CBO Newsletter 4

Center of Attention

Centers Business Office Newsletter - Chanukah Edition

Dear Team CBO,

I first wanted to wish everyone a happy and enjoyable Chanukah!

This year, for the first time ever, we are celebrating Chanukah with a companywide vacation day. It’s incredible how hard the employees at CBO work, and the extended weekend off is well deserved.

As we look back at 2022, I reflect with pride on the small and big strides we’ve made in ensuring that all of our employees are appreciated and acknowledged. We have implemented several new programs and benefits over the year and have more in the works. But our journey is not complete without your continuous feedback. In this fast-paced and evolving world, we rely on feedback from our employees. In fact, almost all of our initiatives wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without employees like you mentioning them.

No idea is too small or big; we’re always open to suggestions.

The Rabbi’s Reflections

We are taught that the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash was lit in a manner that all of the flames were facing the center. What did that represent, and what lesson can be learned for us to apply to our “Avodah” or “Work”? We know that the Menorah is symbolic of knowledge.

The Menorah in the Bais Hamikdash had seven branches which represent the seven branches of wisdom.

In addition, the Gemarah teaches that Shemen Zais (olive oil) corresponds to wisdom as well. The tallest and middle branch represents Torah knowledge, because knowledge and wisdom are only valuable when directed and used in accordance with Torah principles.

The Menorah consisted of only one piece of pure gold. Similarly, Torah

and knowledge as well must be used together as one entity, with an appreciation for the spiritual dimension in everything we encounter, forming one pure unit.

The story of Chanukah is about the Battle between the Greeks and the Jews. The Greeks go ahead and ban anything to do with learning or following the Torah, trying to convince the world that knowledge and wisdom have absolutely no connection to spirituality, rather it's merely a part of nature, science etc. To carry out their mission they make all of the oil, which corresponds to Torah wisdom, impure. The Jewish people don’t give up in the battle and the search,

until they find but one small jug of oil. Although seemingly insignificant, when combined with Torah it burns for eight days and nights, lighting up the night.

Here at CBO, we illuminate every day with the light of Torah. Our way of thinking is set by our guide, the Torah, its teachings, values, Middos, and Halachos.

The Gemarah tells us that the light of the Menorah illuminated the entire world. May it be in the merit of our CBO family and the values we stand for, that we will witness the lighting of the Menorah, this year in Yerushalayim Amein!

Inspiring Thoughts

From despair to hope

“I said in my haste, all mankind is treacherous.

How can I repay to Hashem all He has bestowed on me.”

These two verses are familiar to us from the occasions when we recite the “full” Hallel, and as they are separated liturgically, it is easy to forget that these two verses are actually subsequent verses in the same chapter, and the same extended conversation. This raises the question, how does Dovid Hamelech transform instantly from despair to hopefulness?

Let’s add some background. Dovid is the quintessential paradigm of overcoming challenges. He had been betrayed by multiple significant relationships in his life. His father and brothers banished him, his father-in-law / king hunted him ruthlessly as a traitor, multiple sons rebelled and exerted every effort to commit both patricide and regicide, and the nation he had served selflessly rejected him and

submitted to his son instead of him. His feelings of despair and futility were so overwhelming, he looked around and declared, “everyone is false!” and who could blame him? He had found in himself such a limitless faith and connection to his God that he had overcome these and numerous other challenges to build the only royal dynasty that the Chosen Nation would ever know, begetting the line of royalty that will culminate with the coming of Moshiach. He had dealt decisive military victories against all his country's enemies, ushering in the Golden Age of Israel that would finally allow for the building of a permanent abode for the Shechinah. He authored the songs and psalms that would sustain the soul of the Nation for eternity. Warrior, poet, statesman, scholar, husband, father, posek, his achievements were cosmic, especially because of all his challenges. And after experiencing yet another betrayal from his erstwhile friend Tziva, he lost faith in humankind.

And then comes the rebound from one posuk to the next. How does Dovid, overwhelmed and despairing, find the ability to lift himself up so suddenly and so powerfully?

One approach is based on the axiom that gratitude is not only the outcome of a positive emotion, it also creates positive emotions. Dovid recognized that his feelings and emotions were in a state of pizur nefesh, and he immediately tapped into the power of gratitude to correct his thinking. He first focuses on recognizing the positive parts of his life, and exclaims “How can I repay Hashem for all that He has bestowed on me?” Then he develops that into a feeling of gratitude and addresses it to its rightful source, “I will raise the cup of salvations, and call in the name of Hashem!” At this point he has normalized his emotions from an unhealthy despair to a more balanced recognition of the realities of his life, and is then able to sincerely and hopefully ask “Please God, for I am your servant…”

The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva zt”l was asked by one of his talmidim for a bracha for parnassa. He advised him that when saying Modim, he should stop and assess his day, and find a concrete reason to be grateful to Hashem.

