Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1517739
30 | OHCC LIVING | APRIL 2024 | Newbies Newbies is the official welcoming group for Ocean Hills Country Club residents (homeowners and tenants). We have quarterly gatherings where new and established residents can meet, mingle, and get to know each other. The gatherings are loosely structured and provide new residents with an opportunity to introduce themselves. Our goal is to have you walk away with new friends and a feeling of community. This group is for residents only and is not open to guests. Club membership is the fastest and best way for new residents to make friends and become involved in their new community. Accordingly, Club representatives are always invited to attend Newbies gatherings and promote their clubs to new residents. We encourage all Newbies to become involved in the community and explore opportunities to be of service to others. The March 2 gathering in Abravanel Hall was well attended and everyone enjoyed the potluck offerings. Newbies provided two decorated cakes and awarded prizes to the newest residents as well as the residents who moved from farthest away. Additionally, two lucky Newbies each won a custom embroidered OHCC polo shirt! Photos were taken and are now posted on the Newbies website. We would like to introduce a new resident in each monthly Newbies article. Meet Kevin Ruddy, who recently moved into a lovely home on Alicante Way. Kevin grew up in Riverside, graduated from University of San Diego, and lived in Riverside and Temecula while serving as a Deputy District Attorney for Riverside County for 27 years. He has been retired for 13 years and is interested in succulent gardening and going to the gym. Welcome Kevin! The next Newbies gathering will be held on Sat., June 22 in the Palm Court from 2 to 5 pm. Gatherings are also planned for Sept. 7 and Dec. 22, 2024. Details will be publicized well in advance. Do not miss these opportunities for socializing and making new friends. For more information visit our website: https://ohccnewbies. wixsite.com/ohccnewbies Email us at: ohccnewbies@gmail.com We look forward to meeting you in June 2024. Sincerely, Lynn Bible and Rosemary Bray, Newbies Co-Leaders Yiddish Club As the holiday of Passover approaches on April 22, it's interesting to ref lect on some Judeo-Arabic history, as we are reminded of the exodus from the land of Egypt. The Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, according to folklore, is located on the site where baby Moses was found. The synagogue's founding date is suggested to be around 882 A.D. and has occupied three separate buildings in its long history. In 1012, an Egyptian caliph ordered the destruction of all Jewish and Christian places of worship in Cairo, so the original Ben Ezra Synagogue was torn down, to be rebuilt in the 1025-1040 period. A deliberately set fire destroyed the second Ben Ezra house of worship in 1168. The third synagogue lasted from about 1168 until the early 20th century, surviving another fire in the 15th century. A remodel occurred in 1488 and again in the 1880s. Ben Ezra was completely rebuilt in the early 1890s and renovated in the early 20th century. Around this time, a very important discovery was made. Found in a storeroom of the synagogue was a treasure trove of forgotten, stored away Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts, the majority of which are now being kept at the Cambridge University Library. The most recent restoration of Ben Ezra Synagogue took a decade to complete and was inaugurated on Aug. 31, 2023. It is a popular tourist attraction, as the synagogue is no longer used for religious practice. Unfortunately, there are less than a dozen Jews of Egyptian ancestry residing in Cairo at the present time. Please SAVE THE DATE for the Yiddish Club's first model Seder on April 29, to celebrate Passover. PLEASE NOTE: Yiddish Club emails and f lyers MAY BE going to your Spam. Check your Spam regularly! Also, if you have updated information (address, phone number, email), please send it to Dorothy Ganz, Records Administrator, at allgees@aol.com. Written by: Dorothy Ganz