Milton Frant of Highland Park conducts a seder April 23 for participants in the Elderday at Edison program of the Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County.
Photos by Debra Rubin
May 06, 2008
The time of day and ceremony may have been untraditional, but the sentiment held as much meaning as any Passover seder.
On April 23 volunteers and participants in the Elderday at Edison program of the Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County gathered at Temple Emanu-El in Edison for an afternoon mini-seder.
The seder was conducted by Milton Frant of Highland Park, an 87-year-old volunteer, who also cooked the turkey lunch, which included everything from matzo ball soup to fruit compote.
“The fruit is made with artificial sweetener for those that can’t have sugar,” announced Frant as volunteers, many of them also seniors, served dessert.
Frant used a Haggada he composed for an annual seder he conducts with members of the Jewish War Veterans’ New Brunswick/Highland Park Post 133 at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park in Edison.
Participants in the Elderday program, under the auspices of JFVS’ Edith & Martin Stein Center for Senior Adults, have Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders. The three-times-a-week program provides them with opportunities for socialization and maintaining their cognitive skills.
As Frant interspersed Bible stories with portions of the abbreviated Haggada, the seniors listened and ate. People occasionally called out answers to questions posed by Frant.
“I think this is very nice,” said volunteer Claire Bennett of Metuchen. “It makes one feel good when you can participate. It’s good to be part of a community.”
Frant has been conducting the seder for about 14 years. It had previously been held at Congregation Adath Israel in Woodbridge prior to its merger with Metuchen’s Neve Shalom several years ago.
“I time everything,” said Frant, as buses from the Middlesex County Department of Social Services arrived to transport the seniors back to their homes.
“The food was unusual and one of the most impressive things is that young man did the whole thing himself,” said volunteer Bobby Garfinkel of Colonia, referring to Frant as she helped bus the tables. “His late wife taught him well. I thought this was excellent.”
Stein Center offers options to seniors
Milton Frant with volunteers Bobby Garfinkel of Colonia and Jean Levine of Edison at the seder.
Services to seniors with cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease have been expanded over the course of recent months by the Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County under the auspices of the Edith & Martin Stein Center for Senior Adults.
The Stein Center is a community-based social daycare facility that provides a variety of activities, from mind-stimulating geography games to physical endeavors like tossing a ball to invaluable socialization, said center coordinator Michael Farr.
The center was created earlier this year with a $150,000 gift from the Steins, former longtime East Brunswick residents now living in Boca Raton, Fla., allowing it to expand services over a two-year period to seniors with cognitive, emotional, and physical disabilities.
The grant allowed JFVS to bring both its Elderday at Edison program for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders, and CAMEO (Challenging Adult Minds and Energizing Ourselves), a program for alert adults with physical disabilities under the aegis of the Stein Center.
The agency also offers other more limited socialization programming for seniors out of its Monroe office, including a breakfast club and a Senior Chai club.
The Stein Center operates three day a week — Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday — from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El in Edison, but Farr said the program is hoping to expand service to five days.
“We play bingo, we sit in a circle, we play ‘hot potato,’ we listen to music, we have arts and crafts, we even play ‘Simon Says,’” said Farr. “We do holiday observances; we really try to provide socialization for these seniors who could really benefit from it.”
Participants range from those in their late 70s to 97. Being in the program allows them to remain at home with family while giving caregivers — who may also take part in weekly support groups — a much-needed break, Farr said.
Farr said participants are offered access to other JFVS services, including kosher Meals on Wheels and counseling. A nurse is available to ensure adequate health supervision during program hours and a kosher breakfast and lunch is provided.
The program’s cost per day is $65, $75 with transportation to the Stein Center. Assistance may be available for those unable to afford the cost.
For information or to register, call the center at 732-777-1940, ext. 1129.
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