Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Tenafly, FL for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Tenafly, FL can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Tenafly, FL, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933The Bergen County Women Coaches Association selected its 48th annual tournament on Monday, Jan. 23. The event will return to single-elimination format after a one-year experiment with pool play, although there is another added twist.Of the 24 teams seeded in the championship bracket, the top eight...
The Bergen County Women Coaches Association selected its 48th annual tournament on Monday, Jan. 23. The event will return to single-elimination format after a one-year experiment with pool play, although there is another added twist.
Of the 24 teams seeded in the championship bracket, the top eight receive byes to the Round of 16. The teams seeded 9 through 24 that lose their opening-round game will move to the Bergen Invitational Tournament, where they will host a Round of 16 match-up.
Teams seeded 25 through 40 will play opening-round games in the BIT bracket.
This file will be updated all tournament long with scores and future schedules. All schedules are subject to change.
Thursday, Jan. 26
(16) Dwight-Englewood 64, (17) Park Ridge 32
(9) Tenafly 45, (24) Paramus 24
(20) Fair Lawn 58, (13) Ramsey 55
(12) Fort Lee 60, (21) Ridgewood 47
(19) Mahwah 24, (14) Glen Rock 22
(11) Immaculate Conception 79, (22) Paramus Catholic 40
(10) Holy Angels 40, (23) Demarest 26
(18) Westwood 41, (15) Cresskill 26
Saturday, Jan. 28 at Old Tappan
North Gym
(5) Northern Highlands 75, (12) Fort Lee 55
(4) Old Tappan 59, (20) Fair Lawn 33
(6) Pascack Valley 63, (11) Immaculate Conception 61
(19) Mahwah 37, (3) Teaneck 34
South Gym
(10) Holy Angels 36, (7) Ramapo 33
(2) Immaculate Heart 59, (18) Westwood 28
(9) Tenafly 75, (8) River Dell 70
(1) Saddle River Day 60, (16) Dwight-Englewood 50
Saturday, Feb. 4 at Demarest
(6) Pascack Valley 41, (19) Mahwah 18
(2) Immaculate Heart 53 (10) Holy Angels 38
(4) Old Tappan 40, (5) Northern Highlands 31
(1) Saddle River Day 77, (9) Tenafly 61
Saturday, Feb. 11 at Fair Lawn
(2) Immaculate Heart 53, (6) Pascack Valley 47
(1) Saddle River Day 65, (4) Old Tappan 40
Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Fair Lawn
(1) Saddle River Day 42, (2) Immaculate Heart 37
Thursday, Jan. 26
(32) Becton 40, (33) Lyndhurst 39
(25) Saddle Brook 44, (40) North Arlington 26
(28) Hackensack 45, (37) Elmwood Park 41
(29) Waldwick 42, (36) Pascack Hills 30
(30) Dumont 36, (35) Bogota/Hasbrouck Heights 28
(27) Rutherford 51, (38) Bergenfield 20
(26) Ridgefield Park 53, (39) Leonia 38
(31) Emerson 49, (34) New Milford 38
Saturday, Jan. 28
(17) Park Ridge 43, (32) Becton 35
(24) Paramus 43, (25) Saddle Brook 18
(21) Ridgewood 43, (28) Hackensack 23
(13) Ramsey 53, (29) Waldwick 24
(30) Dumont 23, (14) Glen Rock 21
(22) Paramus Catholic 42, (27) Rutherford 26
(26) Ridgefield Park 31, (23) Demarest 28
(15) Cresskill 42, (31) Emerson 28
Saturday, Feb. 4
at Demarest
(22) Paramus Catholic 58, (30) Dumont 45
(24) Paramus 48, (17) Park Ridge 44
(13) Ramsey 52, (21) Ridgewood 36
(15) Cresskill 48, (26) Ridgefield Park 33
Saturday, Feb. 11 at Fair Lawn
(15) Cresskill 52, (22) Paramus Catholic 40
(24) Paramus 46, (13) Ramsey 37
Friday, Feb. 17, at Demarest
(15) Cresskill def. (24) Paramus, 38-33 (2OT)
The 2022-23 girls basketball season gets started on Thursday across the Garden State. Here are the top players to watch this season in North Jersey.Julianna AlmeidaSaddle River Day junior guardThe 5-foot-9 Almeida provides a post presence, as well as some experience for a team that graduated four starters. She averaged 7.0 points and 6.2 rebounds and led the Bergen County champs in blocked shots.Isabella AsencioImmaculate Heart senior guardOne of N...
