April Flowers
When I was growing up in New York, my mother said the forsythias always bloomed on my birthday, which is April 8, and the weeping willows always bloomed on my sister’s birthday, which is April 21. Secretly I was always jealous of my sister because I liked the weeping willows more. Probably, if the tables were turned, I would have liked the forsythias more. Sibling rivalry is a powerful thing!
Here in New Orleans it seems like the city is an explosion of colors with the azaleas in bloom, the flowers popping out of the ground and the trees greening up and filling out. I’m sure I smelled some night-blooming jasmine yesterday. April is a beautiful month in our city. But we pay for that beauty.
Before I moved to New Orleans I can only recall one severe reaction I had to pollen when I was out in a summer field in New Jersey. After seventeen years here, I now take four allergy medications each day. It’s strange to live in a place where people measure the days by the pollen count. I suppose all of the festivals were a good distraction from the discomfort our lovely oak trees caused, but this year we will have to find some new distractions. I hope you will join us on Zoom for all the programs we have lined up this month. They're good for the brain and the nose!
Remember to live, love, laugh and enjoy! - Rachel
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LUNCH & LEARN
Tuesday, April 6 | 1:30 - 2:30 PM
No charge members and non-members
Join us via Zoom for our monthly lunch and learn as we discuss interesting topics with a local Jewish professional. This month it’s Rabbi Bauman from Touro Synagogue.
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Meeting ID: 996 3415 6850
Passcode: JCCL&L
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MORRIS BART, SR. LECTURE SERIES
Green Rabbits and Climate Cassandras:
Stories of Environmental Derangement
Monday, April 12 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
No charge members and non-members
Novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich will discuss how contemporary literature is changing to reflect our changing natural world. He will speak about some of the stories he’s written for the New York Times Magazine, where he is a writer-at-large: the story of the handful of scientists and policy wonks who, forty years ago, tried to warn the world about climate change before it was too late; the corporate defense lawyer who discovered that DuPont had secretly poisoned the blood of all living creatures, a story adapted into the recent film Dark Waters; and the fishermen who have fought desperately to stop the state of Louisiana from trying to save them from climate change.
Rich is the author of Losing Earth: A Recent History, winner of several national awards; Second Nature: Scenes from a World Remade, to be published March 31; and three novels, most recently King Zeno, set in New Orleans in 1918.
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JCC BOOK CLUB
Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin
Tuesday, April 20 | 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Reviewed by Kathy Rush, retired cultural anthropologist and one of the founders of the Oral History Library of the University Women's Club of Buenos Aires
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue comes Mistress of the Ritz, a captivating novel based on the story of the extraordinary real-life American woman who secretly worked for the French Resistance during World War II—while playing hostess to the invading Germans at the iconic Hotel Ritz in Paris.
Nothing bad can happen at the Ritz; inside its gilded walls every woman looks beautiful, every man appears witty. Favored guests like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor walk through its famous doors to be welcomed and pampered by Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, the hotel’s director. The Auzellos are the mistress and master of the Ritz, allowing the glamour and glitz to take their minds off their troubled marriage, and off the secrets that they keep from their guests—and each other.
Until June 1940, when the German army sweeps into Paris, setting up headquarters at the Ritz. Suddenly, with the likes of Hermann Goëring moving into suites once occupied by royalty, Blanche and Claude must navigate a terrifying new reality. One that entails even more secrets and lies. One that may destroy the tempestuous marriage between this beautiful, reckless American and her very proper Frenchman. For in order to survive—and strike a blow against their Nazi “guests”—Blanche and Claude must spin a web of deceit that ensnares everything and everyone they cherish.
But one secret is shared between Blanche and Claude alone—the secret that, in the end, threatens to imperil both of their lives, and to bring down the legendary Ritz itself.
Based on true events, Mistress of the Ritz is a taut tale of suspense wrapped up in a love story for the ages, the inspiring story of a woman and a man who discover the best in each other amid the turbulence of war.
In keeping with the Ritz hotel theme, come dressed (from waist up) as if you were there!
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Meeting ID: 846 4355 9341
Passcode: jccbooks
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If you are interested in helping to choose upcoming books for review
this spring and possibly this summer, please stay online with us a little longer
and bring some of your ideas to share.
Email Beth to be placed on our book club email list.
