young at

heart
A PEN In The Community
Residency Anthology

freda mohr multipurpose center

los angeles, ca
fall 2016
All illustrations by Marilyne Holm
 contents
young at heart

i Foreword

1 muriel n. mines
2 Reflections
3 Ha Azinu

5 marilyne holm
6 The Passover Rabbit
7 Chanukah
8 My First Date

9 louise jaye judy dorfman

10 Uniquely My Mother
11 All That You Are
13 Now Think!

15 adela manheimer
16 Day By Day
19 A Letter to All of My Children

21 irene weinstein
22 The Art of Cake Decorating
23 My Favorite Holiday
 25 jerry solomon
26 Dear Taco Bell
27 Casting Calls
28 Screaming For Attention

29 hadasa cytrynowicz
30 Dancing For Eleanor Roosevelt
32 Footsteps

35 george epstein
36 Meant to Be

39 eleanor carey
40 Memory Lane
41 Two Spaces Beyond
43 Learning to Fly

45 clara ben
47 Lost and Found

49 barbara hurvitz
50 Here We Sit
51 Dear Computer

53 About the Authors

 foreword

WORDS are strong but not quite enough to express the admiration
I have for my students. They came to class, carrying life experience,
humor and open hearts. Louise, with the candy she always shared;
Marilyne with her unmistakable laugh, Hadasawho teaches us
Yiddish; Adela, always bright and peppy; Jerry, full of jokes; ele-
gant Eleanor with her sweet smile; Muriel, who dropped in to drop
poems on us; Irene, who quietly wrote her heart out; George who
graced us with his presence part time; and Barbara, happy to be our
human spellcheck. Clair and Cathy popped in to say hello on the last
day, too.
Sharing the joy of writing is one of the greatest gifts Ive
received in my life. I am honored to play a small part in giving
these stories a home. They will stay with me forever.
I hope that these writers continue to write, because as Saul
Bellow said, Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf
of insignificance from the door. Stories matterand so do you.

Shawna Kenney, November 2016

young at heart i
 muriel n.
mines

young at heart 1
MURIEL N. MINES

Reflections

Standing on the threshold of

Lifes journey,
I, a chubby, gray-haired lady
dressing outlandishly, never
Without earrings matching stylish
garments, colorful, comfortable.
Enjoying happy surpriseslike
finding pennies in the street.

Watching exchanges in the market place.

Floating in a tub of foamy bubbles
soothing naked skin.
Enjoying summertime in flimsy
printed cotton skirts and
big straw-brimmed hats.

Nostalgiamemories
every moment its own
special significance.
Life, a learning process
Natures beauty acknowledged
recognized, appreciated.

Hiding the fear of

hunger, disease, abuse, political
upheaval, murder, human suffering, despair.
Somewhere I HAVE FOUND HOPE!

2 young at heart
 MURIEL N. MINES

Ha Azinu

I too have lived to see

My greatest, cherished legacy
By re-telling my lifes story
It surely is my own Torah glory.

Write for yourselves this poem, and teach them to the children of
Israel, in order that this poem might be thy witness among them.
(Deuteronomy 3:19)

young at heart 3
 marilyne
holm

young at heart 5
MARILYNE HOLM

The Passover Rabbit

You might ask, why the Passover Rabbit? This animal has nothing
to do with the Passover story! A rabbit is not even kosher. Well, let
me tell you how it came about.
As many other Jewish children, I grew up in a predominantly
gentile community. I had almost no Jewish friends because there
werent many my age (maybe two, plus a couple of cousins). So
when Christmas and Easter came around, there was so much fuss
and so many glittering gifts that it was very hard not to feel left out,
even though I had a handful of Chanukah gelt.
So when I got married and had a child and got divorced (in
that order), here I was with a child and no immediate family, with
gentile holidays all around me. My son saw the children at school
and next door getting presents and candies, then asked me, Have
I been bad? Why dont I get anything?
So along with the matzo ball soup, and the charoset, honey cake
and the other delectable of Passover came the Passover Rabbit,
rivaling the Easter Bunny with his basket of goodies and the sto-
ries of the Exodus for all good Jewish children. And the children
ate and listened to the stories and took pride in the courage and
accomplishments of the Jewish people.

