AOTA 2008 Conference - Long Beach, CA

We did it!

For the first time, there was a Shabbat Minyan, including K’riat HaTorah, at the annual AOTA Conference, as part of our OJOTC Shabbat program.

But it wasn’t easy.

With a couple of men who had planned to be at Conference cancelling, we had to find a couple of others at the last moment. And we did, thanks to former AOTA President Barbara Kornblau and her husband, Larry Sherry, who roamed the Expo Hall Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, using that famous question: “Are you Jewish?”. They found a couple of men who agreed to join us Shabbat morning; OJOTC founder Peggy Gurock and her husband found a couple of others.

Noah & Peggy Gurock Outside the Seaview Room Just Before Candle-lighting

Then we held our breath Shabbat morning to see how many would actually show up.

Enough did by the time for K’riat HaTorah, to make the minyan.

The Sefer Torah was loaned to us by the Long Beach Chabad; the Siddurim along with photocopies of the Parsha and extra Taleisim came from the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, New Jersey.

The Torah was read by Paul Stadtler of Staten Island, New York, Yehudah Malka of Baltimore, Maryland and Noah Gurock of Passaic, New Jersey.

To say it was spiritually uplifting was an understatement.

It was historic.

Rena Chamudot Came From Beth Shemesh For Her First AOTA Conference

For those of us who had been talking for three years about being able to have a minyan during Conference it was more than gratifying – it was a sign that efforts to attract frum OT’s to Conference are paying off.

But the minyan – held in the Harbor Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel -- was only part of our Shabbat program.

Shabbat began with candle-lighting and dinner in the Hyatt’s Seaview Room. The room provided for us by AOTA, and the buffet dinner delivered from Los Angeles by the world-renown Pico Kosher Deli.

More than 25 OT’s and their guests gathered for dinner around the tables set with Shabbat flowers. They came from California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida and Israel.

Joyce Sabari Is a Regular at Conference. She is from Downstate Medical College in Brooklyn

We were also honored by the presence of not only former AOTA President Barbara Kornblau and her husband, but also by another former AOTA President, Karen Jacobs, current AOTA Vice President Florence Clark, AOTA Public Advisor Arthur G. Isack and AOTA’s Multi-Cultural Liaison Laurel Radley.

On the menu: lemon chicken, with potato kugel and green beans, salads and fruit.

For three hours, we ate, drank, sang Z’mirot from our special OJOTC benchers, listened to a Dvar Torah from Chezkie Rand, and simply schmoozed.

Karen Jacobs later e-mailed us that joining OJOTC for Shabbat dinner, was the highlight of her conference experience.

Miriam Worch Came From Monsey, For Her First AOTA Conference, And Brought Her Husband With Her

After the “minyan room” was changed into our dining room, we gathered for lunch. Salad, cold cuts, grilled chicken, trimmings, fruit and scrumptious chocolate chip cookies (with plenty left over for Shalosh Seudot in our rooms).

After plenty of time for session, napping and strolling, it was time for Havdallah, held in the warm Long Beach air on the patio between the Convention Center and the Hyatt. With a truly overflowing cup of grape juice and spirits that were overflowing with emotion, we ended our Shabbat program with a promise to make next year’s in Houston even more meaningful with even more OT’s and their guests.

Miguel, Our Waiter For Shabbat Dinner, Outside the Refrigerator Sealed With Our Lunch Food

Many thanks go to everyone who participated in this OJOTC Shabbat Program and to AOTA for understanding our needs to combine our religious observance with our desire to broaden our OT knowledge.

In addition to providing us with the rooms for our meals and our minyan, AOTA staff made arrangements for us to leave out conference bags and material in the Convention Center over Shabbat (since there is not Eruv in the area) and helped us create a system to make sure we got our continuing ed credits without having to hae our electronic badges swiped on Shabbat.

Thanks also to the staff of the Hyatt Regency for understanding our Kosher food needs and working with us to make sure they were met, as well as taking OJOTC members to their rooms and opening the electronic door locks on shabbat without having it explained to them.

Now, on to Houston for AOTA's 89th Annual Conference, April 23-26, 2009

Paul Stadler Leads Us in Havdallah As Chezkie Rand Holds the Candle

Rena Chamudot and Marion Arbesman During Havdallah

Session

Presenter

Session No: WS109

Pediatric Constraint-Inducted Therapy: A panel presentation of current models in the U.S. and Israel

Rena Chamudot, MS, OTR

Session No: SC 124

Promoting Successful Primary and Secondary Transitions for Families and Students with Disabilities: Legal and Practical Implications

Meira Lea Orenticher, MA, OTR/L

Session No: PO125

Clutter Management in Multiple Sclerosis: An Integrated
Occupational Therapy Approach

Jennifer Tamar Fromm, MS, OTR/L, CCRC

Session No.: PA 122

Body Image Effect on Participation in Daily Life Activities in Healthy, White, Pre-Menopausal Women: Relationship to Body Mass Index

Dr Estelle Breines

on behalf of

Claire Daffner, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Session No: SC202

Development of an Evidenced-Based Cognitive
Rehabilitation Program for Clients With Multiple Sclerosis

Jennifer Tamar Fromm, MS, OTR/L, CCRC

Session No: PO 242

Developing a new scoring hierarchy for the upper limb items on the Motor Assessment Scale for Stroke

Joyce S. Sabari, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Session No: SC225

Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Clients With Multiple
Sclerosis: Impact on Quality of Life and Participation in Meaningful
Occupations

Jennifer Tamar Fromm, MS, OTR/L, CCRC

Session No.: RWP200

Barriers to Developing Driving and Community Mobility Programs

Shoshana Malka, Towson University

Session No.: WS 102

Evidence-based Literature Review of Occupational Therapy Intrerventions for Individuals with Work-Related Injuries/Clinical Conditions

Marian Arbesman, OTR/L

Session No.: WS 106

MDI Exchange: Navigating Paths to Leadership in Diverse Arenas -- the Multi-Cultural Network Annual Session

Peggy L. Gurock, OTR, representing the OJOTC