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PIATIGORSKY CONCERT
Thursday, April 22 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM
No charge members and non-members
We are thrilled to have the Piatigorsky Foundation return to the J for a virtual concert. Award-winning mezzo-soprano Katherine Calcamuggio Donner, one of the most promising young vocalists on the opera scene today, will perform with piano accompanist Lisa Lewis. Together they will entertain us and teach us about their musical choices. The concert will be followed by a Q&A session. Join us for a fabulous afternoon of music.
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MORRIS BART, SR. LECTURE SERIES
Why Good People Do Bad Things
Wednesday, April 28 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
No charge members and non-members
Drawing on her book, The Billionaire's Apprentice: The Rise of the Indian-American Elite and the Fall of the Galleon Hedge Fund, which chronicles the rise and fall of Rajat K. Gupta, the former managing director of consulting giant McKinsey who was convicted of giving inside corporate secrets to a New York money manager, veteran journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter Anita Raghavan talks about the way well-regarded and successful individuals so often slide into criminal behavior.
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Mondays, 10:45 AM
Instructor: Michele
Tuesdays, 10:45 AM
Instructor: Monica
Thursdays, 10:45 AM
Instructor: Brittany
Fridays, 10:45 AM
Stay Fit
Instructor: Patricia
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SENIOR CHAIR EXERCISE IS BACK!
We are back in person, poolside! Join us on the pool deck at the Uptown JCC three days a week for some fresh air and exercise.
Designed for seniors at all levels and abilities, this class involves stretching and strength training. Either exercise from a chair or standing, according to your comfort level.
Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
If you are not ready to join us in person, check out our virtual offerings. The most important thing is to take care of yourself, and keep moving!
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Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Apple Salad |
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INGREDIENTS
Salad
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
2 T olive oil
½ t paprika
½ t ground cumin
½ c (50g) skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
2 sharp, green eating (dessert) apples, such as Granny Smith
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 pomegranate, seeds only
5 oz arugula
Dressing
1 T tahini
1 T honey
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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DIRECTIONS
Prepare the Salad:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection oven 320°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower florets, olive oil, paprika, cumin and almonds; mix well, making sure the cauliflower is evenly coated with the oil and spices. Spread onto the baking sheet and roast in the oven until the cauliflower has started to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.
Meanwhile, core the apples and chop into ½-inch chunks. Place the apple pieces in a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice to prevent them from browning and keep them fresh.
Make the Dressing:
In a small bowl, combine the tahini, honey, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the apples and combine with the cauliflower mixture, pomegranate seeds and arugula, then drizzle with dressing to serve.
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ACTIVE ADULT DONATIONS
A donation to the Active Adult program is a beautiful way to let someone know that you have remembered them or a loved one, and in turn you help defray the costs of our programs. Acknowledgements of your remembrance are sent to whom you choose along with a tax deductible confirmation to you. Donations can be made online at nojcc.org,
by mail to 5342 St. Charles Ave, NOLA 70115, or by calling (504) 897-0143.
JCC SENIOR CLUB FUND
KRIEGER SENIOR CITIZENS TRANSPORTATION FUND
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CONGRATULATIONS!
We're sending all of our best birthday wishes for a year of health and happiness!
Janet Mackenzie (April 8)
Rachel Leib Ruth (April 8)
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Nine Important Facts to Remember As We Grow Older
#9 - Death is the number one killer in the world.
#8 - Life is sexually transmitted.
#7 - Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
#6 - Men have two motivations: hunger and hanky panky, and they can't tell them apart. If
you see a gleam in his eyes, make him a sandwich.
#5 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the internet and they won't bother you for weeks, months, maybe years unless you give them your email address.
#4 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.
#3 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
#2 - In the '60s, people took LSD to make the world weird. Now the world is weird, and people take Prozac to make it normal.
#1 - Life is like a jar of jalapeno peppers. What you do today may be a burning issue tomorrow.
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TRIVIA
What candy bar was originally introduced as "Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp?"
a. Kit Kat
b. Twix
c. Snickers
d. Butterfinger Bar
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I hope you are enjoying the monthly crossword puzzle.
Please let me know if you feel they are too hard, too easy or if you have suggestions for other games or puzzles to include. - Beth
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New Orleans JCC | Uptown 897-0143 | Metairie 887-5158 | nojcc.org
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