Home, October 9, 2017 by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Home Supplement to Jewish News October 9, 2017

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ith the many real estate websites and apps available today, it’s easy to think it is possible to click around on the web Shikma Rubin to find all of the necessary information to obtain a loan. I say “think,” because in some cases, the available online data is misleading, outdated, or just plain wrong. As a mortgage lender who specializes in loans for millennials and other firsttime homebuyers, I see the process unfold time and time again. A young couple spots the “latest” mortgage rate on a popular real estate website and then says, “I see the rate is three percent. Can you get that for me?” Well, hang on. The rate found on a website doesn’t always take into account the type of loan and its terms, as well as the buyer’s credit score, down payment, and debt-to-income ratio. Realtors often face a similar challenge. Homeowners like to go online and see what their home is worth, but real estate websites don’t always take into account specific factors such as the condition of the house. The internet is a great resource, but it’s not perfect. That’s why, to determine the actual available rate, buyers should work with a licensed mortgage lender. A mortgage professional has the tools to determine the exact rate for an individual home buyer. Keep in mind: rates are constantly changing—even several times in the same day—so it’s not possible to a trust the online numbers. One more point. Often times, buyers will seek the assistance of one mortgage lender, which means they only see one available rate. It’s important to “shop” for the best rate and loan program because it

is possible to find a lower rate and fewer costs associated with the loan, which may ultimately save hundreds or thousands of dollars. When buyers meet with a lender to learn their purchasing power, these are important questions to ask: • Is an origination fee associated with the loan?

To determine the actual available rate, buyers should work with a licensed mortgage lender.

• What is the APR or annual percentage rate? • What are the closing costs? Millennials, in particular, are experts at jumping on a website to track down what they need. A few clicks and off they go. Yet when it comes to mortgage rates, every home buyer should take the extra time to work one-on-one with a lender to understand their qualifications and individual rate. In the mortgage world, the old school approach is the smart way to go. Shikma Rubin is a loan officer at Tidewater Home Funding in Chesapeake. (NMLS #1114873). She can be reached at srubin@ tidewaterhomefunding.com or 757-490-4726.

Home

Building a “green” home An interview with Mike Simon of Eric Joffe Construction Corp Jewish News: What is “green” building? Mike Simon: As we think about building a home, we have to also think of our global home—the planet. When building or renovating, it is important to consider the materials that are used in the construction process, as well as the construction process itself. Have you ever walked into a new home and taken in that “new home” smell? That classic “new home” smell probably means that volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) have been used during construction. These often include formaldehyde, which can be dangerous to human health and bad for the environment. Alternatively, through “green” building, we use sustainable products to ensure a healthier way of living. These paints and other materials contain low to no VOC’s. They use organic chemicals and human made or naturally occurring chemical compounds which give off very little of the traditional chemicals used in new construction. Building “green” also means saving energy. It is important to seal the entire building envelope, which includes the attic and crawl space. By doing that, the air conditioning and heating unit is not working overtime as air escapes from the ducts into the unsealed attic and crawl space. We use spray foam insulation and condition both the crawlspace and attic. The crawl space is an ideal area for mold growth. By sealing and conditioning this area, the mold has less chance to grow, and thus helps prevent outside allergens from getting into the home. We encourage our customers to use sustainable products as another way to go “green.” Bamboo flooring and recycled glass countertops are not only better for the environment, but they are trendy and look great in a new home or renovation. LED light bulbs use less energy while giving the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb. LED bulbs also reduce waste because they last significantly longer. JN: Does building “green” cost more? MS: The answer is yes and no. When building a “green” home, it can initially be more expensive. However, by value engineering the construction of the house, it will cost less in the long run. Over the years, for example, tax incentives have helped help to offset the cost associated with building “green.” Electric bills can be as much as 40% less when sealing the building envelope together with heating and air conditioning the crawl space and attic. In renovations, certain retrofit items can be added to

