This week, community has enjoyed preparing for Rosh Hashanah together with the residents, their relatives, staff and volunteers at Jewish Care homes and community centres.

At the JC Tots party for Rosh Hashanah on Sunday 22 September over 40 tots and their families enjoyed entertainment at The Betty and Asher Loftus Centre with residents of up to 103, from the three homes at the Centre. Activities at the pirates and princesses themed party included arts and crafts, cake decorating, slime-making and entertainment.

Across Jewish Care homes and community centres, residents and members spent time preparing to celebrate the festival. Jewish Care’s pastoral leader Rabbi Junik visited residents around the homes and centres to blow the shofar and talk about Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Junik was joined by school children from Etz Chaim Primary School in Borehamwood who sang and chatted to residents at Clore Manor home, he told the group of young volunteers, age 8 and 9, “It is a big mitzvah to come and sing to the residents today as when they hear these songs, it brings great joy to the residents.”

School children from Nancy Reuben Jewish Primary School came to the care home to bring sweets for the families, residents, staff and volunteers at Clore Manor and graduates from Jewish Care’s recent Bnei Mitzvah programme enjoyed visiting the home on Sunday morning to bake honey biscuits in the shape of apples.

Meanwhile, at Jewish Care’s Redbridge Community Centre, The Chaps That Cook group at enjoyed baking honey cakes. As well as baking, members of Jewish Care’s Michael Sobell Community Centre in Golders Green enjoyed a special well being week, in the run up to Rosh Hashanah, which included everything from chair exercise, mindfulness sessions and glass mandala making to a visit from the ‘bee keeper of Borehamwood’, Ian Shenker, who was the first in the UK to be given a hechsher for his honey. Ian created a buzz with community centre members, explaining the process of bee keeping and honey making, showing them a model of the hive.

Jewish Care’s Chief Executive, Daniel Carmel-Brown, said, “Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect and celebrate. We know that spending time on creative, stimulating activities that improve our sense of well being can be beneficial to us all. Intergenerational visits are also uplifting for all involved and we would like to thank our visitors and volunteers who visit now and throughout the year, who help us to help us to create a warm and special atmosphere for our community centre members and residents, helping us to celebrate the chagim (Jewish festivals) together as a community.”