by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

January 15, 2009

When Janet Kurtter agreed to organize a Women’s Health Day for the sisterhood at Temple Emanu-El, she knew it had to be a little different. The Reform synagogue in Westfield has offered a number of such programs over the years, but this time, Kurtter said, with seismic economic and political change under way, balance seemed more important than ever.

The result is Balancing: Keys to Healthful Living, a program taking place at the temple on Sunday, Jan. 25, that combines Jewish teachings about health with mainstream Western concepts and traditional Eastern techniques. The program material being offered comprises a range of complementary ideas on how to counteract stress and protect physical well-being.

Kurtter, a Scotch Plains resident who worked for many years as chief financial officer of the JCC of Central New Jersey, is quick to point out that she isn’t a health expert. She used to work out at the JCC almost every day and does admit to having high energy, but her primary qualification for running the program, she said, is that she is “really good at asking people for help.”

She turned to her friend Mindy Szeto, a holistic health counselor from Fanwood, and brainstormed with someone very close to home, her daughter, Rachel, 23, who — having completed a degree in sociology — is now working toward another, in nutrition and food science.

Szeto agreed to give a talk on balancing nutrition and lifestyle. She also introduced Kurtter to Risa Olinksy, a Maplewood-based wellness coach and personal trainer and founder of the statewide Health and Wellness Professional Network. Olinsky, who has conducted workshops at the JCC and elsewhere in the Central area, agreed to participate and put Kurtter and her committee in touch with people from an array of health disciplines.

They found more willing speakers than they could accommodate. That was a welcome problem, and evidence, Kurtter suggested, of the avid interest these days in this multifaceted — or “balanced” — approach to health.

Szeto said, “As soon as Janet mentioned it to me, I thought it was an amazing idea. Because of the state of our health-care system, with so many separate specializations, it’s difficult for people to get an overall perspective on their health. There really is a groundswell of concern from both sides of the equation — from patients and health-care providers, and any information we can impart to provide that perspective is great.”

Balancing act

In addition to Szeto and Olinsky, the lineup now features Summit Medical Group dietician Susan Canonico, Eastern discipline Seimei practitioners and instructors Richard Rodman and Kathy Leone, and physical therapist (and sisterhood trustee) Heidi Ackerman. The program will be introduced by Arlene Burstein, a past sisterhood president who will talk about Judaism and the balancing act of modern life.
The presenters will cover such topics as heart health and Omega 3s, strategies for self-empowerment, balance techniques to prevent falls, stress management through Seimei, and Szeto’s lifestyle approach to nutrition. As bookends to all that food for the mind, the organizers decided to reinforce the message with nourishment for the body — a light, healthy breakfast and lunch.

Judaism has much to say on the obligation of maintaining personal health. To emphasize that point, Kurtter provided some quotes on nutrition and exercise cited by the Department of Jewish Family Concerns of the Union of Reform Judaism. Participants will receive a printout of the quotes together with a daily checklist of goals for healthy living.

The quotes include this from Genesis: “God said, ‘See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food.”

And this from Maimonides: “If we lead a sedentary life and do not take exercise, we will throughout our lives be subject to aches and pains and our strength will fail us.”

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