During her recent visit to Los Angeles, Livia Thompson, executive director of Jewish Braille Institute (JBI), met with a middle-aged woman facing a devastating challenge: She was rapidly losing her eyesight due to cancer. 

“She is a professional woman who had a full career, but as her vision deteriorated, she expressed how her world was becoming smaller and smaller,” Thompson recounted. “Living alone, she felt incredibly isolated and was in desperate need of companionship, [like] someone to join her for walks and talks.”

JBI, known primarily for providing reading materials in Braille, large print and audio formats to the visually impaired, has been a lifeline for many since its founding in 1931 by Leopold Dubov, the blind son of a rabbi, with the assistance of Rabbi Michael Aaronson, a World War I veteran who lost his sight in combat. While this remains a core mission, JBI has evolved to offer much more than just books; it also provides a sense of community and belonging.

As technology advances, JBI is adapting to better serve its patrons. “We used to send materials by cartridge, which could only be used on a special device,” said Thompson. “Nowadays, more and more people can receive Braille files or audio files electronically and download them to their own devices. It’s much quicker and we’re happy to accommodate this shift. We hope to eventually make our entire collection available electronically.”

JBI’s reach is extensive, with materials sent to all 50 states, Puerto Rico and internationally. Its circulating library currently holds 13,000 books, with materials ranging from liturgical texts to novels and children’s literature. “We’re excited to announce that we’ve been accepted into an international library network through the United Nations,” Thompson said. “This international server will give people from 70 different countries access to our books and we’ll have access to theirs, significantly increasing the number of people we can serve.”

Despite being a nonprofit largely funded by individual donations and foundations — 99.7% of which come from Americans — JBI continues to strive to expand its capacity and the number of individuals it supports. The organization also benefits from free mailing services, which helps them reach their widespread audience.

Many of JBI’s patrons are older adults, but the organization is broadening its services to include children’s books, recognizing the importance of reaching younger audiences. “We’re using technology to provide children’s books, which is crucial because there are many people who are dyslexic and find it difficult to read, even though they may not be blind,” Thompson said. The institute has partnered with PJ Library and various producers of children’s books, who provide materials at no cost.

JBI’s efforts are supported by a diverse group of volunteers, ranging from retired cantors and actors to young people from sororities at NYU. “We even have volunteers from Russia who want to give back and do recordings in Russian,” Thompson noted. 

To accommodate those who cannot travel to the studio, JBI uses a special device that allows volunteers to contribute remotely. “We’re always looking for more volunteers, not only to read but also to explore other ways they can support our mission,” she said. 

Thompson will travel to Los Angeles in November and said she’d be happy to meet potential volunteers and supporters.

As the Jewish High Holy Days approach, JBI remains dedicated to its mission of ensuring that no one feels isolated when the community comes together. “Our work is centered around making sure our materials are available so that everyone can participate in the holidays and feel connected,” Thompson said. “All the work we’re doing is really for that purpose — ensuring that no one is outside the circle of community.”

As they do each year, JBI distributes Braille calendars, with over 2,000 already sent across the country. These calendars, along with prayer books in multiple formats, including Braille and large print, are intended for long-term use, so recipients are encouraged to keep them. Additionally, JBI offers a range of books for the holiday, including works by Israeli author S.Y. Agnon and children’s books such as “Apples, Apples All Year Round.”

To further enrich the community’s experience, JBI’s programming aims to bring people together. For Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Andrew Goodman led an online study session on Sept. 10, and on Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m. JBI will host an event, “The Tastes and Sounds of Rosh Hashanah” at their headquarters in New York City.

“JBI is so much more than a place to find accessible materials,” Goodman said. “It’s a community of people actively engaged in Jewish life and learning. Our new Judaism 101 programming reflects this inclusive and, frankly, fun aspect of what we do. We also have a poetry series, book clubs, and a Jewish Voices on Democracy initiative — we’re exploring Jewish ideas, history and culture, and everyone is invited.”

