[{"ID":1,"post_title":"Susan Bluerock","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p267.png","post_content":"Susan Bluerock was born on Rosh Hashana in 1941 in Miami Beach. Both of her parents were born in New York. She had two brothers\u2014one who recently passed away and another who lives in California.\n\nSusan studied medicine at the University of Miami and graduated in 1962. She became a medical and X-ray technician. She married in 1960, and together they had three sons, one daughter, and seven grandchildren. Susan\u2019s husband was a record producer, and as a result they hosted many music stars in their home, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Robert Goulet.\n\nAfter marrying, Susan and her husband lived in North Miami Beach before later moving to Hollywood. Sadly, her husband passed away at the age of 30.\n\nAbout 10 years ago, Susan fell ill and went into a coma. The family was told by the hospital to prepare for her funeral and that there was no hope for recovery. Miraculously, Susan awoke from the coma and discharged herself from hospice. She even insisted that the rehab facility provide her with an intensive therapy and rehabilitation program.\n\nApproximately three years ago, she left the nursing home and moved into the ALF, where she now resides. Susan is a regular participant in the TOP program. She shared with me that her Hebrew name is Shoshana and that she is very proud of being born on Rosh Hashana."},{"ID":2,"post_title":"David Jaffe","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p265.png","post_content":"David Jaffe was born in Manhattan, NY in 1925. His father was from Jerusalem and his mother was born in NY. He had a brother that passed away who was a Rabbi in Hollywood, FL. Davidu2019s father was a furrier. David attended the University of NY and graduated with a degree in advertising. During World War II, David was stationed in the Pacific and received three battle stars and a bronze medal. He was married after the war and had two daughters and five grandchildren. The family lived in Long Island, and David worked in advertising. In 1996, he and his wife moved to Florida. In 2018, there was a write-up about David in u201cWhou2019s Who in Americau201d. David recently joined The Peninsula Assisted Living facility and came to my first class after the Covid lock down. The first thing he asked me when we talked was if I can bring him a Siddur. After visiting him and talking, I asked him if I can buy him an electric shaver. He readily agreed and threw out his razor. He is now a proud owner of a brand-new electric shaver! His next request was obvious: would I be able to get him a Rosh Hashana Machzor."},{"ID":3,"post_title":"Myrna Copperman","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p263.png","post_content":"     Myrna Copperman was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1948. She was an only child to two American born parents. Her father was from Mississippi and her mom was born in Brooklyn, NY.\r\n    Her father worked as a clothing salesman and sent Myrna to Farmingdale University. It was there that she acquired a love for teaching and earned an associate degree in education. She then went on to Hofstra and received her bacheloru2019s in education and masteru2019s in special ed. After she graduated, Myrna worked in special education in NY and in Florida. The family moved to Florida in 1986; first to Inveraray and later to Tamarac. Myrna spent some time teaching in a Jewish school in Florida and has very fond memories of her students there.\r\n    Myrna was never married and took care of her parents until they passed away. Her father passed away in 2001 and her mom passed away in 2009. After their passing, Myrna was left with the financial burden of their home and had to sell everything. As a result of all the stress, she developed pneumonia and suffered 2 code blue incidents while in the hospital. Today, she has a great attitude and is happy to be alive in the assisted living facility where she lives. She is a regular participant in the TOP program and loved the Bracha party. When I mentioned that we are going to start discussing the holidays, she asked if we are going to talk about Sukkos. I told her that I plan on having a party at my Sukkah for all the TOP particiapnts, and she got the chills remembering her grandparents Sukkah."},{"ID":4,"post_title":"Bonnie Bernstein","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p274.png","post_content":"    Bonnie Bernstein was born in 1962, in Brooklyn NY. Her Father was from Germany and mother was from Russia. She had two older sisters. After graduating high school, she attended Vasser College, and graduated as the valedictorian with a degree in English.\r\n    Bonnie then attended graduate school and earned her masteru2019s degree in library information. She got married in 1989, and she and her husband moved to Las Vegas. Bonnieu2019s husband worked with American Airlines. He was eventually transferred to Tampa, Florida, where he and Bonnie settled for a while. After two years, the couple moved to Ruskin, Florida. Bonnieu2019s husband passed away two years ago, and Bonnie went to live with a cousin in Coral Springs. Two years later, Bonnie entered Colonial assisted living in Lauderhill, where we met am few months ago. Bonnie is obviously a very proud Jew and never missed a TOP class. She calls me each week to ask when candle lighting is, or just to say hello. A few months ago, Bonnie was very upset that she was being transferred to another facility and would no longer be able to attend my classes. But then I received a call from her new facility asking me to give classes there! Of course, it was Bonnie who made the referral. Thank you, Bonnie!"