May Hashem allow us all to enjoy the experience of “How can I repay to Hashem all He has bestowed on me!”

Yehuda Davis, Dvar torah

Yaakov Zupnick Controllers

Eli Rozwaski Financial Analysis

Ari Fier Special Projects

Yosef Wagner Talent

Gedalia Schwartz Talent

Yaakov Perkelvald Controllers

Yosef Schwartz Invoice Review

Akiva Lafer Talent

Shimon Marder Logistics

Eitan Schwartzman Workforce Management

Elisha Loeb Controllers

Andrew Freudenberger Accounts Receivable

Yakir Silverman Talent

Avrohom Treister Logistics

Eytan Weissman Purchasing

Mazal Tov!

Engagement

• Kenny Rozenberg (CEO)

– Upon the engagement of his son.

– Mazal Tov as well on the birth of his grandson.

Wedding

• Nachum Deutsch (Controllers)

– Upon the marriage of his son.

• Yaakov Perkelvald (Controllers)

– Upon the marriage to Suri Aboff.

• Elisha Schwab (Cash Management)

– Upon the marriage of his daughter.

Bar Mitzvah

• Mattis Kovalenko (Human Resources) – Upon the Bar Mitzvah of his son.

• Yehudah Davis (Payroll Technology)

– Upon the Bar Mitzvah of his son.

• Aryeh Rabinowitz (Contracts)

– Upon the Bar Mitzvah of his son.

It's a Girl

• Shua Ingber (Accounts Receivable)

– Upon the birth of his daughter.

It's a Boy

• Zvi Rosenberg (Accounting)

– Upon the birth of his son.

• Dan Klein (Pharmacy Review)

– Upon the birth of his son.

• Gabriel Pinter (Accounting)

– Upon the birth of his son.

• Yehuda Shtaygrud (Transportation)

– Upon the birth of his son.

• Eli Hofstatter (Special Projects)

– Upon the birth of his son.

• Dovid Feuchtwanger (Building Management) – Upon the birth of his grandson.

• Benzion Mandelbaum (Accounts Receivable) – Upon the birth of his son.

Please email any additions or corrections to teamcbo@centershealthcare.org

Spotlight on Beth Abraham Center

A gem in the heart of the Bronx.

A 448-bed facility in the heart of the Bronx, Beth Abraham Center includes several unique— and uniquely innovative—features. The Cardiac Unit at Beth Abraham Center is one of the few of its kind approved by the American Heart Association. The Center is also home to the Wellness Spa, which is described in this issue’s Marketing Minutes. As demonstrated by both the Cardiac Unit and Spa, the facility is a leader in innovation and forward-thinking—a tribute to former Administrator Moshe Blackstein. Moshe began his career at Centers in 2012 as Financial Coordinator at CBO. From there he worked in Administration at several facilities before taking the reins at Beth Abraham Center in 2017. He recently moved on to become Administrator at Amsterdam Nursing Home.

The new Administrator at Beth Abraham Center is Saul Silbermintz. He, too, got his start at CBO—as a Financial Tracker from 2016-2017. He then took over as Administrator at University Center from 2017-2019, then at Northern Met from 2019-2021, followed by Northern Manor from 2021-2022. We wish both Moshe and Saul best of luck in their new positions.

CBO offers a $500 referral bonus for any successful new employee hire, referred by a current CBO employee. The $500 referral bonus is paid out for a successful hire for any CBO job and ALL CBO departments. A new hire is considered a successful hire if the new employee remains in good standing at CBO for 90 days. For full program details, see the CBO employee handbook.

Contact: resumes@centershealthcare.org

Who's in Your Contact List?

Our CBO client referral bonus program

Our CBO referral bonus program is a big success, thanks to YOU. You’ve been making introductions, and our new clients have been reaping the rewards. But there are lots more where they came from. Everybody knows somebody — a family member, a former employer, a business colleague — that we’d like to meet.

Just introduce CBO to someone you know. You’ll be doing them a favor, and if that person’s company becomes a client, we’ll pay you a bonus equal to CBO’s first two months of fees on the account, up to a maximum of $10,000! We are already paying out tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses! Don’t miss out.

For more information, contact Joel Klein at jklein@centersbusiness.org

Can you take a joke?

a. What did the big flower say to the little flower? Hi bud!

b. What’s the best way to get a dozen people to say bye 300 times? A conference call.

c. There is a new trend in our office; everyone is putting names on their food.

