It’s all about love

August 13, 2017, 7:13 pm 0 Edit

From left: Former JAA board chair Steve Halpern; Dr. John Zeisel; JAA board members Andy Stewart, Norman Childs, Todd Rosenfeld, Katie Whitlatch and Mike Levin; JAA board chair Mitchell Pakler; JAA board member Philip Lehman; City Councilman Corey O’Connor; JAA president and CEO Deborah Winn-Horvitz; president & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Jeff Finkelstein; community member Sally Noll; and board member Elliott Oshry Photo by Sanford Riemer

On Thursday, Aug. 3, the Jewish Association on Aging held an open house and ribbon cutting of its new assisted living residence, AHAVA Memory Care Center of Excellence on the JAA campus.

More than 200 community leaders, families, staff and dignitaries came to the ceremony to mark the occasion, as this residence joins a handful of other facilities around the country that provide best-in-class services for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

This auspicious event was made possible by generous donations from community members such as the Beacon Foundation, Giant Eagle Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation and Fine Foundation, to name a few. AHAVA is part of a multimillion dollar capital campaign to provide the best care for those with memory issues across the organization’s entire continuum, as well as increase the organization’s endowment and build an independent living residence.

As he attached the new mezuzah to the front door, JAA director of pastoral care Rabbi Eli Seidman reminded the crowd that AHAVA is the Hebrew word for love. “This new mezuzah should remind us of the love we have for each other, our heritage and the love we have for G-d and the love G-d has for us,” he said.