Arizona Lights Up Veterans Home

By Rochel Hayman, Post Commander 210

Scottsdale Post 210 “enlightened” the Arizona State Veterans Home on Sunday, December 17th, by combining their monthly meeting together with the annual Chanukah Party, attracting literally an overflow crowd to Liberty Hall.  The Jewish residents of the Veteran’s Home – Mickey Dingott, Larry Chesin, and Jay Lowenthal, wholeheartedly welcomed the extra simcha and attention.

While the Post did conduct ‘business as usual,’ there were quite a few special additions as well.  The regular breakfast enjoyed together with every meeting was accentuated by latkes (accompanied by applesauce, of course) and both store bought and homemade sufganiot (yummy donuts).

The Arizona contingent of the Quilts of Valor Foundation were one of the featured guest speakers. Their stated mission is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with a comforting Quilt of Valor. Since 2005 they have gifted over 181,000 custom made quilts nationwide. QOV member Cheryl Vorin beautifully explained the history of the organization as well as how every quilt is handmade for each veteran and gifted with a medal, certificate and beautiful ceremony. She told several stories of some emotional and/or providential happenings when some of the quilts have given in the past.  Mrs. Vorin, together with fellow quilting members Bob & Rebecca Bernal, presented Post 210 Commander Rochel Hayman with a quilt for her service during Desert Storm. (For more information on how your post members, or any veteran, can be gifted with a Quilt of Valor, go to www.qovf.org).

Tina Sheinbein, Executive Director from the Jewish Free Loan of Phoenix, gave a presentation on the plethora of assistance our local JFL provides for our community.  Much of the information was a surprise, as most members were not aware of the plethora of possible options available to them.  In addition, Mrs. Sheinbein alerted the group to a new fund which a local family had recently started within JFL specifically available for Veterans and their families; the family is a new blue-star family, with their son now in the Marine Corps. Mrs. Sheinbein made sure to provide all the participants with a small Chanukah present accompanying the Jewish Free Loan contact information.

The Post’s lit menorah was a beautiful backdrop to the morning’s entertainment, an 18 member boys choir from one of the local Yeshivas, Torah Day School of Phoenix led by Rabbi Gedaliah Goldstein. While it was the group’s debut, they were very polished and they not only sang several Chanukah melodies, but an additional popular song accompanied by a dance routine.

All in all, combining the two events, together with extra publicity, bore fruit with a very well attended and joyful experience for all.

Volume 72. Number 1. Spring 2018