existing homes such as increasing the amount of insulation in the attic, adding spray foam insulation between the roof rafters, and sealing the crawl space. In new construction, selections should be made based on budget as certain components can only be installed during the original construction, while others can be easily added later. So if the “green” option is out of the budget, forgo the things for now that can be done down the road. JN: Why is “green” building important to you? MS: I’m a firm believer in the importance of reducing our carbon footprint as much as we can. I saw that there was a need, so I started looking for ways that our company could incorporate these values into our building. There are so many choices of great sustainable products that prevent trash from going into the landfill. When doing renovations, for example, while removing cabinets and other interior finishes, we always try to send them to be reused through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Nothing disappoints me more than seeing a dumpster full of usable construction materials that could be repurposed. Additionally, as an allergy sufferer, I enjoy seeing the relief that our customers feel from having the building envelope sealed, which helps prevent pollen from entering the home. There are so many benefits to building “green.” This is a great trend in home building and renovations that I’m proud to be able to offer to our customers. Mike Simon of Eric Joffe Construction Corp, may be reached at 757-575-1882.

Recent homes built by Eric Joffe Contruction Corp using Green Building by: • Using sustainable products including fiber cement siding and trim, PVC trim and composite decking material. These are both green and non-rot products that reduce the maintenance on the exterior of the home. • Sealing the building envelope using a combination of both spray foam and conventional batt insulation in the exterior walls and roofs. • The crawlspaces are sealed and conditioned using the homes’ HVAC systems to reduce outside allergens as well as mold growth. • The HVAC systems are high efficiency 16 seer or greater which assist in lowering the homes’ energy bills. • The windows are high efficiency glass to limit the heat transfer into the home. • The window frames are vinyl and composite assisting in reduced exterior maintenance.

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Home

Kitchens: The greatest rooms at home Terri Denison

he proliferation of food and cooking shows, along with myriad websites, magazines, and newspaper sections that are also food-focused, are impacting today’s kitchen designs—as much as the recipes that are prepared. How can that be? The reason is simple: cooking is now viewed as a fun and rewarding culinary event, rather than a means to just secure nourishment. “Years ago, we only had Julia Child on PBS. Now, there’s so much emphasis on food and cooking on TV, and that is encouraging people to stay home and cook,” says Marvin Daniel, president of KDW Home. That, he says, is only one reason kitchens are receiving more attention. While originally a room intended solely for cooking and eating, kitchens are now “all about lifestyle,” says Daniel. “A kitchen is a living place, literally the center of the home—a place where homework is done, the family eats, and where entertaining occurs—and where we also happen to have appliances.” Kitchens, Daniel notes, are no longer confined rooms with swinging doors. The walls are literally gone to create bigger, more inviting living spaces. Before beginning a kitchen design, Daniel says that he asks a potential client to visit one of KDW’s showrooms— in Virginia Beach or Richmond—for the homeowner to decide if they “like what they see.” If the response is positive, the interview process begins. “We are all about design at KDW. Everyone on our team has a design background. So, we start by asking our clients questions such as: Do you like to entertain? (The reply helps with traffic flow planning) Do you use high heat for stir-frying? (This question is for planning ventilation.) Are you right handed? Left handed? (The reply helps with placement) Does the family like to cook together? (The response assists with space and placement

Photography credit: Kip Dawkins Photography for KDW Home

planning) Do you want a kosher kitchen? (Double this, double that) In other words, we try to learn as much as possible about the client’s lifestyle,” says Daniel. This way, he says, each kitchen matches the client’s hopes and dreams for that particular room. Back to those TV programs. Like the food shows, HGTV has also impacted design. For example, KDW has a 50-inch screen on which the designer projects a client’s plans for easy viewing. If the client wants to see another color or to move an island or an appliance to another location, it is easy and quick to accomplish. “It’s been very helpful,” says Daniel.

Trends

Photography credit: Kip Dawkins Photography for KDW Home

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Overall, Daniel says kitchen designs are trending more tailored, more contemporary, and more transitional in style. “We create beautiful functionality.” In fact, with design elements simpler than they used to be, in some kitchens, the appliances are not even obvious because they have been so integrated into the room. “It’s all about how it works, how it cooks, not so much how it looks,” continues Daniel, who recommends

clean lines. “I tell clients to choose to do one thing that is the ‘star of the show.’ Maybe it is the lighting (that is so striking, that in the past it might have been a highlight in other rooms), or the knobs or pulls (that are now like jewelry for cabinets), or a gorgeous island (perhaps constructed from reclaimed woods such as chestnut or mahogany). The options are nearly endless.”

What’s hot now? Cabinets

Daniel says that light-painted cabinetry is trending, and that stained wood is on its way back.