6 young at heart
MARILYNE HOLM

Chanukah

My favorite Jewish holiday is Chanukah. It is a joyous time of food

and fun. Many years ago I made a large Jewish star, painted it gold,
stapled tiny lights on the edges and finished the whole thing off with
thick gold tinsel.
My son was about two years old when that star went up in the
window, facing all of the Christmas trees in the neighborhood. His
gifts were under the star and the rest of the house was all trimmed
with lights, tinsel, and hanging symbols of Judaism (like dreidels).
The smell of latkes perfumed our home and joy was everywhere.

young at heart 7
MARILYNE HOLM

My First Date

I was a freshman in high school, very shy and inhibited, and to make
matters worse I had to wear an eye patch over my right eye because
I had an eye operation for being cross-eyed!
There was a boy in my art classes and he and I got along pretty
well. He was also kind of shy. Richard was an east-sider (in
Sheboygan that was the upper-crust). He lived in a beautiful red
brick house with a curved staircase inside, just like the ones in the
movies. I was one of three Jewish girls in my grade and not too
pretty. But he asked me out.
My mother and I went downtown to get a dress, which was a
very simple and non-sexy onenot the one I picked out, but my
mother said no to mine yes to her choice.
On the night he was picking me up, my mother was very busy
and my father had to help me get dressed. When I came down the
stairs, there was my motherthe former flapperin a very sexy
dress, entertaining my date, who was sitting uncomfortably in the
big chair.
When we finally got away, we were too embarrassed to talk
much and our own dancing was terribly awkward.
We came home early and remained friends through high
school but never dated again.

8 young at heart
 louise jaye judy
dorfman

young at heart 9
LOUISE JAYE JUDY DORFMAN

Uniquely My Mother

My mother was very unique. Her mother even created her name
Evlin. She always celebrated two birthdaysthe one that the doctor
who only came to town once a week recorded (September 25) and the
one that actually occurred according to her mother (September 27).
She often laughed, wondering why the tooth fairy decided to
play a joke on her by gifting her with three sets of natural teeth.
My mother and father got married on Thanksgiving Day
November 22nd. Thanksgiving is on the third Thursday of November
and so my parents got to celebrate two complete anniversaries
November 22nd and Thanksgiving Day.
My mother died on June 13th but when the coroner came to our
island home after midnight, he filled out her death certificate using
the date: June 12th. I refused to accept his error, although my father
was willing to, so in a way, my mom had two deaths. That was also
when my father found out she had a middle nameHenrietta. She
had always used her maiden name as her middle name.
My mom had wanted a new garage door installed and it was
finally completed on June 12th, the day before her death, and she
never got to see it but was the first out of it, on a gurney.

10 young at heart
LOUISE JAYE JUDY DORFMAN

All That You Are

Please dont die with all the music in you

Please dont choose to depart from this planet

I truly want and need you here with me

You truly have no idea of what

Your work or what your precious talents
And you can be

I long to see and hear those

Notes and rhythms surpassed
As your lifes song in your heart
Gets composed

I desire to slide up and down

Those scales and climb
Those high octaves
To form major, minor, diminished and augmented chords with you

I dream of watching
You select those notes
And witnessing those chords and melodies
Transposed

As the song in your heart becomes

Composed, your love and light becomes
Exposed,
for all of the world to see.

young at heart 11
Well climb up and down those
Difficult octaves together.
Well practice those scales
In any type of weather.
Our problems will be lighter
than a feather.

Well become tougher

stronger than a piece of leather.

12 young at heart
LOUISE JAYE JUDY DORFMAN

Now Think!

Is the world, to you, an awful place?

Is there a lot of hurt and sorrow in your life that you cant erase?

Theres just one thing weve got to face

Were all members of the human race

Lets admit it could be good

If we were treated like we should

Would we be happy? Yes!