JBI’s circulating library, liturgical offerings, events and programs are all completely free of charge for its patrons. JBI encourages anyone who is blind, visually impaired, or has a print disability to reach out and take advantage of its complimentary offerings, resources and inclusive community.

For poetry lovers, JBI launches the November Poetry Program, beginning on November 9 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Central Synagogue. People don’t need to live in New York to participate, as the program will be available also on Zoom.

For further information, visit https://jbilibrary.org/

Members of the community were invited to an event honoring civic heroism and the 76th anniversary of Israeli independence. Held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on Sept. 8, the afternoon kicked off with comments by Israel Bachar, consul general of Israel in the Pacific Southwest. He emphasized that, “nobody is free until all of the remaining 101 hostages currently held captive by Hamas in Gaza are brought home.”

Among the well-known participants who spoke during the evening were Tal Ramon, son of Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon; Congressman Mike Garcia (R-Palmdale); actress Patricia Heaton; and Eli Wininger, an American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Ramon shared memories of his father and the tragic day in February 2003 when he and his family were expecting his return aboard the tragic Columbia space shuttle. The family returned to Israel, where they endured two more tragedies: In 2009, Tal’s brother Assaf, 21, was killed in a crash of an F-16 fighter bomber during a training exercise, and nine years later, his mother, Rona Ramon, passed away at 54 after a battle with cancer.

“I’ve had to try all my life to find a way to continue living fully, as my parents would have hoped for me,” said Ramon. “My story involves great loss, but I can honestly say it’s not the biggest part. I insist that my family’s name will never become a symbol of tragedy or grief. The bigger part of my family’s story is about overcoming, growing, fulfilling dreams, exploring and making memories, knowing that we live once and should make the most of this journey.” Ramon, a singer-songwriter, performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” in honor of his parents, a song they both loved.

Garcia, a former U.S. Navy pilot who served in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom, delivered a speech stressing the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. His remarks were met with enthusiastic applause and cheers.

“Israel has the right to defend itself,” Garcia said. “Few people appreciate the value of the shared interests between our two nations as much as I do, and no one is more aware of the consequences of failing to ensure mutual support.”

In today’s environment, he said “it is absolutely critical that all elected officials, at every level of government — and in fact, all governments, including the U.N., which should be ashamed of its behavior as of late — be 100% clear in their stance toward Israel. They must be either hot or cold, not tepid. And if elected officials are not supportive of the nation of Israel, you deserve to know that.”

Patricia Heaton, who starred in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” spoke about how she immersed herself in the Jewish community. Although she is Irish Catholic, she explained that Oct. 7 truly shook her. Troubled by the lack of outrage in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, and after questioning local pastors, Heaton and a close friend founded O7C, the October 7th Coalition, to encourage Christians to be more supportive of the Jewish people.

Eli Wininger, born in Los Angeles to Israeli and American parents, shared his experiences as a lone soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces. After graduating from USC in 2015, he moved to Israel, serving in the IDF from 2016 to 2019 in an Elite combat unit. 

“It was never a question in my home — Israel must exist, because we knew what happened when it didn’t,” Wininger, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, said. “I wanted to make sure that what happened to my family and millions of others would never happen again.”

When the war broke out, he immediately called his commander, who informed him that, as an American, he wasn’t obligated to return to his unit, Sayeret Egoz.

“It took me two seconds [to decide],” he said. “I knew with my body and soul that I had to go. I couldn’t conceive that my brothers were fighting while I was living comfortably in L.A. As a Jew in the Diaspora, Israel may not be our physical home, but it feels very much like home. It’s our spiritual home, our safe haven in case history repeats itself.” As he was packing his bags on Oct. 7, “scared and wondering if I would return home, I couldn’t help but think of Menachem Begin’s quote: ‘I’m not a Jew with trembling knees; I’m a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history.’”

