Celebration Honors Jewish Home Fathers

Singing, some dancing and a lot of barbecue were all on the menu as about 120 fathers and grandfathers, residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging, celebrated Father’s Day on Friday.

“The more celebrating you can do the better, especially when you get older,” said Louis J. Feldman, rabbi at the Jewish Home.

In the dining hall, decorated with red and blue balloons and Father’s Day posters and banners, as many as four generations honored dad.

Benny Krull visited with and received gifts from his granddaughter Jackye Sussman and great-grandchildren Brian, 1; Lauren, 4, and Sarah, 6.

“I’m happy they could all come,” Sussman said. “It’s really nice to get to see all the kids.”

For entertainment, singer Sonia Flaum sang in Yiddish, Hebrew, Italian and English. Flaum sings a variety of show tunes and opera, as well as traditional Yiddish tunes and has appeared at the Los Angeles Music Center, Wilshire Ebell Theatre and in “The Jazz Singer.” To honor the fathers, she sang “Oh My Papa.”

“I don’t think there’s any place in the world like this place,” said Flaum, whose mother, Bess Polchar, is a resident. “I’ve been coming here for five years and it’s always exceptional.”

At the end of the party, every father received a gift, most likely a baseball cap, newspaper subscription or a book.

For Louis Harmatz, 102, and his wife, Sylvia, the celebration was a chance to recall special memories.

“For us it’s special because we’ve been married 77 years,” Louis Harmatz said. “I think it’s a nice gesture and it’s nice to be able to celebrate with all the residents.”