I think we would
If this dream of
Happening possibly could

Soooo lets make it as good

As we can, for an island
Cant be a man. He needs
People all around, like
the roots of a tree need
the ground.

Now think, what do you want?

Is it good, is it bad, will it make
you joyous? Will it make
others sad?

Why do want it?

And what ever on earth for?
Will it open heavens gate

young at heart 13
LOUISE JAYE JUDY DORFMAN

And lock Hells door?

Is it a person, place, thing

Marriage, goal or career?
Have you tried to achieve or
Attain it during this year?

If you have or did there

Is still desire
If you wouldnt or didnt,
There are nooo flames in your fire.

14 young at heart
 adela
manheimer

young at heart 15
ADELA MANHEIMER

Day by Day

At the beginning of the war, I lived in Poland. I was working in a

factory making material for the Vermachtfor the soldiers.
When I was 17, I had an engagement party with Wolf
Manheimer, my finance, thrown by my parents. He was hand-
someblack hair and blue eyes, and such a nice person. The next
week was supposed to be an engagement party with his parents in
his town of Bedzin nearby, but then I got sent to Germany. The
Nazis put us in trucks to Germany. Nobody knew what was hap-
pening. My mother was running after me because I was her only
child. She was going to give me a piece of cheesecakeand they
beat her up. She was 50 years old. That was the last time I saw her.
They took her to Auschwitz. It was January and it was cold and she
got pneumonia.
We were taken to a place with bunkbeds and 1000 girls. On
the first day, for fun the soldier asked who wants to go home? I
was nave and missed my parents so I said I would like to go home.
They beat me so much with brass knuckles that for three weeks I
had swollen eyes. I was so sick.
We had bedbugs biting us. We worked twelve hours on
machines in the factory. We were weaving material. If you didnt
make the amount they wanted, you went to the crematory. If the
thread was not working, you had to run around and make it work.
One day, the big Nazi Schiff came and made speeches saying
we would be there until we were grandmothersthat we would
never get out of there. For fun he started counting, 1, 2, 3 and
every time he landed on 10, that person went to Auschwitz. Many
times I was number 9 or 11. I guess if youre meant to live, you live,
or meant to die, you die. I was lucky.

16 young at heart
ADELA MANHEIMER

When liberation came, they put us on a death march for five

months through the snow. Many girls died on the way. Near the
end, they 30 of us in a truck and American bombers bombed the
convoy. The pregnant Nazi woman next to me got hit with shrap-
nel and it didnt touch me. I thought, we have to get off this
truck or they will kill us. I grabbed my friend, who was like my
sister, and we ran into the woods. We walked through a lake, even
though I couldnt swimI took a chance. Snow was still on the
ground. We slept in a barn and then French POWs found us and
took us to the Red Cross tents to help us. I weighed 77 pounds.
They fed us farina to build us up.
When I was first taken from my town, Wolf had been a soldier
in the Polish army. He got sent to a camp later. After the war there
was a book that listed who survived. He was one of four brothers.
His brother found his name in this book. He was in Paris, very
sick in a hospital. The brother found my name in a book, too. I
was in a refugee camp in Germany when I found out. His brother
went to Paris by sneaking on a train and found Wolf sleeping in a
hospital. He said he woke up and they stared at each other for an
hour or more. Finally l he took him to Germany and brought me
to his camp. The Nazis gave him too much air and made a hole in
his lungs. I took him to Heidelburg and he had five big surgeries
but nothing helped. They cut out seven ribs without anesthesia. He
went through a lot. He always said, why are you so upset? I am
alive! I can see. He always knew it could be worse.
Little by little, he got a little better. We had a wedding in the
survivors camp yard, with chickens walking around and it was
raining. His brothers wife didnt want to make the herring because
it would make her fingers smell, so I made it myself even though I
was the bride.
It was a miracle to get to the United States. People told me it was
a bad time to go to Israel. People said try to go to America. They
sent us to Cleveland, Ohio. It was a terrible eight yearswinter

