Menorah Park’s 30th anniversary celebration on Oct. 17 will be private, by invitation only — but joyful nonetheless.
“There will be some speechifying, some music and some food,” says Nurit Robinson, executive director of the San Francisco residential community. She grins and adds, “And some of the residents will do a dance.”
No dancing was observed in the halls during a recent visit, but posters touting folk dancing classes, taught by a resident, were prominently displayed. Also evident was the delight some of the 190 residents take in living at Menorah Park, which has undergone significant changes under Robinson’s direction in the past nine years.
“This is my dream, living here,” says Riva Guervich, a native of Riga, Latvia who, at 85, still has the energy to attend parties at Menorah Park and bake raisin cakes (from her mother’s recipe!) for the staff. “I’m here 21 years. For the first 11 years, I see no changes. With Nurit, everything is new.”
Menorah Park is located on Sacramento Street just around the corner from the JCC of San Francisco, and it is subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A majority of the people who live there are elderly Russian Jews, as data on the residents shows: 78 percent are Jewish, 74 percent speak Russian and the average age is 79. But there is also a significant Chinese population, as 22 percent of residents speak mainly Chinese. (Only 4 percent of residents use English as their primary language.)
Rabbi Natan Fenner of the Jewish Healing Center, who has conducted Jewish holiday services at the facility for nearly 10 years, says many Chinese residents attend services alongside the Russian Jews.
“When I walk in and see familiar faces, I always feel such a warm welcome,” Fenner says. “We have journeyed together through many losses and many celebrations.”
Nita Juelich, 91, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, moved into Menorah Park 23 years ago, and has nothing but praise for the facility. Her compliments on the condition of the building and the comfort of the apartments are evidenced in the difficulty of actually landing a spot in the 151-unit complex.
Only about seven units become available each year, according to Robinson, and when applications to get on a waiting list were opened in January, some 1,800 people applied.
Gary Parent, 51, a resident for 13 years, says, “I feel fortunate to be here. I have a nice place to live and the staff is great — that was not the case where I lived in Los Angeles.” Parent says he is especially fond of the 5,000-square-foot public garden, which has several covered seating areas, a small garden plots for residents and a fountain.
Named for the man largely responsible for the founding of Menorah Park in 1980, the Laurence Myers Garden was completed three years ago. A rippled concrete path, symbolizing a stream, winds through the garden.
“Of all the changes we have made, I am happiest with the garden,” says Robinson. “This area was not accessible to anyone before, and now it is open daily.
Robinson also points out that the building has a new exterior, and that many things inside that have been refurbished and/or repaired. Currently, for example, there is a big project to update the kitchens in each apartment.
Visually, she says, the facility looks better than ever before, with plants gracing the common areas, a fish tank in the lobby and other comforts of home, such as one large cabinet on which a dozen nesting finches are displayed. There is also a computer room available for use.
In addition to religious services, singing classes and exercise classes are offered, and a flower arranging class will be available soon. A Tenant Support Services program, funded by the Jewish Community Federation, allows residents to age in place as long as possible and the Jewish Home provides some medical services four times a week.
Robinson has high hopes for the future of Menorah Park. “My dream is that we will expand our areas of commonality with other Jewish agencies, particularly the Jewish Home,” she says. “We are doing more programs together, and we definitely see ourselves as more of a partner with them in the future.”