Our Israel travelers came home on Sunday afternoon to a wonderful homecoming reception. There were "Welcome Home" signs in the lobby and the Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Center was filled with a welcoming crowd.  Outside the Cohen Center, display boards held prints of many of the photos of our Interfaith Mission and folks told us how much they enjoyed sharing the trip through the photos.  We will soon be organizing programs to be able to share our experiences with our Cedar Village family and the community-hope you'll join us for that.

Ten days of international travel with older adults is both hard work and pure joy.  I will tell you that every member of our group of 30 learned new things, developed new relationships and bonds and had the opportunity to see the world through the perspective of others.  We had some incredibly powerful moments, like standing together at the Western Wall; we had some wonderfully emotional moments, like being the honored guests at a special concert of the Ankor Choir.  We shared joy as we watched the re-consecration of a marriage that is 62 years strong and we shared laughter as we danced an improvised hora while sailing on the Sea of Galilee.  We were inspired by the incredible accomplishments of Kishorit, a community for adults with special needs and amazed by the extraordinary programs of Yad L'Kashish, Lifeline for the Elderly.  Regardless of our differences in age, background, religion and more, we came together and demonstrated just what we had intended-that building bridges is possible at any age, that we are never too old to learn and be open to new experiences.

Back at home, we have also had a great week.  The highlight was Thursday evening as Cedar Village had the privilege of hosting the community-wide Kristallnacht commemoration. The Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Center was filled to capacity and the program was beautifully presented and very meaningful.  We are always glad to have the community here with us and this was a very special evening for all.

Don't forget to mark your calendar for Battle of the Bands!  Join us on December 2 at the 20th Century Theater in Oakley for a night of music, dancing, good food and good friends-all for the benefit of Cedar Village.  Hope to see you there!

All the best,  

carol@cedarvillage.org

    

The Cedar Village community is collecting items for our troops to package and send on Monday, November 12th in honor of Veterans' Day.   

We would greatly appreciate if you could donate any of the following items:

• T-shirts (medium, large, x-large)
• Travel size toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Deodorant
• Hand sanitizers
• Mouthwash
• Puzzle books
• Playing cards

All products need to be new and in their original packages.  We have barrels in both the main lobby and the Oak View lobby.  Thank you in advance as these items would mean a great deal to our men and women in harms' way.