JSDD News

Sukkot, the seven-day holiday commanded in the Torah to celebrate the harvest and commemorate the 40 years in the desert after the Jews escaped slavery in Egypt began on Sunday October 9th. On Sukkot, many Jewish people build a Sukkah in their yards which is a hut with a roof that is thatched or made of branches. It is important that while the roof provide shelter from the sun, it also allows you to see through to the stars at night. Many people eat their meals in the Sukkah during the holiday and some even sleep out in their Sukkah!   Several residents of JSDD joined together in the Sukkah at the WAE Center last week to celebrate the holiday. […]

By Howard Charish, JSDD Board Member When I entered graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in social work, the first paper that I had to write was on beginnings. It was a daunting assignment for new students who were filled with excitement, trepidation, unknown expectations and hopeful prospects. Here we were about to craft our professional future and needed to reflect on a topic that was so open ended and vague. Nevertheless, the characteristics of beginnings have been an underlying reflection for me whenever I embark on something new. It certainly comes into play as I think about Rosh Hashana and JSDD. September is filled with beginnings, Rosh Hashana being the foremost. It is a time when we as […]

How long have you been with JSDD? Eleven years Was this the position you started in? I Started as a group home manager in Livingston and moved up quite a few times. A few years after I started, I became a senior manager overseeing 5 locations Livingston, two homes in Verona, Summit, and the community-based program. I then became the Associate Director of QA in 2018 and then I moved into my current position 2019 Director of QA and Compliance. What is your first memory of JSDD? My first memory was realizing how independent the residents were. Before interviewing at JSDD, when I thought about group homes, I pictured a nursing home. I thought that the staff would have to […]

  Shabbat celebrations began this week with warm virtual welcomes to one another then a chorus of songs in both Hebrew and English.  After the Shabbat prayers, the group discussed the torah portion for the week,” Ki Tavo.” The portion for the week, Ki Tavo which translates to, “when you enter,” discusses Moses instructing the Israelites for the first fruit offering. Moses tells the people the lists of blessings they are to receive should they uphold the commandments as well as how they will suffer should the not keep the commandments. After discussing the torah portion, the participants learned about the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah and all agreed that they are excited to make a traditional holiday favorite next […]

By Harry Klein, Director of the WAE Center On Thursday, 08/18/2022, the JSDD WAE Center held its first “Annual Awards Ceremony” for members.  The idea for the ceremony came out of the “WAE Center Member Advisory Board” (GiGi, Roberto, Kevin M., Alicia), who wanted to have a gala event. The awards show was a fun way to celebrate the unique qualities of each of our onsite participants.  The board worked directly with the management team to get things in place, including: a red-carpet step & repeat, photographer, bubbly beverages with fancy hors d’oeuvres, and individual awards/certificates for each member.  Members and staff dressed for the occasion, complete with couture dresses, fancy jewels, while the men were dapper in their suits.  […]