure of tutoring several of the local high school students in English on a weekly basis. The students and their families are from Ethiopia, Morocco, and Syria. Learning English is an important and valuable skill that these highly motivated students are eager to master. Each student is at a different level, so it is very interesting and challenging for me to come up with ways to help them learn and practice English.
One afternoon, I took one of my students, named Yamit, on a shopping scavenger hunt. I gave her a list of produce to find, using words that included colors, sizes, and names of fruit and vegetables. We also explored the local shops together, where she had to find the items that I described, including clothing, umbrellas, toys, candy, and foods.
I often bring my English-language magazines, such as Hadassah, Newsweek, and Eretz, which the students enjoy looking through and talking about.
Another student, Moria, would soon be coming to MetroWest as part of the Diller Teen Fellows Program. She is an accomplished Ethiopian cook as well as an excellent English student. We spent an afternoon together recently, during which I accompanied her when she applied for a visa at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, in preparation for her upcoming trip to MetroWest.
I was able to help her through a little glitch in the process, to make sure she got the visa. We even had time to share a Tel Aviv sunset on the tayelet (what we call a "boardwalk"), which was a first for Moria.
Afterwards, when she learned of my interest in cooking and exotic foods, she invited my husband and me to her home, where she taught us how to make injera and lentil wot (traditional Ethiopian bread and stew). It was a fantastic and delicious experience. We have also been invited to the homes of some of the other students for Shabbat dinners, where we got to share delicious foods from the Moroccan and Syrian traditions.
Each encounter is an opportunity for me to practice my Hebrew while encouraging the kids to use English. The warmth and friendship these families extended to my husband and me on these visits is something I will always treasure. We have had the opportunity to share in the "real Israel."
My purpose in volunteering as a tutor here was to do something to help support and build Israel in whatever small way I could. Through this experience, I have gotten back so much more in return.
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by Laura Ben-David
Laura Ben-David made aliyah in 2002 from Boca Raton, Fla. Inspired by the aliyah experience, Laura began writing and hasn't stopped. She, her husband Lawrence, and her children live in Gush Etzion.
With the focus on the region of Sderot lately, dozens of wonderful campaigns have cropped up to support the people physically, economically and emotionally. People are sending thousands of Purim treats to the region, while thousands of others have bought Purim treats from the region to give to others. With the Purim treat market covered, and the main focus being the city of Sderot itself, our mayor, Shaul Goldstein, thought to do something different. So he coordinated a Shabbat at a kibbutz in the region; a secular kibbutz. While I admit that I was a bit surprised, after being assured that there was a synagogue and the food would be kosher, Lawrence and I presented it to the kids as a fait accompli. I was taken aback when my sons said they did not want to go. But kids, I countered, we are doing a great thing going to support people who have been under a barrage of kassam attacks!
And why exactly, responded my son, would we want to go someplace that has been under a barrage of kassam attacks?
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He had a good point. I tried to explain that safety would be of the utmost concern, and the mayor would not be bringing his citizens to danger. Deep down I wondered as well, but in the end, four out of five of my kids agreed to come along. We were going to Kibbutz Miflasim for Shabbat.
Driving there, we passed Sapir College in Sderot. I pointed it out to my kids as the place where the most recent kassam casualty, a student at the college, had been killed. At about that point, we noticed the surveillance balloon, floating high overhead and realized just how close we were to the Gaza Strip.
With just minutes to spare before Shabbat, we pulled into the kibbutz parking lot. We were hurriedly shown to our little guest house. It was, um, there. At least there was a clean toilet. The kids' room consisted of four, fairly flat mattresses on the floor, and our room had a bed and a closet. We set up the rooms with the bedding we brought (and had nearly left at home! Thank G-d we remembered!) By the time we were done, those mattresses on the floor actually looked inviting.
Friday night, after synagogue services, we all met in the dining room. "We" consisting of a wide demographic variety. There were those of us religious Zionist families from Gush Etzion, around 20 secular, left-leaning kibbutz members, plus 15 American men on a Jewish Federation mission from MetroWest, New Jersey. We were an interesting mix.
At dinner they seated each family with a couple of men from New Jersey. The men were amazed at the story of our aliyah. We were amazed that they'd all left their wives behind for this trip. What did we all have in common? Well, we were all Jewish. And we were all there. And that, it seemed, was where our commonalities ended. That may be so, but it was enough; we were all there because of love for our fellow Jew, a love of Israel, and perhaps a spirit for adventure.
After dinner, my family beckoned me to ditch the activities, since the American group had left, and the proceedings would be entirely in Hebrew. However, as a big fan of dessert, I had to wait until I had eaten mine. Dessert went along with a Hebrew activity, so Shira and Lawrence lingered with me, while the boys returned to the guest house. In a move highly reminiscent of childhood birthday games, we were told to circulate the room until we were with strangers. Lawrence, Shira and I stuck to each other like glue, but we still managed to find some strangers. Then we sat down with our new companions and began to introduce ourselves – in Hebrew, of course.
Two of the people were husband and wife, he being the only religious person on the whole kibbutz, and she being entirely secular. We were somewhat stunned as she described how she had always voted (left-wing) Meretz, and had strongly supported the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza. Living in such a homogenous society as I do, I sometimes take it for granted that people see things the way I do (i.e., not that way). She then further astounded us when she said that her entire outlook changed when the first kassam rockets fell. Until that time they could maintain the illusion that peace was on its way. Now they have no such illusions. Her perspective and her candor were truly eye-opening for us. By the end of the evening we were fast friends.
On our Saturday walking tour, as we strolled through the tall grasses and wildflowers, it occurred to me that I had no idea what would we do in the event of incoming kassams while we were walking. Then I realized that we had no idea what to do in case of incoming kassams even while on the kibbutz. I'm still not sure if it's that the kibbutz is targeted less, as it is so small compared to the vast rolling hills all around, or that it is targeted less because it is not a major population center or if they simply neglected to mention it.
