Sukkot is an important holiday for our Jewish residents. Services are held on the first two days of the holiday and we build two Sukkah, one in our Atrium area and one in our gardens. Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert and it is also a harvest festival. The Sukkah themselves commemorate the temporary structures that the Jewish people lived in during their wandering.
The Simkin Centre is extremely grateful to have received a grant of $7,300 from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg to support our High Holy Day Services. Over 200 residents and family attended our services last year. Our services are led once again this year by Stephen Hyman along with Sid Halpern and Matt Leibl. The Choir, led by well-known musical director Rashi Rudelier, will be performing. On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of The Centre we wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.
The Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre highly values its role as a partner in the education of health care providers. We have developed and nurtured partnerships with many educational institutions in Manitoba:
We welcome many students throughout the year for clinical placements that range from a few hours, a few weeks, to a few months. Residents benefit from the over 400 eager minds and helping hands in our facility. Our staff act as role models and preceptors to the students. It is a win-win situation for the students and for the Centre.
The students are provided with the unique opportunity of learning in a Jewish cultural environment in which they are taught about our faith based Mission and Values, our Kosher practices, and our Jewish Holidays. It is our hope that some of these students will one day choose to work at the Centre.
Our senior staff also work closely with instructors and curriculum advisors from our partner educational institutions to evaluate and review the scope of practice for students and to enhance opportunities for learning.
The feedback we receive from students is positive. Some examples of their comments are:
Summer brings with it opportunities to highlight our wonderful gardens at The Simkin Centre. Our residents, with the support of staff, have planted flowers, vegetables, and herbs, all of which are thriving under the summer heat and a generous dose of rain.
The gardens also provide an opportunity to take some of our recreation programming outside and we can fire up our BBQ’s for some resident meal times. We are very proud of our gardens and would be thrilled to show them to those who would like to drop by and see them.
On May 23rd, residents enjoyed the making Challah for Shabbat.
Here you can see residents making Challah for Shabbat. Recreation Facilitator, Lisa (standing), is learning how to make the “ropes” of bread that are then braided. She is new to the Simkin team so is learning a lot from our residents. Gert Matas (left) and Bess Kaplan (right) helping her learn.
Lori, Recreation Facilitator (standing), works with companion Anita (middle) and resident Celia Corrin (right)
Resident Ruth Shenback knows what she is doing.
Resident Ann Doctoroff (left) enjoying the activity.
Resident Mahmonir Vahdat making one of the ropes
Bess Kaplan (left) and Ida Glimcher (right). Many hands make light work. There were many who helped with the Challah making. You can only imagine how many opinions there were with this many women full of years of experience in making this special bread!