Share Your Jewish Home Story
Remember that time you were visiting your grandmother at Eisenberg Village, and something really funny happened? Or the day you visited your grandfather back when the Home was in Boyle Heights, and you left with a memory you’d cherish forever? Or the first time you stopped by to see your best friend’s grandparents, and were so inspired that you ended up volunteering or working for the Home? Moments like these stick with us, and help define who we are as we grow older. With 100 years worth of stories, the Jewish Home is now asking you to share them with us.
In 2002, while her grandfather was living in the Mark Taper Skilled Nursing Building, singer Lauri Kamiel approached the building’s activities director and asked to sing for her grandfather’s floor. “My grandfather tended to stay in his room most of the time, and I knew he would socialize more if I sang for the residents,” Lauri recalls. Her performance was such a hit that she became a volunteer, regularly singing for her grandfather and his neighbors in the Taper Building. Flashing forward a few years, when her grandmother moved to the Max Factor Building in 2010, Lauri — now part of the staff at Fountainview — coordinated with the activities director there to sing at the Shabbat service on her grandma’s floor.
Touching memories like Lauri’s deserve to be shared and remembered. The Jewish Home has been an integral part of the Los Angeles community for a century, and has touched thousands of lives over the generations. Beginning in April, we invite our friends, supporters, residents, staff, and members of the community to share your Jewish Home stories through our website. By visiting the “Share Your Stories” page, you are able to type up your story and/or upload a photo, and send it to us. Or, if you’ve already typed a moving memory, you can simply upload that document to share it.
“The ‘Share Your Stories’ webpage serves a dual purpose,” explained Jewish Home marketing director Bonnie Polishuk. “First, we want to ensure that the last century of memories is preserved for years to come. Additionally, we want to provide an outlet to share those stories with the rest of the community.”
Down the line, the reminiscences shared through the webpage will be compiled into a publication. If you would like to know more about contributing Jewish Home stories, please contact stories@jha.org.