Our tour took us to the Black Arrow memorial, which commemorates the daring actions the Israeli soldiers took in the mid 1950's in an effort to halt terrorist acts from the Gaza Strip – then under Egyptian rule – and from the West Bank – then held by the Jordanians. From the Black Arrow we could see an incredible panoramic view of the coastal cities, from the southern tip of Gaza on up to Ashkelon. I noticed the smokestacks in Ashkelon, a landmark that is visible more than an hour away, and a kilometer higher, in my hometown of Neve Daniel. It reminded me how small Israel really is, and how no one is ever really too far away from anything.
Our tour guide at the site was a feisty man in his 70s. He could remember when people of the kibbutzim in the area would shop at the shuk in Gaza; when the Gazans and Israelis would give each other rides home; when Arabs from Gaza would visit his kibbutz and the men would greet each other with hugs before sitting down to a cup of coffee together. Now the children of those men would look upon each other with deep suspicion at best, through their gun sights at worst. The people of the region seemed to share a profound disappointment at the turn of events. They had truly believed that peace was but a few parcels of land away, and their convictions had been utterly shattered. At the same time, we did not see despair. The people were filled with hope; hope that strong leaders will rise and make a change; hope that together we can make a brighter future.
We gained tremendously that weekend. While our purpose in going was to give to the people there, I think we got a lot more than we gave. From the cultural, religious and political melting pot that was our Shabbat, to the deepening of our understanding of the people in the region. We came out of that Shabbat with new friends, new hopes and a newfound appreciation for the differences in people that make each one unique. Not to mention that every one of us – boys included – had a lot of fun.
© 2008, Laura Ben-David
Laura Ben-David is the author of MOVING UP: An aliyah Journal (Mazo Publishers). She can be reached at . Read her blog at www.aliyahbook.com/blog.
For another eyewitness account of the seder at Kibbutz Mafelshim, see last month's Speak E-Z, "Kibbutz Mefalshim shows the spirit and courage of Jews living near the Gaza Strip."
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JCC's Margulies Center offers the perfect answer for Parkinson's patient
"There are no other programs like this available. Finding a program like this is like finding gold. I was looking for gold all over the place, and all I was finding was carbon, until I came here."
Whenever "Bob" speaks, his voice barely rises above a whisper. His voice is soft and delicate, and so quiet you almost have to strain to hear him. But you sense there is a vibrancy and even a vigor hidden within it, and a quality of refinement, almost as if someone else were present and emerging from behind something that has nearly silenced him.
Bob is talking about the Margulies Senior Center at the JCC in West Orange. The Margulies Center conducts a four-day-a-week program of cultural and recreational activities geared to older adults in the MetroWest community. Among their offerings are monthly trips, weekly lectures, bridge games, Tai Chi Chi classes, creative writing classes, roundtable discussions, and much more.
However, Bob is not a senior. He is a 55-year-old man who used to work as a clinical psychologist, until some years ago, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He went on working for eight years and then had to stop.
Four years ago, he had an operation to implant a neurotransmitter that sends signals to the motor center in his brain and eliminates most of his symptoms.
"The one thing it didn't help was my voice," Bob observed. "After the operation, I could function so much better, and I started to look for a program."
As a psychologist, Bob knew what kind of program he needed. "I needed a place where they would structure the day, with activities and socialization. I was 51 then, and where is there a program for a 51-year-old man who needs to socialize and couldn't sit at home?" After Bob and his wife searched for a year, they found that the Margulies Center offered the only such program that could be found in Essex County.
"At first, I thought I'd be out of place, because the age range here is 65 to over 100. But I must say this is a terrific place. Everyone was friendly to me, and very kind. I've been very happy here."
As he spoke about what he enjoys at the center, Bob's voice grew occasionally softer, almost completely muffled at moments, and high pitched so that one might almost think he is crying. But he is not – far from it. There is true enthusiasm and excitement in the timbre of his voice, and the sound of someone who has found joy in his life and a place in the world where he belongs.
"I love the creative writing program. The teacher's really encouraging and enthusiastic, and the people in the group are ready to write and share their own stories. I like talking in groups, and just making friends. As a psychologist, I've been able to use my skills to help me understand people, bond with them.
"And we have wonderful entertainment here. They are very careful in choosing performers of good quality. Many are just top people. I'm a musician, and I used to play the violin. I can't play the violin any more, but I still love music. How they consistently put on such quality shows, I just don't know."
Bob then emphasized the most important thing he gets from the Margulies Center, from the people he has met there and made his friends.
"I've learned a lot from the people here. What I've learned is patience. Everybody has tsurrus. There's no point in complaining about tsurrus. You've got to see if you can find a positive spin on things.
"Some of that hits me the wrong way as a psychologist. It sounds Pollyanna. But the fact is – it's much better to do the things that we do here than to be miserable. There's a place for sadness, but I can't stay there."
At this point, Bob's voice did begin to approach crying, and one could not help but feel he was reflecting on what has happened to him. But there is not only delicacy in that voice, there is courage, and he quickly turned his attention to the things he loves doing at the Margulies Center, and happiness returned to his voice.
"In creative writing, I began a story about my experiences with Parkinson's, called 'Notes from the Margin,' because I feel like I've been living in the margin."
It is clear that Bob is not caught in the margins of life any longer, but has come to the center of a full, varied, and exciting social life. He is surrounded by friends, and his days are filled with things he loves to do, because at the JCC, he found the one program that is indispensable to him.
"Every day I come here, I get up and I'm excited. It's like going to camp."
This time, his voice is laughing.
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