I saw it today while I was eating a sandwich named Berel.

d. How do mountains stay warm in the winter? Snowcaps.

e. Why did the birthday boy wrap himself in paper? He wanted to live in the present.

The Interview

Eitan Sharbat Corporate Recruiter

Where did you grow up and where do you live?

Queens, and currently live in Lawrence.

How long have you been working at CBO? 8 months.

What is your current position and have you held any other positions? I work in the Talent department as a Corporate Recruiter.

Do you also recruit for CBO positions? Not officially, but I am passionate about what CBO has to offer, and to date I’ve successfully referred 9 friends who are all currently working at CBO.

What else are you involved in at CBO?

I actually arranged the Daled Minim sale this year where we Baruch Hashem sold over 50 sets to CBO employees. I’ve also recently taken over the CBO café and look forward to making it beneficial to all employees.

How did you first hear about CBO? A friend who had heard nice things about CBO.

What do enjoy about CBO?

Everything, which is why I could sell this place. The pleasant and positive environment, the Chevra, the Hashkafos is a dream come true for me. I love the Rosh Chodesh lunches too!

How would you describe your job to a child?

I help nurses get jobs at nursing homes.

Biggest professional accomplishment to date?

I was able to turn around several high-level management vacancies in RI and fill them in a short period of time.

What are you passionate about?

Halacha. I love learning and teaching it and trying to live up to it. Also prioritizing family time.

If you could choose anyone not in Centers as your mentor, who would you choose?

Reb Noach Weinberg. I connected with him through his books and his Middos and try to live by his ideals.

Favorite Rosh Chodesh lunch so far? I love variety, so the sushi and Fleishig options all in one lunch was great.

What RC lunch would you want that we never had? Tabernacle.

Favorite Yarchei Kallah speaker? Rabbi Eli Mansour.

Favorite Vacation/travel spot? Miami.

What are your lesser-known talents? I’m a professional masseuse.

Something that people don’t know about you?

My family roots stem from Afghanistan.

Lipa Sporn Cash Management Representative

Where do you live? Boro Park, Brooklyn.

Where are you from originally? Boro Park as well.

How long have you been working at CBO? About 3 1/2 years.

How did you hear about CBO?

I took the COPE Junior Accounting Course and a friend who was taking the class with me referred me to CBO.

What is your job here at CBO?

I started as Assistant Controller (clients) and moved into Cash Management since August of this year.

How would you describe your job to a young child?

I work in an office.

What do you enjoy about CBO? The whole environment.

If you could change one thing about CBO what would it be?

I would add a 9am Shachris.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in CBO?

Work consistently and take Kenny up on the offer to go to Shiurim and you will be successful.

Hobbies?

Singing, learning, relaxing, and spending time with family.

What do you like to learn?

Gemara. I’m part of the Yiddish Kinyan Mesechta Chaburah since it started.

I get to feel like I’m back in Yeshiva for ½ hour every day.

Furthest place you’ve traveled? Israel.

Who in the office outside of your department would you want to eat lunch with?

Chaim Geller. I look up to his work ethic and skillset.

Favorite Rosh Chodesh lunch? The Milchege one so I can have coffee afterward.

Inside CBO: Invoice Review/Contracts

• How do Invoice Review/contracts overlap? Technically they are separate, but because we handle contracts, we are most familiar with what invoices/services should look like and what they mean.

• What skills are picked up on the job? Negotiation, deeper understanding of fine print, standing up for yourself, and a thorough knowledge of the healthcare industry.

• What department do you most closely work with? IR/Contracts is the bridge between purchasing and legal, so we work closely with both of them. We pretty much touch every department other than billing. We deal with accounts payable a lot on the invoice side of things.

• What do you look for in a contracts professional? Someone with keen attention to detail, a drive to accomplish what is best for the organization, who enjoys negotiation and is assertive.

• What do you look for in an invoice rep? More or less the same qualities as contracts, but someone who is always able to follow through on more tasks and with more people. In contracts, you may just be focusing on a smaller number of contracts that usually involve fewer people.

• What are the signs that an invoice is fake? There are too many classics to list but here are some examples: When the price doesn't make sense, a strange sounding vendor, or anything that says yellow pages on it. Cleaning supplies and toner are especially susceptible to scams.

• What was your most recent department outing? Golf driving range and in Humbdiners (bowling, arcades, batting cages) followed by Humble Toast for dinner. We also had an interdepartmental baseball game on July 4th.

• Tell us about your Shiurim participation. Aside from high participation in the Rav’s Shiurim, we have a Kinyan Mesechta Shiur given by and attended by about half of the department along with other CBO employees.

