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April 1, 2011
Is your bulb dimming?
Seniors group gets tips to keep mentally sharp.
DENA DAWSON
The Jewish Seniors Alliance and Sholem Aleichem Seniors held a symposium at the Peretz Centre for Secular Culture recently entitled Super Smart. About 50 people gathered to hear what it takes to keep mentally fit.
Shanie Levin introduced the program, the third in JSA’s Empowerment Series, while Al Stein introduced the first speaker, Ralph Levy. Levy, born in Istanbul, speaks Ladino, French, Greek and Turkish (not to mention English). He moved to the United Kingdom four days before the Second World War broke out and, later, he lived in Egypt, France and Spain before coming to Canada in 1968. After a stint in Fort McMurray and Calgary, Levy retired to Vancouver to be near his grandchildren.
His first comment was on what seniors can do with their spare time. Levy talked about a program at Capilano University on current affairs, in which students meet year round, including during the summer months. In his second year in the program, Levy said he took three courses and became an advisor to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver seniors department. JCC Seniors meet to discuss global politics every Wednesday morning and Levy facilitates the discussions.
He quoted Golda Meir in his remarks, saying: “I’m a facilitator for 18 facilitators.” He also pointed out that Sholem Aleichem Seniors meets at Peretz once a week, there are Philosophers’ Cafés with diverse speakers and he is also involved with the Elders’ College in North Vancouver. He urged seniors to go outside of their comfort zones, to go beyond their community to access stimulating programming. He noted that the downtown campus of Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia have a wealth of courses and that seniors should also check the local recreation centres for education programs.
These courses keep the mind active and are a way to make new friends, Stein said following Levy’s remarks. Since the knowledge is available, now is the time for seniors, since other commitments may have slowed down during retirement years.
Stein then spoke about how the brain is stimulated through language and the importance of reading and working with language, since language contains a people’s culture and history. The example he gave was reading the prose and poetry of Moshe Nadir, a voice for the left, who is now almost forgotten.
Born in Galicia, Nadir came to New York at age 14. Then, at 17, he wrote for the Yiddish Press with wit and a sense of the absurd. He wrote prose, poetry, plays and books for children and made a living doing so. A brilliant man, he was also difficult. In his works, he created a new life, new words with irony and surrealism. Stein recommended reading Nadir for the mental workout alone, and he and Levin read four short pieces from his book Man to Man, in Yiddish and English. Stein noted that exposure to another language adds enormously to our knowledge. He urged people to study not at home but with others to increase mental stimulation and enjoyment.
The final presenter was Moshe Denburg, who played with and directed the music group Tzimmes for 20 years. He pointed out a new pedagogy: learning a language through song and he spoke about how music and song can affect both the mind and speech facility. The Jewish people are rich in languages, with work in Ladino, Yiddish and Hebrew available. Denburg sang several songs, two in Ladino, two in Yiddish and another in Hebrew. He then led the crowd in a hearty round of “Mah Naim.”
Gallia Chud closed the event, commenting on the talent and the many resources in the local Jewish community. Chud said it’s up to individuals to decide what to pursue – whatever makes life more active, pleasant and productive.
The next program in the series is Super Fitness: Mind and Body, Wednesday, April 6, 1-2:15 p.m., in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Wosk Auditorium. Call 604-732-1555 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
Dena Dawson is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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