The 2022-23 girls basketball season gets started on Thursday across the Garden State. Here are the top players to watch this season in North Jersey.
Saddle River Day junior guard
The 5-foot-9 Almeida provides a post presence, as well as some experience for a team that graduated four starters. She averaged 7.0 points and 6.2 rebounds and led the Bergen County champs in blocked shots.
Immaculate Heart senior guard
One of North Jersey’s best distributors, the 5-foot-4 Midland Park resident propelled the Blue Eagles to the North Non-Public A title by averaging 12.7 points and 3.2 assists.
Eastside senior guard
Brown-Cobb runs the point for the reigning Passaic County champions. She averaged 11 points and six assists per game in being named to last season’s All-North Jersey second team.
Paramus Catholic junior guard
Midway through her career, Cabana is more than three-quarters of the way to 1,000 points. She led the Paladins in scoring (16.3 average) and rebounding (8.8) a season ago.
Paramus senior guard
Clark averaged 15 points per game in powering the Spartans to a Bergen County championship tournament bid and a spot in the North 1, Group 3 playoffs in a 16-win season.
Secaucus junior forward
Craigwell averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.6 steals to lead her team to last season’s NJIC Liberty Division title, and she added 43 three-pointers for the North 2, Group 1 finalists.
Ramapo junior forward
After leading Mahwah to the Bergen Invitational Tournament title as a sophomore, Menicola has transferred to a Raider squad that will welcome her offensive game (13.8 points per game).
Northern Highlands senior guard
Starr enters her fourth varsity season off a junior campaign in which she averaged 13.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists and sank a team-leading 51 three-pointers.
Tenafly senior guard
The Wake Forest commit enters her fourth varsity season needing 204 points to reach 2,000 for her career. Theuerkauf averaged 30.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals as a junior.
Old Tappan senior guard
Ward garnered a spot on the All-North Jersey second team as a junior, averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds for the top team in the Big North National Division.
Others to watch:
Ron’Shanae Austin, Eastside senior
Jordan Carmosino, Lakeland senior
Tori Criscuolo, Pascack Valley senior
Lily Crowder, River Dell senior
Montana Nicks, Dwight-Englewood senior
Na’Tori Postell, Passaic Charter senior
Julia Schutz, Immaculate Heart senior
Demi Simpson, Teaneck junior
Victoria Sterinsky, Emerson senior
Shannon Tighe, Wayne Hills senior
The sport, played with paddles and balls on a badminton-sized court, is catching on across North Jersey.Three mornings a week you can peek at a peck of pickleball players at Overpeck County Park in Leonia. Among the regulars are Norman Levy of Fort Lee and Iris Borman of Cliffside Park, coordinators of the Bergen County Parks Pickleballer Club. They started playing pickleball there in June and by this month had signed up more than 50 members.“We didn’t advertise it,” Borman says. “People were walking b...
Three mornings a week you can peek at a peck of pickleball players at Overpeck County Park in Leonia. Among the regulars are Norman Levy of Fort Lee and Iris Borman of Cliffside Park, coordinators of the Bergen County Parks Pickleballer Club. They started playing pickleball there in June and by this month had signed up more than 50 members.
“We didn’t advertise it,” Borman says. “People were walking by, jogging by, bicycling by. They saw us playing and said, 'Ooh! What’s this?’”
