On the way to Paul’s Run, a Lutheran-sponsored continuing care community, store signs boasting Russian and strict, glatt kosher foods for sale shout out ethnic and religious identities within the vast, diverse mini-city that is Northeast Philadelphia. The setting recalls the Jewish enclave within Italian South Philadelphia where Betty Strauss, like many of the elderly Jewish residents now happily ensconced in this mixed-religion facility, grew up. “We had a synagogue on every block,” she recalls.

Even though Strauss and her energetic compatriots in Paul’s Run’s independent living section haven’t moved far, some initially were hesitant to settle in this pleasant setting that is not explicitly Jewish. “When I entered Paul’s Run,” says Naomi Shor, “I was a little concerned that I’d have to give up going to synagogue. It was difficult for me to walk there. But I had belonged to a synagogue for 42 years, and I felt terrible about not being able to go—about not having any connection with my yiddishkeit [Jewish identity]. I was delighted and surprised at what they offer here. I’m rejoicing at what they’re doing for us.”

Indeed on this winter day, as Shor, Strauss and a group of about 20 other men and women gather to “kindle” their electric menorah (the Hanukkah candelabra), a visitor can witness a full celebration replete with religious objects, songs, blessings and, especially, the hearty spirit that characterizes this holiday of Jewish heroism. Whether they are singing on their own or along with the CD, everyone’s voice is raised.

Devoted to his residents of all religious backgrounds, Lutheran Pastor Stephen Weisser and the facility’s Jewish para-chaplain, Lillian Silverstein, had recited the blessing over the menorah with this group in previous years. But, Weisser says, adding the pilot version of the Sacred Seasons Hanukkah kit this year made the celebration much more complete. (Hanukkah kits are slated to be available for distribution in winter 2005.) “Across the board, everyone felt that this was our best Hanukkah, ” he says. Having the kit allowed more time for extras—“the whole social schmeer, ” he says—such as a fully decorated party and holiday food for the independent and assisted living residents.

Easy-to-use kits meant that the holiday could be observed fully, in an open celebration separate from mealtime, in all three levels of care and on all eight nights of the holiday. In the assisted living and health care sections, Weisser reports that the activities staff—some non-Jewish, none with special religious training—use the Hanukkah kits and are phasing in Oneg Shabbat kits successfully. “The therapeutic recreation people do fine,” he says. “The materials are usable across the board.” For Freda Fisher, who enjoyed both the celebration in independent living and the one in health care, where her husband lives, it was the best holiday in years.

Including plenty of music especially helps the people in the health care community. Even those whose memory and awareness are impaired find a way to participate, for instance, by clapping their hands. “Spiritually, it helps them,” Silverstein says. “Ritual memory and song memory last almost forever,” Weisser confirms. “There are always threads that people will pick up on, especially around the holidays.”

Those threads connect to religious lives of various weaves. Some here, like Shor, had kept up their practice; others who had drifted away from the synagogue found in the observances at Paul’s Run a way to return to religion, Silverstein notes. And there are those such as Nathan Fox, who describes himself as having gone from non-observance to being “quasi-religious” after experiencing anti-Semitism during his World War II service. At age 95, he no longer finds the energy to go to the Friday night services that are offered at Paul’s Run. “I don’t feel well enough,” he says. “But I do enjoy the fact that I am Jewish, and I uphold that very strongly.” Fox continues to attend and enjoy the Hanukkah celebrations.

And in a mixed-religion setting such as Paul’s Run, there’s the additional opportunity for celebrations to build a sense of connection across the broader community, as people learn about traditions outside their own. “A good number of Christians hopped in to do Hanukkah with us,” Weisser says. “I think that doing Hanukkah this way helps the various religious communities and the staff get to know each other better. There’s always the question, How will we mix?

“Holding these open, public observances helps us to understand each other better. It contributes to the feeling of welcome that’s allowed a really diverse community to be comfortable with one another.”