young at heart 17
ADELA MANHEIMER

was so cold and summer so humid. Our son was five years old.
Later we found out my husband had a cousin in Los Angeles and
we came here, which is paradise.
I picked one girl who was down to earth and nice. My friend
Sappora and I shared bread together for years. After the war, I went
to Haifa and she was living in Israel. I found her.
Wolf died in 1984. I got remarried to man who was from the
same city as Wolf and that man died twelve years ago.
Today I have two children, six grandchildren and nine great-
grandchildren. They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists.
My father was an orphan and raised by an auntie. He was
orthodox and brought poor men for dinner and sleeping over. He
would collect money to help people get married. He said you can-
not take diamonds, you cannot take money to the grave, but your
name is important, and I want to take my name. I give the credit
to my father because of what he did for the poor. There must be
some reason why I am alive?
I survive now every day. When people tell me next week, this
and this I cannot make appointments. I live day by day.

18 young at heart
ADELA MANHEIMER

A Letter to All of My Children

Dearest Aron, Rosalie, Noah, Isaac, Miriam, Jeremy, Talia, Ariell,

Eli, Hanna, Skyler, Zue, Edward:
I am a simple, humble Mother, Grandmother and Great
Grandmother. The only thing I expect from you is respect. This
and love are most precious.
What does this mean? Visit as often as you can. Call and take
time for a short conversation. This is all I ask for.
Thank G-d I am a Holocaust survivor, 95 years old, and of
clear mind.
I dont need material helpjust your time, which is gold and
diamonds for me.
Love,

Adela Manheimer

Open your heart

Write your story
Life is a journey
Cherish every moment
Believe in yourself
Listen to your heart
Be positive!

young at heart 19
 irene
weinstein

young at heart 21
IRENE WEINSTEIN

The Art of Cake Decorating

The first time I tried to use a pastry bag in baking class, I was as
afraid as I had been during the driving test when I had to parallel
park. My body froze when the bakery chef came up behind me sud-
denly. I felt his hand push my pastry bag and his other hand turned
my head toward the practice sheet.
Move in closer! he yelled. You cant do it that way. After
that, I became a professional at writing with a pastry bag, and the
chef made me teach all the new students how to practice writing
with cake icing on wax paper.

22 young at heart
IRENE WEINSTEIN

My Favorite Holiday

The high holiday of Shavous is my favorite Jewish holiday. God gave

the Jews 10 commandments through Moses on the top of Mount
Sinai. After the 10 Commandments were read, flowers miraculously
blossomed at the bottom of the mountain.
On Shavous, friends and family bring each other bouquets
of different flowers as remembrance of the giving of the 10
Commandments. The book of Ruth is read in some synagogues
and my Hebrew name is Ruth, so its special to me. The Torah
states that our of the house of Ruth the Messiah will come.
It is with great joy and sometimes fear that I also feel respon-
sible in part to help bring the Messiah, too.

young at heart 23
 jerry
solomon

young at heart 25
JERRY SOLOMON

Dear Taco Bell

About 40 years ago you had a good taco sauce in a square container.
It had that special flavor. And it was discontinued and exchanged for
some bland, almost tasteless sauce.

If you like the new saucefine. Why cant we have both?

You also had a ground beef burger that was pretty good.

Should children discontinue good grades? Then why should Taco

Bell discontinue good food items?

Bring back good grades!

Bring back good food!

