Temple Israel partners with Share the Care

Share the Care (STC) is a non-profit organization specializing in adult day care and respite for frail, physically and cognitively impaired adults. One of its care giving sites is located at Temple Israel (TI) in Winter Springs. Beginning last month, Share the Care and Temple Israel began a partnership whereby Temple Israel congregants bring programming into the day care center clients on a monthly basis.

Debra Markowitz, TI congregant and extraordinary baker, demonstrated how to mix, bake and, of course, eat a challah at the first STC program, which began on Feb. 4. The entire time Markowitz was mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough, she told everyone about the part challah plays in Jewish life. The most sacred ingredient Markowitz always adds to her challah is love. One of the day care clients is Jewish, and she helped knead the dough. It was obvious she had experience from long ago doing this very thing.

Arlene van de Rijn, chair of TI's Ma'asim Tovim Committee (good deeds) under whose purview this activity has been organized, said, "We hope to create a culture of friendship via an acts-of-kindness process that will challenge our congregants to interact with people on emotional and personal levels. This can be exceptionally rewarding."

For more information about TI, please go to http://www.tiflorida.org. For information about STC, please go to http://www.helpforcaregivers.org.