Help Make a Dream Come True or those who dare to share their dream, dreams come true at any age at Menorah Park. Just ask long-time resident Art Yesikoff, who recently shared his dream to publish a book of his own poetry, and to have his own book-signing. In September, his book was published and presented to him; and on November 18, he will have a book-signing party in Menorah Park’s Saltzman Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Art has had poetry in his soul for many years. He writes poems to friends, family, and to those who love poetry. When the Menorah Park D.R.E.A.M. (Dare to Reach Every Amazing Moment) Team heard of his dream, they jumped into action. For months, Art gave the team dozens of poems. The Team formatted the poems, paired them with art and photos created by talented residents Community Can Help Make Dreams Come True by Attending Book Signing on November 18 F “A Taste of Menorah Park” n Sunday, November 9, from 2 – 4 p.m., Menorah Park Campus invites the community to attend “A Taste of Menorah Park” to sample signature dishes prepared by its campus’ chefs. Enjoy tasting various foods while watching demos by well-known local chef Doug Katz. This is a great opportunity to mingle with friends and enjoy entertainment. The event takes place in the Menorah Park Saltzman Auditorium. Please RSVP to Sherry Gavanditti at sgavanditti@menorahpark. org or 216.839.6687. Menorah Park is located at 27100 Cedar Road in Beachwood. across the Menorah Park campus, and turned Art’s dream into a reality. His book, “The Art of Poetry and the Beauty of Words,” is available at Amazon.com and on Kindle. “I’ve always loved to write,” Art confides. “I can’t believe I’m a published poet, and am going to have my own book signing. I can’t believe this is happening!” The D.R.E.A.M. Team has fulfilled hundreds of dreams, ranging from a 90-year-old woman’s desire to ride a motorcycle again, to that of a 52-year-old woman with severe Lou Gehrig’s disease, whose dream was to ask Steven Tyler of Aerosmith to come to her Bat Mitzvah. Other dreams include that of an 89-year-old woman who wished to go up in a helicopter and get an air-high tour of Cleveland; and that of an 88-yearold woman who wanted to be famous and landed a national ad campaign for Safe Auto. Most recently, the team helped a 95-year-old artist reach stardom by being chosen as the face for Pfizer Drug’s national “Get Old” campaign, designed to facilitate conversation on aging. It is so rewarding to see senior citizens who thought their lives were all lived out, with no dreams left, to realize just the opposite— and to have their wildest dreams come true! Please be sure to come to Art’s book-signing. RSVP by calling Sherry Gavanditti at 216.839.6687. Due to a limited number of books available at the signing, we recommend that you pre-order your book from Amazon.com for $8.95 and bring it with you for Art to sign. To donate your time or resources to the D.R.E.A.M. Team, contact Nancy Sutula at 216.831.6500, extension 705. O Reach the Beachwood market. Every resident. Every business. Every month. Exciting Class on Jewish Positive Psychology A partnership of religious and professional organizations campaign for happiness in Beachwood W hen Israeli-born psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar began teaching a class called Positive Psychology at Harvard in 2006, a record 855 undergraduate students signed up. Droves of students at the academically-intense university came to learn, as the course description puts it, about “psychological aspects of a fulfilling and flourishing life.” Speaking to the Harvard Crimson, Prof. Ben-Shahar attributed the class’s high numbers to one simple factor, that “…people want to be happy. Whether it is at Harvard or elsewhere, people want to be happier. [...] There are more than 200 campuses in the United States alone where positive psychology is being taught, and on most campuses it is one of the, if not the, largest classes.” Beginning in the first week of November, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), in partnership with A+ Solutions, will present, “How Happiness Thinks: Jewish Perspectives on Positive Psychology,” the institute’s new six-session fall 2014 course. Rabbi Shmuli Friedman of the Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will conduct the sixcourse sessions at 7:30 p.m., beginning Tuesday, November 4, at the Institute’s new home at 25400 Fairmount Blvd, in Beachwood. Parallel courses are being offered on Wednesday mornings, from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., at the same location, and on Monday evenings from 7:30 – 9 p.m., with Rabbi Moshe Gancz of the Fromovitz Jewish Learning Academy, at the Waxman Chabad Center, 2479 South Green Rd. “The course focuses on ways to overcome the challenges that get in the way of our happiness, including stress, grief and self-concept,” says Rabbi Friedman. “But we’re also going to discuss techniques to boost our happiness, such as humility, gratitude and a meaningful living.” As with all previous JLI programs, How Happiness Thinks is designed to appeal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Interested students may call 216.282.0112 or visit www.myJLI.com for registration and other course-related information. 44 Beachwood Buzz n November 2014