26 young at heart
JERRY SOLOMON

Casting Calls

I dont remember my first phone number but in 1985 I took out a

notice in the Show Biz West stating Hey gals, if youd like to win
a date with Jerry, call: xxx-xxx. I ran it along with my mug shot.
In 2016, I crossed out the old number and put in my new one.
You could be the lucky gal!

young at heart 27
JERRY SOLOMON

Screaming for Attention

Im at the market when I came across this US Magazine. Glancing at

the cover, the caption reads 100 Cutest Guys. Ad around the cap-
tion was the mugs of eight young guysthey left me out!
I was cute as a baby and Im still cute.
In my jealous rage, I had to get the magazineuntil I noted
the price: $10.
The next day, I tried to talk to the manager. I just want the
cover. Can you reduce the price? But it did no good. I eventually
bought the magazine.
Am I nuts? I thought. Only teenage girls buy this stuff. But
they should be screaming over me, not Justin Bieber (who happens
to be one of the gentlemen on the cover). I know they go ape over
him all over the world.
I had four ladies scream over me at the Farmers Market kara-
oke. But I had to remind them to do so. During the middle of my
number, I simply blared out Scream over me! Scream over me!
And the four of them just went, Yeee!
Well, to make a long story short, I somehow got my mug on
the cover. I think it was a paste-up job.

28 young at heart
 hadasa
cytrynowicz

young at heart 29
HADASA CYTRYNOWICZ

Dancing for Eleanor Roosevelt

During World War II, I did not have grandparents. My grandparents

on my mothers side did not want to flee Poland yet to the Soviet
Union, nor did my grandparents from my fathers side. Older people
didnt want to leave their homes. Some of the older people were reli-
gious and thought nothing bad could happen to them. Some of the
Jewish people thought the Germans were nicer to the Jewish popu-
lation in the first World War (1914-1918) compared to the brutal
Russian Cossacks, so there was less fear.
In the Soviet Union, we did not know what really happened to
our families. We just knew the newspapers talked about the front
and brave soldiers. The truth is that this was a terrible war that
did not have mercy on anyone. Jews and non-Jews were killed in
the worst way than one can even think. All of our families were
killed by the Nazis between 1939 and 1945.
I wanted to tell my grandchildren the terrible stories of the
war, but my younger son asked me not to talk about the horrors.
He said he would do it, if and when he decides. I understood, and
did not speak of how difficult it was for us to survive for those
six years. Instead I read them childrens literature. Sometimes they
liked those stories, sometimes they didnt. But I saw that some
of these childrens stories (like the Brothers Grimms Little Red
Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and some of Hans Christian
Andersens) are frightening, too.
When my husband and I lived in Brazil, we went to the park
with our grandchildren. Afterward we went to a bakery and just
made small talk. We asked questions like how are you? and
what do you think about this or that thing? But never could I say
anything about me as a young girl. Now I remember that I never
spoke to my sons about myself when they were little. I just talked

30 young at heart
HADASA CYTRYNOWICZ

about life after the warGermany, school, teachers, etcand not

too much about Israel.
In Stuttgart Germany after the war we had a school I loved.
I performed in the theater as a singer. I even danced for Eleanor
Roosevelt when she came to visit survivors and came to our school.
I remember dancing Czrds, a Hungarian dance, to the music of
Franz Liszt. I was twelve years old. I will never forget this.
Why did I never tell them about this? Maybe I thought after
writing my short stories which were published in a book called
Waving to the Train and other stories they could read more
about me.

young at heart 31
HADASA CYTRYNOWICZ

Footsteps

Heavy, threatening footsteps, footsteps of military boots; strong

footsteps, sure footsteps of my father.
How many footsteps have I heard in my life? Always I hear
them in the dark, and they get louder and closer, and I want to
wake up, get up right away so I can flee.
Always Im hearing sounds, footsteps, crying, shouting, lam-
entation. Im always trying to interpret them. Well I do remember
those military footsteps, even before I can remember my fathers
footsteps. I was four years old.
The entire city trembled, Konsk trembled. Boots without end
marched. Without end. I still hear them. They marched trampling
everything without mercy, crushing, mowing down, beating.
They marched, always in perfect rhythm, this military company,
everything in such fine rhythm. What magnificent choreography!
A pair of boots came to knock on our door. It was the two of
us: Mother and me. Mother was frightened, and I even more. They
were hip boots, polished, perfect black boots, shining Aryan boots.
Are there men in the house?
Nein, Mother answered.
Do you have any sons?
Nein, Mother answered.
Good. We dont need Jewish men.
The boots left, elegant and glossy, coordinated in one extraor-
dinary movement. At that moment, Mother thanked her God for
not having sons. Shes always wanted to have a kaddish, a son who
would pray for her after her death. The two sons she had did not
survive: one died at birth, the other after only a few months.
Winter night. Ural night. An endless darkness envelops me, and
Im afraid. Mother works far away in the snow, out in the forest.

