NJ elders organize vigil against gun violence
Residents of the Jewish Home Family, which includes the Jewish Home at Rockleigh and the Jewish Home Assisted Living in River Vale, have united with their peers nationwide to hold a vigil against gun violence on the eve of the national March For Our Lives in Washington. They will come together on Friday, March 23, at 2 p.m., for a moment of silence and reflection at both campuses. The vigil will coincide with the “March for our Lives,” which will be held in many cities nationwide on March 24.
“As elders, we wish to step up and add our voices to the effort to address school violence and increased violence in our society,” reads a statement from the resident activists. “We will honor those whose lives have been lost and add our support to the movement for change,” Helaine Glantz, who lives at the Jewish Home Assisted Living, said.
“All of us, staff and residents alike, have been thinking and talking about the issue of gun violence and the latest school tragedy,” the Jewish Home Family’s president and CEO, Carol Silver Elliott, said. “Our residents want to express their concern and want to step forward as grandparents and great grandparents, focused on protecting our youth. We can’t join the marches that are taking place. It’s just not possible for our older adults, many of whom have difficulty walking. So we are expressing ourselves in another way, joining older adults in other senior communities, holding a vigil at the same time, in the same way, bringing together residents, families, visitors, and staff in a national moment of silent unity. In this way, we will mourn the senseless loss of life and express our support for positive change.”
The Jewish Home Assisted Living is at 685 Westwood Ave. in River Vale, and the Jewish Home at Rockleigh is at 10 Link Drive in Rockleigh. It is necessary to make reservations to go to the rally, which requires tight security. RSVP to sbuchwald@jewishhomefamily or call (551) 444 3183.
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