Despite its funny-sounding name, pickleball is a serious, fast-paced sport played with paddles and balls on a badminton-sized court, about half the size of a tennis court. It’s a lot like tennis — you can play singles or doubles — but the smaller court space makes it easier on the body. (If you’ve played tennis, the hardest things about learning pickleball may be scaling down your game and remembering to serve underhand, rather than overhand.)
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The game is addictive. (When club members aren’t playing outdoors at Overpeck Park on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, they’re playing indoors on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Tenafly Racquet Club.) And, it’s relatively safe. Levy, a longtime tennis player, has been playing pickleball this summer with a brace on his knee. He’s 75, he says, and has never completely recovered from a torn meniscus.
“The operation didn’t work,” Levy notes, “and it made playing tennis too difficult for me. I couldn’t pivot properly. As you get older, you don’t heal like you used to. But I have no problem playing this.”
Neither does Borman, who plays pickleball a couple of times a week. “Tennis, racquetball and paddle ball were always my sports of choice,” she says. “I still play paddle ball. But, tennis? I can’t anymore. Too much running.”
Pickleball is particularly popular in Florida, California, Utah and Michigan, where, earlier this month, 75-year-old Alice Tyms, a onetime tennis champion who played six times at Wimbledon, was named that state’s pickleball champ. As Tyms said in an interview with a local TV station, “When you get to be a little old lady, you can sit at home and watch TV … or you can get out, play pickleball and have fun with everybody else.”
The number of North Jerseyans embracing the sport appears to be growing exponentially. North Haledon recently started its own pickleball league. And, earlier this month, a dedicated pickleball court opened at the Teaneck Swim Club.
Another group plays Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the West Milford Recreation Center. And members of Steve Lavorgna’s pickleball program in Wayne play outdoors at Packanack Park and indoors at the Wayne YMCA.
“I first saw the game on a trip to Utah about 10 years ago,” Lavorgna recalls. “At the time, the only club I knew of here in New Jersey was at the YMCA in Union. I eventually started playing it at the Packanack Tennis Club with some of my racquetball buddies. We went every Saturday, but it faded away because no one else was playing. That changed about two two years ago, though, as more and more people started to hear about it. Today, its the fastest growing sport in the country.”
Although the game is a favorite of seniors, it also appeals to teens, millennials and anyone else who wants to get a workout but isn’t quite up to the demands of racquetball or tennis.
“Kids love it, but it’s a great transition for senior tennis players who are dealing with knee problems and rotator cuff problems,” says George Cheeah of Ridgewood, who started the New Jersey Pickleball Association in 2015.
"We started with about 40 players,” Cheeah says. “Today, we have 350 members, about 65 to 70 percent of them women. We play now at seven sites. We have two outdoor sites — the Brookside Racquet & Swim Club in Allendale and the Saddle River Valley Swim and Tennis Club in Monsey [N.Y.]. We also play at the Fair Lawn Racquet Club, Tenafly Racquet Club, Quest Tennis in Mahwah, Waldwick Covered Courts and the West Rock Indoor Sports & Entertainment Complex in Nanuet.”
Cheeah, who was born in Singapore, began playing tennis when he was 16. “I had to give it up when I was 21 because I was busy at the time with work and family,” he says. “I started back up when I was 50 and I’ve been playing for the last 20 years or so. Tennis is like riding a bike, it all comes back to you. I did notice, though, that I couldn’t move as fast at 50 as I did when I was 16. But I was still playing six or seven times a week when I retired 15 years ago.”
When he first heard about pickleball in 2015, Cheeah looked up videos of the game on YouTube. Intrigued, Cheeah bought some pickleball racquets and a net, and persuaded some of his tennis friends to join in the fun.
Cheeah predicts that the sport will draw about 8 million players in the next two years or so, many of them former tennis players who want to remain active. But the sport appeals to non-tennis players, too, he adds, “because the game has a quick learning curve. You can start pretty quickly. You don’t need to play for two or three years before you can have fun on the courts.”