32 young at heart
HADASA CYTRYNOWICZ

Father too. I always wait for my fathers return in a neighbors unit.

I strain to hear footsteps from afar. The corridor is very long and
narrow. I sit and wait, paralyzed, wanting to hear footsteps, foot-
stepsand my face lights up when I hear faraway footsteps getting
closer and closer. Theyre my fathers, yes, my fathers! Footsteps
that bring hugs and safety. I run to the door, and he appears, and
embraces me. Slowly I release and relax. How it hurts to wait.

This story previously appeared in the Bnai Brith quarterly magazine Heranca
Judaica, no. 55, December 1983

young at heart 33
 george
epstein

young at heart 35
GEORGE EPSTEIN

Meant to Be

Coming from the Gait and Balance class at the Freda Mohr center,
I entered another room as the Stories Matter writing group was
already well underway. The instructor, Shawna, came over to me
and invited me to write a short story. He handed me a composition
book. How about a story about your first date? she asked. I was a
bit taken aback. I thought for a moment.
But I cant remember my first date. I replied. Undaunted, she
made another suggestion.
How about your worst date?
Again, I had no such recollection. I am 90, so I am entitled to
forget things, right? As I was being driven home in the JFS SUV
with the courteous driver Michael at the helm, I became engaged
in conversation with one of the ladies. Arlene is a lovely young
woman who is always pleasant to be around. As we chatted, the
thought occurred to me, I cant remember my first date, but Ill
write a story about how I met my wife thanks to Mrs. Buxbaum.
Arlene was interested. Who is Mrs. Buxbaum? she asked. I
gave her an overview.
After graduating from college at the University of Massachusetts
in June 1948, I was to start graduate school in the fall. Instead
of seeking summer employment, my father, who drove a laundry
truck, suggested I build a laundry route while vacationing at the
summer home in Nantasket Beach, which my family shared with
other relatives. I thought it was a great idea.
With a little planning and much effort, I was soon off and run-
ning. I had some wonderful customers, including a small hotel and
several rooming houses. Mrs. Buxbaum owned one of the rooming
houses. She had taken a liking to me. One day, while delivering
the laundry bundle, Mrs. Buxbaum asked if she could hitch a ride

36 young at heart
GEORGE EPSTEIN

with me to the gas company. She had a bill to settle with them. Of
course, I repliedalthough it was somewhat out of my way.
As we drove along, suddenly Mrs. Buxbaum made me an offer
she would not let me refuse. A little further up the road, there was
a summerhouse where she wanted me to stop so she could intro-
duce me to the owner, for whom Mrs. Buxbaum had once worked.
Maybe Ill get her for you as a customer? she hinted. She would
not accept a no from me.
Standing in the doorway, as Mrs. Buxbaum said her hello and
introduced me to Mrs. Tabrisky, suddenly a door opened on the
second level. Out came a lovely young woman. (Now, as I write
this, I am crying. Through the tears, its hard to see the keys on my
computer keyboard). The moment I saw her and then watched her
walk down the stairs, something deep within me told me thats the
girl for me. I just knew! She was beautiful in every respect. I could
feel the excitement within me.
Mrs. Buxbaum probably saw the expression on my face. Im
sure it wasnt my poker face. Fran, she said to Mrs. Tabrisky,
I would love to see your place here. So the two older ladies left
Irene and me alone with one another. I dont recall our conversa-
tion. It really doesnt matte. I asked Irene for her phone number.
It took me two weeks to muster the courage to call her for
our first date. And our romance beganand never ended until her
untimely death in 1996.
We married on July 4, 1951 in Los Angeles and had two won-
derful children, Sue and David. We shared a wonderful life together.
Ill always remember Irenemy Chaialawith great admiration
and love. And I still thank Mrs. Buxbaum. May she rest in peace. I
hope she is aware of the wonderful mitzvah she did. Mrs. Tabrisky
already had a good laundry service and didnt become my cus-
tomer. Better yet, she was a wonderful mother-in-law.

