Synagogue is the home's heart

JANNETTE EDMONDS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

There's a lot of caring going on at the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and it's not just for the physical and psychological needs of its residents. Spiritual needs are high on the priority list and the Chava and Abrasha Wosk synagogue serves as the spiritual heart of this facility.

The small and charming shul, which seats about 50, with additional overflow seating at the rear, serves as a reminder that this is a Jewish care home, with approximately 85 per cent of its 218 residents being of the Jewish faith.

Every effort is made to meet the needs of those who wish to observe their faith, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Patricia Nitkin, director of therapeutic recreation, culture and volunteer services at the home, takes special care to co-ordinate with rabbis and lay leaders in the community to provide for the religious programs. Those of other faiths are accommodated as well, with arrangements being made for them to go to their places of worship or have their religious leaders come to the home.

All the rabbis, cantors and lay leaders volunteer their time to take part in services. A spreadsheet in Nitkin's office shows how the year is organized, with each of the religious leaders slotted in four to six times a year. The exception is Rabbi Lipa Dubrawsky, from Chabad House, who has given the Dvar Torah every shabbat morning for 12 years. His services are greatly appreciated by both staff and residents, said Nitkin.

"Our synagogue is Orthodox but we run the whole gamut here, from people who are very observant to those who are not observant at all," she said. "We try to be sensitive to all the needs."

Because they don't have a resident rabbi at the home, leaders of the whole community take responsibility. And in turn, the synagogue serves not only the residents but many members of the larger community, as well.

The synagogue provides two Oneg Shabbat services. One is at 3 p.m. and is a shortened program held in the extended-care dining room. It is for residents who are unable to come downstairs to the synagogue and stay for the whole service, for a variety of reasons. This service includes music, basic prayers, candlelighting and challah and wine. The second service follows in the synagogue around 4 p.m., with the different community volunteers leading. Members of the Jewish Men's Choir also come to offer their time and talent.

"People from the community come to this service," said Nitkin. "Relatives and just people who like the service. We also have people from out of town. We have morning services for every Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh and for all the festivals."

Programming throughout the home is altered to honor the different festivals, she added, and she also has teaching sessions for the staff so that they are aware of what the festivals are and what is involved.

"The staff is amazing in their knowledge and respect of the festivals," she said. "Many of our dieticians know far more than most Jewish people about dietary law. The nurses are extremely respectful. They want to learn and find out more."

Nitkin also makes sure that those who have been observant all their lives but are now infirm mentally or physically, get brought to services. Their past religious affiliation or participation is noted in an assessment when they move into the home. This information is as important as their physical requirements.

Part of the home's mission statement says that "inherent in every service or component of service is the Jewish cultural values and beliefs including dietary laws, religious practice, holiday observance, end-of-life considerations and communal and family values." It is a goal that many volunteers are working to meet.

Included among them is Ralph Rosenberg, a lively 94-year-old who has been a fixture of the synagogue for 30 years, where only the last four of which have been as a resident of the home.

"I used to live in Richmond and came here to volunteer for 26 years," he said. "Why? Because it's in me. I like old people. They are always thanking me, but they don't know that I have to thank them. They took me in. I like to make a joke. Why here? Our God is better here because he is among old people. I'm 94 and I feel like this synagogue is my life."

He said they often struggle to have enough men for a minyan "but so far I have been lucky." Any men who would volunteer to come and help would be welcome. He enjoys being vitally involved in the services and said, "they call me a rabbi, they call me a cantor, they call me a shamash (servant). I think I am a shamash."

Another servant of the synagogue is kashrut supervisor and spiritual advisor Yosef Vernon, on staff at the home, who plays an active role in services and has taken the needs of the residents to heart.

"The synagogue plays an integral role in the life of Louis Brier," Vernon said. "Even if residents haven't been that involved in the past, when they get older they start to look at spirituality more. It also helps to bring a certain awareness of the year. It provides structure and something to look forward to.

"The traditional element and being involved in the synagogue and festivals helps them in reminiscing and cross-generational sharing," he continued. "It's also important for Holocaust survivors to see the synagogue and feel safe because they know that Judaism is available and flourishing, even if they themselves are not observant. As they lose cognition, memories of that time may come back and it is reassuring to know the synagogue is there."

The needs of the residents' families are also considered. Every three months a memorial service is held to remember those passed on, and families are invited to come and participate.

"We don't forget them in life," said Rosenberg, "and we don't forget them after."

Jannette Edmonds is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

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