},{"ID":5,"post_title":"Edna Publicer","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p260_orig.png","post_content":"    Edna Publicer was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, NY. Her parents, together with her grandparents, immigrated from Russia. Ednau2019s grandfather was a professional Chazzan, and her father was a wholesale stationary salesman. She had one brother. Edna attended Hunter University at the age of 16 in 1939. When she graduated, she became a first-grade teacher and remained one for the next 71 years! Edna got married in 1943 to an army Air Corps pilot, who later entered the alcohol business. She taught in Plainview, NY. Edna also earned her Masters Degree as a reading specialist. She had one son and one daughter. Her son won the Presidential Award as counselor who specialized in Addictions. He just retired at the age of 71 and he in Portland, Maine. Her daughter was a lawyer in charge of The Council for Anti-discrimination in Boston. Sadly, her daughter past away at the young age of 50. After retiring in 1981, Edna and her husband moved to Summer Tree, Florida. Her husband passed away in 1998, at age of 92. Edna moved to the ALF so as not to be alone. In a few weeks, Edna is moving to Miami Jewish Health Center. We will miss her. She is the self-proclaimed Gabbia of the program, giving out the Shabboxes in her building, and convincing others to attend our classes."},{"ID":6,"post_title":"Chiam Sery","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p259.png","post_content":"     Chaim was born is Jerusalem in 1947. Both his parents immigrated from Yemen to Israel before Chaim was born. His parents sent him to Moriah, a school for Yemenite Jews. At home his father, like most Yemenites, insisted that every word of Prayer or Torah was pronounced clearly and out loud. Today, Chaim is still able to pray by heart. Chaim mainly did odd jobs to make a living, but eventually went into plumbing. In 1967, right before The Six Day War, Chaim was released from the army, and went to visit a friend in the USA. The friend convinced him to stay in the states and taught him about the jewelry industry. Chaim got married in 1968. Sadly, the couple was not able to have kids. Later, they adopted a daughter. Chaim got a job working for sunshine Jewelry Company in Chicago and was then transferred to Florida. At first Chaim, lived on Ives Dairy Road California Club, and then to Stirling Road in Hollywood. While in Hollywood, he joined a group of young men who opened a Yemenite synagogue. Due to several medical issues, Chaim had to move to the facility where we met a few weeks ago. Chaim davens every day, he refuses to eat the meat in the facility, and uses the weekly Shabboxes every Shabbos. He attends the TOP class every week and asks a lot of questions. TOP is proud to have Chaim as part of our family."},{"ID":7,"post_title":"Mike Lantz","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p258.png","post_content":"    Mike was born in 1953 in Miami, FL. Mike is completely blind from birth. When Mike was 13, in 1966, the family moved to Boston so Mike could attend Perkins School for the Blind. After three years, the family returned to Miami, and Mike attended FIU and Florida State College. He earned a degree in broadcasting. He was a sports announcer for the FIU baseball games and later became a producer for WWWOK. Today, he is a talk show host on his own telephone support group every Sunday called u201cLance Lineu201d.\r\n    Mikeu2019s mom lives on her own with the help of an aid in Pembroke Pines FL, and Mike is a resident at the Imperial Club. I met Mike for the first time this past Tuesday. He was full of questions about the Shabboxes and Shabbos in general. He asked if I could produce the reading material in Braille. This gave me my next project."},{"ID":8,"post_title":"Barry Meyers","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p257.png","post_content":"    Barry Meyers was born in 1939 in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated Thomas Jefferson High School in 1957. He continued his education in Wharton Business School in Penn State University.\r\n    After graduation he managed a chemical lab known as Gigi Labs until 1975. He then switched to Custom Chemical Lab which he managed until he bought them out in 1997. He continued there until 2008. At that time, he sold the company and retired. Barry was married twice and has two daughters from his first marriage. One daughter lives in FT. Lauderdale and commutes weekly to manage a television station in Tuscon , Arizona. The other daughter lives in Engelwood, NY. She is the proud mother of a boy and a girl. Barryu2019s grandchildren. A few months ago, Barry was living on his own and passed out in the street. He was brought to the hospital and woke up three days later. To this day, the doctors do not know what happened to him, but he realizes he is not up to living on his own. Barry is a very intelligent man is very interested in the TOP classes. As he put it, He learned more about Judaism in the three classes he just attended than he had his whole life."},{"ID":9,"post_title":"Michele Surwit","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p489.png","post_content":"Michele was born in 1950 in Silver Spring Maryland. Her father was an electrical engineer. She had one brother. Michele graduated college with a degree in social work, and then started her own school for behaviorally challenged children ages 14-18. Michele was married in 1976 and has one son who lives 10 minutes away. He has been married for 4 years and is a partner in a construction company.