young at heart 37
 eleanor
carey

young at heart 39
ELEANOR CARY

Memory Lane

When I was about three years old, I lived on a farm. My most pre-
cious memory is one of a small colt. I would stand next to it and put
my hand on it. In my memory I can still see the colors and feel his
warm body next to mine.
My next happy time was when I got adopted. A lady from the
orphanage took me to a lovely house with rose bushes and a big
front porch. And the best surprise was the room they showed me,
telling me that was my room to sleep in. It was beautiful. I was only
five years old but I felt very grown up and special.
What I desired most growing up was the feeling of being loved
and giving others smiles and happiness. Writing is like a miracle.
You can actually think up any number of stories, situations and
desires and write them all down. When I write all of this, I smile.

40 young at heart
ELEANOR CARY

Two Spaces Beyond

At the age of five I would look through the fence of Akron Airport
to watch the planes. It was a little thrill to watch them coming and
going. It didnt take long to notice the blimps, either.
We lived near Wingfoot Lake, where the Goodyear blimps
were kept. Later I drove an old station wagon and my four sons
and I would drive over to Wingfoot to watch the blimps. I am still
fascinated with them.
We adopted a turtle we found near Wingfoot Lake. My two
odlest sons caught this large turtle and put it in the trunk of our
station wagon.
All that outdoor adventure got me interested in the moom. We
spent many evenings watching the moon as it traveled across the
sky.
Then what a wonderful surprise when the Apollo 11 com-
mand module landed on the moon July 20, 1969. Everyone was
thrilledespecially me!
Next home computers became common in the 1980s. Now
almost everything is done on computers. I was fascinated by all the
things you can look up on them. Now its routine.
I also have a fascination with robots. I have had several of them.
One was a King Kong that shook its arms and made jungle noises.
Another robot was programmed to come to me with a drink on a
tray.
After the fun I had with robots came the exciting invention of
drones. Now they are everywhere! I couldnt afford to buy one but
I went to the shopping centers to watch them being demonstrated.
Jupiter is being studied to find out if its core is solid or liquid. I
am not sure what this has to do with us on Earth but we will prob-
ably find out soon.

young at heart 41
ELEANOR CARY

And I happy to say we are going to try and land on Mars again.
That should be very interesting. On August 5, 2014, the Curiosity
rover landed on Mars. Now NASA is planning to land humans
there in the 2030s.
We now know there are multiple universes beyond our world.
Wow! We inhabitants of our planet have much to look forward to.

42 young at heart
ELEANOR CARY

Learning to Fly

The first time I flew I was going to Las Vegas. I was alone and it felt
like I might lose my courage and not be able to go. A male worker at
the airport took me to the appropriate gate and then he left me alone.
When they put me on the plane, they made me sit opposite
the wing and I was right next to the window. As the stewardess
was telling us all about how to prepare for an emergency, I got so
nervous I began to sweat and I was holding on to the armrests for
support.
Then suddenly the plane was going faster and fasterthen I
felt the lift and the wheels left the ground. At first I closed my eyes,
then I felt us flying. I still watch for that feeling of lift.

