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Jewish Community News
Column: June 2004
How your gift helps Chai House
By Inna Tauglich
When Rose Rosenbloom and her husband made the decision
to move into an assisted living home 15 years ago, they had more requirements
than the average elderly couple. After keeping a kosher household all
of their adult lives, the Rosenblooms felt it was important to continue
their kosher observance into their golden years. As luck would have it,
the Rosenblooms found Chai House, a senior living facility in San Jose
with a kosher kitchen. “It is important for me to keep kosher and
that is why I have chosen this facility. I really like living here,”
said Rose.
The Rosenblooms are not alone. Erected in 1985, Chai House now serves
as a home for 151 seniors — over 60 percent of whom are Jewish.
While few residents are strictly kosher, many appreciate the effort and
enjoy the Jewish experience.
Chai House is the only Jewish-sponsored seniors home in the South Bay. As such, the board of directors felt it was extremely important to offer hot kosher meals. A group meal, the board believes, serves not only nutritional needs, but provides a social atmosphere for the residents, too.
As senior citizens age and become less mobile, they often become more isolated. Living together in a community, with a regular shared meal, provides an extremely valuable service of camaraderie and friendship. With a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose, Chai House has been able to offer this valuable service, with the added Jewish touch of being kosher.
Creating a strict kosher dinner meal for the residents has been no easy task. Before the kosher kitchen was fully functioning, kosher meals were prepared in San Francisco and driven down to Chai House. Board members and other dedicated volunteers would make the deliveries themselves.
“Those were trying times for the dedicated volunteers
from the board, their spouses, and friends who served the meals to the
residents,” reminisced Rita Jacobson, who served on the original
board of directors.
“There were many glitches along the way, but the positive attitude,
hard work and sense of humor of those volunteers made the kosher meal
‘shlepage’ possible.”
Today, hot meals are cooked on the premises of Chai House in its own state- of-the-art kosher kitchen thanks in part to a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose.
While easier than commuting from San Francisco, cooking up hot, kosher meals for 150 seniors every day is no small feat. Chefs Sherree Curtiss and David Mayberg use kosher food from EURST Food Service Company to bake, broil and work their magic. Rabbi Eliahu Klein, of Berkeley, supervises and regulates proper food storage, temperature and all other necessary procedures.
At the end of each day, when Jewish seniors sit side by side to enjoy a nutritious kosher meal together, everybody’s hard work has clearly paid off.
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