As residents prepare to move into the new Home for Jewish Parents in Danville, all of us should be extremely proud of the community's efforts to provide a nurturing Jewish environment for seniors.

To construct the facility, the East Bay Jewish community undertook its largest capital campaign ever, $14.3 million. Now, the site at 4000 Camino Tassajara is scheduled to open Tuesday, Aug. 24.

The facility is an updated, expanded version of the venerable Home for Jewish Parents in Oakland. It will have room for twice the number of residents, and will include modern features such as a computer room and 24-hour closed circuit television station touting Home activities.

Efforts have been made to make the facility as welcoming and inviting as possible. Suites are large and comfortable. Art and decorations are spread throughout the site, giving it a homey feel. Views of Mount Diablo add a sense of calm.

Though non-Jewish residents will be accepted into the facility, the Home will have a decidedly Jewish feel — an on-site synagogue, kosher food and Hebrew letters on signs offering directions.

It is a place where seniors can enjoy the benefits of community.

The opening of the new site has not been without controversy, however, as the Danville site will mean the closure of the Home's Oakland facility. Some have expressed sadness at the closure of the old site, a fixture of the East Bay Jewish community for 48 years.

Change can be traumatic for anyone, especially those seniors who are frail and infirm. But the thoroughly modern Danville site, with its many amenities, may give seniors the feeling of a new beginning, rather than an end.