young at heart 43
 clara
ben

young at heart 45
CLARA BEN

Lost and Found

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq. I had a cousin whose fathermy

uncleleft Iraq in 1940 for Iran. I got married and had two boys
and we lost touch with this part of the family. My brothers, sisters
and cousins are all in Israel. For forty years, we looked all over the
world trying to find this cousin and his family.
Finally they asked me, Clair, why dont you try in America?
I looked everywhere and called everybody I knew. Finally some-
one told me about a movie playing in LA about Jews in Iraq. Even
though I am not much of a movie person, I decided to go.
While I was walking down the aisle to find a seat, I stopped
all of a sudden. I felt stuck. I turned to the lady in the row and just
asked her, Do you know this guy [the name of my cousin]?
She said, Yes! He and his brother. She told me he was dead
but that his brother was alive. At first she did not want to give me
his telephone number but finally I found him by asking a few other
people. I found him on July 18, 2015. Now he calls that his new
birthdate because thats when he gained a whole family he thought
he had lost. He is the only one left from his familyeveryone else
has died. Now he has our huge family, here and in Israel.
He is a great mana hard worker, loving and caring. We talk
to each other almost every day. He claims that he owes us his life.
He says he was the saddest person in the world and is now the hap-
piest. I am happy, too.

young at heart 47
 barbara
hurvitz

young at heart 49
BARBARA HURVITZ

Here We Sit

The moon was bright and everything was lit

The leaves rustled in the warm evening breeze
The old swing moved back and forth with ease
And here we sit, enjoying it!

People walked by
I gave a sigh
A mosquito buzzed by
And I got bit.
And here we sit, no longer enjoying it.

Hyenas are howling.

Children are yowling.
Dogs are barking.
Cars are parking.
And here we sit.
Im having a fit!

50 young at heart
BARBARA HURVITZ

Dear Computer

There you sit on my table, looking shiny, intriguing and cold. When
I open you up, I see my reflection in your screen. You have all these
tantalizing buttons to push, but I dont want to push them, in case I
break you!
Before I got you, I learned how computers functioned, because
I attended a class and someone taught me. Over the last few years
I have worked with your successors. All of you have buttons and
icons, but not all of them function well.
And dear new computer, you sit like a solid rock on my table,
just waiting for me to conquer youand I will, because Im taking
more lessons. Watch out!
Your savvier new owner,

Barbara

young at heart 51
 about the authors

CLARA BEN was born in Baghdad, Iraq. She is retired with three
children and four grandchildren. She is a loving, caring person.

ELEANOR CAREY has five children and has lived in California for
28 years. She loves the beach, mountains and lots of movies.

HADASA CYTRYNOWICZ is the author of Waving to the Train and

other stories, published by Blue Thread Communications in 2013. It
was written in Portuguese and later translated into English. She lived
in Brazil for 55 years where she was a teacher of Russian and Yiddish
at the University of So Paulo. Many of the short stories were pub-
lished in So Paulo in Jewish magazines. She still teaches Yiddish at
the Workmens Circle in Los Angeles.

LOUISE JAYE JUDY DORFMAN has worked as a model, singer,

musician, clown, comic and artist. She is appreciative of the oppor-
tunity to study writing at the Freda Mohr Center and after 50 years
of living in LA she has been encouraged to write a book.

GEORGE EPSTEIN has written two books about poker, teaches

poker classes and is happy to be alive.

MARILYNE HOLM is a semi-retired dress designer with one son

who is a magician. She worked with the Boy Scouts of America for
twenty years, where she planned events. She has lived in Los Angeles
for 64 years.

BARBARA HURVITZ lives in Los Angeles with her husband. She

has three sons and one daughter-in-law. Since her retirement from

young at heart 53
teaching, Barbara has joined many classes and enjoys participating in
them. She also enjoys volunteering in the library of a local elemen-
tary school where she reads to children and helps them to select
books.

ADELA MANHEIMER is a Holocaust survivor proud of her son and

daughter and all they have achieved without her help. Her son is a
journalist and an editor. Her daughter is an author and photographer.

MURIEL N. MINES was born in New York City in 1920 and came
to Los Angeles in 1950. She has published a memoir called A Life
Remembered. Writing is an every day activity for her.

JERRY SOLOMON is a writer, singer, dancer, comic, consumer

activist, and honorary sexologist.

IRENE WEINSTEIN grew up in Far Rockaway, New York, where

she has good memories of playing in the magical snow.

54 young at heart