\n    In 2007, Michele developed Parkinson and in 2016 she came to Florida to be closer to her son. As the disease progressed, she needed to enter an ALF. She tried different facilities. One was caught stealing from the residents and the government by charging for field trips that never happened and started imaginary programs. The last ALF that she was in prior to the present one, was viciously anti Semitic and forced her to attend church. The residence were bullied by the owner and and treated them like children. Michele complained one time that her salad was gritty, and was not served salad again. Michele ended up in the hospital due to a fall and needed surgery. Three weeks ago she finished rehab and moved to the facility where we met. She is very happy that she is now well taken care of and can learn about her Judaism."},{"ID":10,"post_title":"Phyllis Frank","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p690_1.png","post_content":"Phyllis Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1936 and was the daughter of Russian immigrants. Her father was a salesman. Phyllis graduated from Lafayette Senior High School and had two older sisters. She and her husband grew up together and got married two years after high school. Her husband was a professional golfer. The couple had three children; two girls and a boy. One daughter lives in Florida, the other one in New Jersey. Sadly, her son passed away at a young age. She also has three grandchildren and is expecting her first great-grandchild in April. Phyllis and her husband came to Florida 12 years ago for her husband's health, and lived in Boynton Beach. Phyllis's husband passed away about 8 years ago. She recently came to the ALF in Boynton Beach due to health issues. This past week was Phyllis's first time in the TOP class and she is becoming a regular."},{"ID":11,"post_title":"Dr. Michael Goldstein","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p688_1.png","post_content":"Dr. Michael Goldstein was an inspiration to me. He actually made me feel very uncomfortable at times for the respect he showed me as his Rebbi. Being that he was old enough to be my father, it was I who needed to show him the upmost respect and honor. He was a very unassuming, almost self-defacing, humble man. Ready to do anything for anybody and expecting nothing in return. Every Friday I heard him make his weekly phone call to Israel before Shiur to say Shabbat Shalom to his children and grandchildren, and to remind them again and again how much he loved them. The love he had for his family was palatable. The love he had for Eretz Yisroel was equally so. The only time he missed shiur until his illness was when he would leave to help in the hospital in Israel for months at a time. His love for our shiur was also the same. Before he knew what was happening, he came to shiur even though he was getting consistently weake. After it was discovered that he had a brain tumor, he came even more often because, unfortunately, his trips to Israel could not continue.\n    I called hours after his surgery was over and his wife Connie answered hi phone. She told me the first thing he said when he woke up was, u201cI hope Iu2019ll be up to going to the Rabbiu2019s Medrash class again.u201d She then put Mike on the phone and we cried together; he was going to be ok.\n    He started coming again as soon as he could. Sometimes he came with his head in bandages, sometimes with wires and electric stimulators attached to him; but he came for as long as he could. There were times Iu2019d wake up not feeling well, and considered canceling the class, but then I thought of Mike and I knew I had to give my Shiur. I spent many years in Yeshiva hearing talks from great Rabbis about dedication to learning and Middos, but the lesson I received from watching this unassuming elderly gentleman made the greatest impact on me."},{"ID":12,"post_title":"Marion Winter","image_url":"https:\/\/torahoutreachprogram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/p672_1.png","post_content":"Marion was born in the Bronx in 1935. Her father was also born in NY, but her mother was from Minnesota. Marion's father was a professional musician and traveled all over the country. Most of her mother's family had moved to Miami Beach so her immediate family lived part of the year in NY and part of the year in Florida. Marion went to school in both cities. She married her husband at the age of 17, and therefore did not graduate high school until her daughter was 8 years old. Marion's husband was a certified structural welder and was involved in the building of many bridges in NY city, including the Verrazano. The couple did not have children of their own, but adopted a daughter. She has three children and one foster child. After years of continuing the family tradition of living half the year in NY and half in Florida, they finally moved to Miami 47 years ago in order to be closer to family. Marion's husband passed 20 years ago at the age of 59. Approximately 12 years ago, she moved into the ALF where she is now, but left after 7 years to stay with her daughter. After 5 years, she moved back to the facility. She is now a member of the TOP program. Marion said that the only thing she's ever learned about Judaism was how to make a Bracha and that she collected clothing for Jews in Europe during WW2. Now she said that she's learning all about her religion."}]