Ah, yes. Courts.
At the moment, there are no pickleball courts at Overpeck Park, and that is a concern for Levy, Borman and the members of their club, as well as the many tennis players who don’t appreciate arriving at the park and seeing their courts overrun with pickleballers.
“We’ve been talking with the parks department about putting in permanent pickleball courts, separate from the tennis courts,” Levy says. “We’ve made our case to them and they seem positive, but we won’t know about this for a while.”
In the meantime, members bring their own nets to the park along with the plastic lines used to define the pickleball court space.
“At Overpeck, we bring about 24 of these plastic lines to delineate the playing area,” Levy notes. “We don’t take down the tennis nets. They separate the two pickleball courts. And we’ve confined our play to three days a week from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Some of the tennis players have been fine with this,. A few others have been nasty. Hopefully we will get our own courts eventually.”
It’s something that parks departments around the country are also contemplating, as the demand for court space grows. But is pickleball here to stay or is it just a fad?
“It’s not a fad,” Cheeah insists. “We now have a very good, well-established governing body in the the USA Pickleball Association. Last year I attended the second U.S. Open of Pickleball in Naples, Florida. There were about 800 people competing and other tournaments are being planned all around the country. We’re not going away.”
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On Friday, Rabbi Jordan Millstein wrapped himself in a prayer shawl and, together with a cantor, stepped up to a podium to lead his synagogue's services.But when he looked up from his prayer book and gazed out to the sanctuary of Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, it was eerily empty.It felt strange, he acknowledged later, to deliver a sermon in a vacant temple, accompanied only by a camera. But even with the congregation absent, the virtual gathering may have been more important than ever...
On Friday, Rabbi Jordan Millstein wrapped himself in a prayer shawl and, together with a cantor, stepped up to a podium to lead his synagogue's services.
But when he looked up from his prayer book and gazed out to the sanctuary of Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, it was eerily empty.
It felt strange, he acknowledged later, to deliver a sermon in a vacant temple, accompanied only by a camera. But even with the congregation absent, the virtual gathering may have been more important than ever.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, clergy in North Jersey are urging followers not to let calls for social separation lead to a spiritual distancing as well. Many congregations are finding new ways to practice religion without threatening anyone's health, such as streaming prayer services in lieu of live worship.
"Our building is closed but we are not closed," Millstein said in an interview.
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The rabbi's sermon recalled the ancient Israelites in the desert who grew fearful after Moses went up Mount Sinai and failed to immediately return.
"Facing an unprecedented, scary situation, they panicked," he said. "They forget the rules they were given and built the Golden Calf." The creation off that idol, similar to ones worshiped in Egypt, is considered one of the Israelites' worst sins.
In the face of today's frightening epidemic, he urged, "Let's not panic. Let's follow the rules we have been given by the CDC, local authorities and others. And we will find a way out of this desert together."
Across North Jersey, religious leaders have taken steps to protect congregants' health by discouraging physical contact, encouraging hand washing, and eliminating the wafer and wine at Christian Masses. For Jews, the typically joyous holiday of Purim was more somber this month, as many synagogues canceled parties and carnivals.
The ulitmate steps have come in the last week, as churches, synagogues and mosques canceled virtually all in-person services. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin took the "painful" step this week of canceling Catholic Masses indefinitely in the Newark Archdiocese. Clergy across faiths have limited funerals, weddings and other rituals to small crowds.
Yet thanks in large part to technology, religious life persists. Synagogues are offering Torah and Talmud classes through a dial-in conference line or Zoom's online platform. Several have held communal recitations of Psalms via conference call.
Cardinal Tobin will be live-streaming Sunday Mass at 12 p.m. via the church website, the archdiocese said.
At St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Wyckoff, which normally draws some 3,000 worshipers to weekend Mass, families gathered around their dining room tables last weekend to listen to livestreamed prayers, said the Rev. Stephen Fichter. He's since been bombarded with fan email and grateful phone calls, he said.