“I knew with my body and soul that I had to go. I couldn’t conceive that my brothers were fighting while I was living comfortably in L.A.” – Eli Wininger

This quote from former Israeli Prime Minister was delivered in 1982 during a closed-door meeting with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Joe Biden, then a senator, had threatened to cut military aid over Israel’s campaign in Lebanon. In response, Begin said: “Don’t threaten us with cutting off aid to make us give up our principles,” continuing with the words that left a lasting impact on Wininger, who never forgot them.

He continued quoting Begin. “Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.”

The event concluded with over 500 audience members joining Ameet Kanon and her band in singing “Am Yisrael Chai,” as they proudly waved Israeli flags.

Growing up in Oceanside, New York, on Long Island, Scott Kaylin would go to the local Jewish deli with his father every weekend. While he loved the sandwiches, there was something else he also looked forward to: the pickles.

“We’d go to the deli and get appetizers, and while I was waiting for the main course, I’d eat a hot dog with a full sour pickle,” he said. “That memory was burnt into my head.”

Fast forward several decades later, and Kaylin is now a pickle king. He owns Kaylin + Kaylin, a popular pickle bar inside of the Original Farmers Market. There, customers can try the brand’s signature products like the classic dill, jalapeno, honey mustard, spicy garlic spears, sweet heat chips, and bread and butter pickles. The pickles are kosher certified, gluten-free and 100% vegan, and the company ships pickles all around the country.

“We have the classics like kosher dill, but we also have our interesting flavors,” Kaylin said. “A big part of it is the texture and crunch.”

Before establishing Kaylin + Kaylin, he worked in the fashion industry for 30 years, and then he started Champion System, where he made apparel for cyclists.

“I got very embedded in the cycling community for a long time,” Kaylin said. “I drank pickle juice when I was cramping, before it was a fad.”

He started Kaylin + Kaylin in Canada – his wife’s home country – but he couldn’t locate a good pickle in Vancouver, where they were living at the time.

“Sometimes you don’t realize what you’re missing until you don’t have it anymore,” Kaylin said. “For me, that was pickles. I would have four to five jars of pickles in my refrigerator. I’d bring pickles from New York back to Vancouver.”

Kaylin soon decided to attend Picklefest on the Lower East Side of New York, where he talked to different pickle makers. He decided to team up with a third generation pickler and start making his own products.

“I found a place in Vancouver like the Farmers Market,” he said. “I told the owners I wanted to build a pickle bar, and they laughed at me. I told them, ‘If the first Starbucks opened here, you’d be very happy. Think of us as the Starbucks of pickles.’ They said I could do a pop-up table.”

They opened and sold out within six days.

“I knew I had a business,” Kaylin said.

The pickles were in grocery stores and restaurants within just two years, and he started a second location.

Eventually, Kaylin and his wife moved to Los Angeles, which wasn’t known for its pickles, either. In February of 2020, he opened up the pickle bar there.

“We had one of the best openings in the history of the Farmers Market,” he said. “When COVID hit and the shutdowns happened, I was determined to stay open. I went to the health department and told them I ran an essential business, since vegetables are essentials. They said we could stay open, but we couldn’t sample anything.”

Kaylin + Kaylin, with its tagline, “Happiness in every crunch,” stayed open thanks to their loyal customers.

“People would call me up and ask me how many pickles they had to buy that week to make sure we didn’t close,” Kaylin said. “It was really amazing.”

During the pandemic and beyond, the business grew its social media presence, racking up 65,000 followers on Instagram and 167,000 on TikTok. They create videos with influencers and show the various toppings customers can put on their pickles, like smoked salmon with cream cheese and pretzels with chocolate.

“We are the most viral pickle company on these platforms,” Kaylin said. “There are over 50 million views for our brand.”

The entrepreneur credits his success not only to his delicious pickles and his fervent fans, but the fact that he’s also dealing with a food that’s sure to never go out of style.

“There are certain foods that come and go, but the pickle will never go away.”

“There are certain foods that come and go, but the pickle will never go away,” he said. “It’s been around for thousands of years, and it just keeps evolving. Every single ethnic background has pickling in it. It doesn’t matter if you make minimum wage or $100 million per year. Pickles cross every barrier.”