• What is something interesting about the work you do? We are always trying to innovate. We actually have a successful division which focuses on energy rebates, optimization and efficiency.

• What do you wish every department would know? Never tell a vendor you’re excited about their product. That takes away alot of our leverage in negotiation.

"Never tell a vendor you're excited about their product."

Marketing Minutes: Spa la la!

Grand Opening! The Wellness Spa at Beth Abraham Center is the first of its kind in New York City. It’s the best of both worlds, a place where the finest rehab meets the ultimate indulgence—massage, manicures and more in an oasis of relaxation in the heart of the Bronx.

Shiurim/Minyanim Schedule

Shachris - 8:00 AM Mincha - 12:45, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 4:15 PM

Maariv - 5:30PM

CBO Morning and Night Kollel (paid) - 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM and after 5:45 PM

Daily Shiurim

8:45am - (immediately following Shachris) Kinyan Hamasechta (Meseches Sukka)

11:30 AM – Kinyan Hamasechta (30 minutes)

12:00 PM -The department Shiur of the day! (15-20 minutes)

12:10 PM – DAF YOMI CHABURA (30 minutes)

1:00 PM – The Shiur of the day (15-20 minutes)

Monday - Chovos Halevavos Tuesday - Weekly Tefilla Series Wednesday - Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Thursday - Parsha Shiur

1:45 PM – Q & A round table discussion (10-15 minutes)

2:15 PM – Kinyan Hamasechta on Meseches Tannis

2:40 PM – Kinyan Hamasechta in Yiddish (Meseches Sukka)

3:15 PM - Mishna Berurah (20 minutes)

Free shuttle/van transportation from Five Towns, Monsey, Passaic, Queens and Washington Heights

Five towns

Departs

Five Towns to CBO from Cedarhurst Park – 6:55AM

Returns

CBO to Five Towns - 5:00PM

Monday-Thursday (12:50PM Friday)

Monsey Departs

Monsey to CBO from Victoria Gardens/Jill Ln. – 7:55AM (Friday TBD each Thursday)

Departs

Monsey to CBO from Eugene Levy Park & Ride (920 NY-45, New City, NY 10956) - 8:10AM (Friday TBD each Thursday)

Returns

CBO to Monsey – 5:00PM

Monday-Thursday (Friday TBD each Thursday)

Queens Departs

Queens to CBO from corner of 14705 71st. Ave – 7:10AM

Returns

CBO to Queens - 5:05PM Monday-Thursday (Friday TBD each Thursday)

Brooklyn Carpool Reimbursement program

Passaic Departs

Passaic to CBO from 743 Passaic Avenue, Clifton, NJ - 8:15AM

Returns

CBO to Passaic - 5:15PM (1:00PM Friday)

Washington Heights Departs

Washington Heights to CBO, various locations - 8:25AM

Returns

CBO to Washington Heights - 5:00PM (1:00PM Friday)

Email vans@centersbusiness.org with any questions.

Scan to watch

Kids Korner

A place for CBO employees’ kids to have fun, play games, and win prizes.

And the winners are…

Boggle the mind!

Let's play Boggle. A $50 Toys4U gift card for the winner and 2nd place wins $25. Boggled puzzles are very easy to play. You need to find as many 3 or more letter words as you can. You form words by scoring anywhere on the grid and moving to adjoining letters. You can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally in any direction.

M E L T G N O D A E R N M H A C

Write down your words and score as follows:

3 letters = 1 point 4 letters = 2 points 5 letters = 3 points

Any Chanukah related words get double points! Why not challenge your friends?

Trivia

6 letters = 4 point 7 letters = 5 points 8 letters = 6 points

My points

question - winner gets a Centers Health Care blanket!

For the last trivia question, the correct answer was Williamsbridge Center. Thanks for all your submissions! Swag bag winner: Chayala Ginsberg, age 6, daughter of Eliezer Ginsberg, Controllers.

Enter to win a Centers Health Care blanket! Send your submissions to: teamcbo@centersbusiness.org or drop it in the suggestions box at CBO headquarters. Make sure to include full name, and age.

Did you know there is a Centers Health Care location that includes a spa? Where is it? a. Centers Laboratory b. Beth Abraham Center c. Centers Urgent Care

Deadline to submit both entries is December 31.

Have a suggestion? Email suggestions@centershealthcare.org

Ezzi Koslowsky, age 5 Son of Avi Koslowsky, Contracts

Mendy Ross, age 11 Son of Moshe Ross, Payroll

Shaindy, age 7, and Eliyahu Levant, age 4 Daughter and son of Yonah Levant, Building Management