"They found it comforting because it's their church that they were watching," Fichter said. "People said it brought them peace."
Until now, St. Elizabeth's livestream technology has been used primarily for funerals or weddings. But after this successful venture, Fichter said he would consider doing it more often for those who are unable to make it to church. "Even parishioners who live in Florida for the winter were able to see it and others sent it to friends whose churches don't have that technology," he said.
"For devout Catholics, receiving Jesus every week is the high point of their spiritual lives. This was the next best thing," he said.
No doubt, worship has had to adapt for a virtual world.
Mike Kabash, music director at Lincroft Presbyterian Church in Middletown, has had to become a music producer in service to his parish. He's been recording individual choir members and mixing the recordings to create a cohesive whole.
First Reformed Church in New Brunswick, under the guidance of music director Benjamin Berman, streamed its weekly lunchtime recital on March 18, with a handbell concert that recognized the importance of live music as a form of outreach.
"We're using a balance of pre-recorded music and live elements," Kabash said, "so that we can get a little more intimate with our worship than just having a livestream."
Since Imam Moutaz Charaf of the El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park cancelled all services this month, he's remained connected to worshipers by phone, email and WhatsApp. "It looks like this situation may last a long time so we need to have a connection with people and make sure that we can communicate with each other," he said.
Followers have contacted him to ask about prayers, family issues and spiritual healing. "There's a lot of anxiety now," he said, adding that he urges worshipers to try to stay connected spirituality. "I assure them that we are all in this together and we need to be strong and have faith."
Many of the congregants have been praying and sharing ideas through the mosque's WhatsApp group, he said. Online prayers and lectures are on the way.
"There's a need now for spiritual healing and for listening," Charaf said. "We need to hear each other's voices and know we are not alone. People are locked in their homes and their virtual world has become their entire world."
The Rev. Joseph D'Amico of the Church of St. Anastasia in Teaneck drew over 1,000 hits on his livestream Mass.
"People absolutely loved it," he said. "What I learned is that people want to pray with their own church, albeit virtually. It means so much to them to hear a sermon by their own priest, and the Mass was bilingual, Spanish and English, as it always is, so everyone feels included."
Last Sunday, Theresa Wallace dressed up as she normally does for church. But instead of driving to St. Andrew in Westwood, she secluded herself in a quiet room of her home so she could pray without interruption.
She clicked on a link to the service and was delighted with the results. "I was able to view the entire Mass without any pauses and I participated by reciting the prayers and responding just as we do in church," she said.
"It is sad that we are unable to participate with our fellow parishioners," she said. "but until it is safe, I have no issues using this method."
Here are some houses of worship offering virtual services:
Cardinal Joseph Tobin will livestream Sunday Mass at 12 pm
Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson and Clifton
Daily, 12:45-1:30 pm
Hawthorne Gospel Church, Hawthorne
Sunday, 10 am
First Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood
Sunday, 10 am
Sunday, 9:15 and 11 a.m., Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Friday, 7:15 p.m. and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Community Baptist Church, Englewood
Sunday worship at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
B'nai Tikvah of North & South Brunswick
Service times: 7:30 p.m., Sunday; 9 a.m., Thursday; 8 p.m., Friday; 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Temple Sinai of Bergen County, Tenafly
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, 7 p.m.; daily services at 6:50 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Congregation Beth Sholom, Teaneck
Daily services at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Wyckoff
Daily morning service at 7:30 a.m. and evening 9 p.m.; Monday and Thursday Torah classes at 10:10 a.m.; Hebrew School, 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays; Shabbat services at 6 p.m. Friday.
Church of the Redeemer, Morristown
Nightly check-in at 5:30 p.m. by conference call, Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.
Congregation Ahavath Torah, Englewood
Daily Torah class
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood
Wendesdays, 7:30 pm; Sundays at 9 am
Staff writer Kelly-Jane Cotter contributed to this report.
Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
“It’s always good for a woman to spread her wings,” says Thara Natalie.And she did just that. Before settling down and becoming a mother, Natalie traveled the world following her passions of acting, modeling and making music. During her travels she met her husband, Jay Sean, who has topped charts with his own music. (You might know his 2009 hit single, "Down.")Career coach Tanisha Russell:...
“It’s always good for a woman to spread her wings,” says Thara Natalie.
And she did just that. Before settling down and becoming a mother, Natalie traveled the world following her passions of acting, modeling and making music. During her travels she met her husband, Jay Sean, who has topped charts with his own music. (You might know his 2009 hit single, "Down.")
Career coach Tanisha Russell: Being a mom is all trial and error
Along with her husband, Natalie owns the Fire Shaper yoga studio in Tenafly. 201 Magazine spoke with Natalie to discuss what it’s like running a business while trying to be the best mom she can for her five-year-old daughter, Ayva, and seven-month-old son, Aaryan.
A River Vale native and mother of two, Thara Natalie, 37, lived in New York City and in California, but made her way back to Bergen County to raise her family and manage her business. She lives in Demarest.
What's been the toughest thing about balancing a family and career so far?
I’m very lucky I own my own business. You get a little bit of control of where and when you work. Just because I’m not in studio doesn’t mean I not working. I’m always available. So, I tell my daughter, “Yes, Mommy is home, but Mommy still has to work.”
What was the most surprising thing you discovered about being a mom?
One of the things before you have a child is that you see children behave a certain way and you think it’s a learned behavior — that their parents taught them to act that way. But then you learn they’re born with a distinct personality and traits that you have no control over. Like Ayva: She’s clear on what she wants. That wasn’t taught, that’s just how she is.
Most rewarding thing about being a mom?
It’s the love that they give and the love that you share that opens your heart in a different way. Ayva can look up to me and say, “Mommy, you’re the sweetest mommy.” And with Aaryan, it’s the joy on his face when I walk through the door, it’s unbelievable.
What is something that having a child has taught you?
That every mom does it differently, and that’s okay. Everyone has to do what works in her house. For me personally, it’s still important to have my own time and time with my husband. I’ve been taking Aaryan to the gym with me since he was 8 weeks old. Some people might have opinions on that. I felt that was important for me. I didn’t want to lose myself. If I’m healthy, I’m better for my children.
What’s your single biggest concern when it comes to raising your children?
My largest concern is social media. As they get older, we wonder how we will manage that. When someone takes a picture of Ayva or all of us, she asks to see the photo. She’s 5 years old and already looks at pictures of herself, and then will decide to take it again. She’s already learning how to judge herself. It scares me. We think about how we are going to keep their self-images strong and not affected by social media and likes and followers.
Favorite place to go with the kids?
We love traveling. We went on a recent vacation to Miami, and not being on a schedule is heavenly with the kids. We are regimented and there is always something to do every day. Breaking out of the schedule is so nice. We also love our local, day excursions! Last year we took Ayva to Lupardi’s nursery to enjoy their fun fall activities! She loved everything from the tractor ride to the bouncy slide to feeding the farm animals. Then in the winter we did the special setup for winter wonderland. I really appreciate these activities with our little ones because it’s an opportunity for us all to be free and play together outside of our normal routines and you get to create the most wonderful memories. Seeing Ayva ice skate was the sweetest and funniest! I’m looking forward to fun trips this summer!
Favorite place to eat with the family?
We love going to the River Palm [Terrace,] going out for pizza and going out for ice cream.
Favorite family tradition that you've passed down to your children?
Gratitude is a very big part of our lives. At night time, we'll ask Ayva, “What is one thing today that you’re grateful for?” That practice came to my husband and I later in life. So, it’s important to do that at a young age and pass that down.
Favorite Mother's Day gift so far?
(Laughing) All I really want is a day to sleep.