Countertops Granite is out when it comes to countertops, with marble and marble-look-a-likes taking over. Many countertops are now of man-made materials, which are non-porous, making them much easier to care for.

Fixtures Mixed metals and yellow metals, including authentic (not shiny) brass and bronze are back for faucets and other

Home

Photography credit: Jim Adcock for KDW Home

accents. These trends started around the Great Recession in an attempt to “warm up” rooms, notes Daniel.

A GOAL

WITHOUT A PLAN is just a wish.

Floors Hardwood. Hardwood. Hardwood. Oak flooring is the most popular with finishes that are now more durable (eliminating so many annoying scratches, dents, and stains). Whether in random or traditional widths or from reclaimed woods, floors are now about 80% hardwood.

Color Fabrics, lighting, and texture all add splashes of surprise or warmth.

Green People feel good about buying green products—from appliances to cabinets to repurposed materials for islands, floors, and countertops. And, during renovations, most everyone wants everything to be repurposed. “No one wants things going to the landfill,” says Daniel. “We send as much as possible to Habitat for Humanity, for example, or maybe find a use for old cabinets in a garage. We just don’t throw anything out!” When it comes to advice, Daniel offers two pieces of wisdom: When building, start the kitchen design process early The best way for clients to get what they want is to bring the kitchen design team in at the beginning. “If, for instance, you want a 60-inch stove and there’s not enough space, there’s not a thing that can be done about it. If, however, the homeowner, designer, architect, and builder all sit together to plan, the project will ultimately look the best.” When remodeling, be realistic “I tell people that a remodel is ‘elective surgery.’ When you’re living in a house and the kitchen is taken away, understand what it will be like to live without a kitchen,” he warns. “I’m a big cook,” notes Daniel. “I cook every night, which helps me to understand kitchens beyond design. I just love what I do.” He wants his clients to love their kitchens, too. Daniel believes they will, as long as “it cooks as good as it looks.”

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NMLS #761796

NEW YORK (JTA)—It’s affixed upon the doorpost. It’s wooden, thin and rectangular, but with rounded corners. It’s meant to fulfill a biblical commandment. And it bears a verse from the Gospel of John about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s right: It’s a Christian mezuzah. Karen Goode calls her creation the Doorpost Blessing, and it looks nearly identical to the small, oblong case that has adorned the doorways of Jewish homes for millennia. Both Goode’s creations and traditional Jewish mezuzahs are based on the same scriptural passage in Deuteronomy that commands Jews to inscribe the words of the Torah “on the doorposts of your house.” Observant Jews recite the passage twice a day with the Shema. Except, instead of placing parchment bearing two paragraphs of Torah verses inside the mezuzah, as Jews do, Goode engraves a verse on the outside of the Doorpost Blessing, either from the Old or New Testament. She also offers Doorpost Blessings bearing lines from Christian hymns. Altogether, Goode sells 25 varieties, in English and Spanish. “I’m following what the Bible says,” Goode says. “I’m taking it to modern-day standards. I’m reminding us of our blessings. We all need something to hold onto. God is much bigger than any of us.” Goode, who lives in New York City’s Staten Island and works at a hospital, launched Doorpost Blessings as part of her interest in carpentry. She came upon the concept in 2014, and began making and selling Doorpost Blessings in their current form this year. She would not disclose sales figures, but said the most popular ones bear Old Testament verses both from the books of Jeremiah and Joshua. “The inspiration was from God, but I was looking for something that would speak of my faith and also carpentry,” she says. Goode is Christian, but did not

elaborate on which denomination. Goode isn’t the first person to market mezuzahs to Christians. In 2014, a financial adviser in New York, Henry Zabarsky, created the Christoozah, a hollow red cross containing scripture on a parchment meant to be affixed to a doorpost. But Zabarsky, who is Jewish, says that he is no longer involved with the Christoozah company. Nor is Goode the only Christian to take on a Jewish practice in the name of fulfilling Old Testament dictates. Some evangelical Christians wear ritual fringes or kippahs, and some hold Passover seders—something Goode says she has done in the past. Several fringe evangelical denominations, including the Living Church of God, eschew mainstream Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter in favor of observing Old Testament festivals on the Jewish calendar. But unlike Christoozah and the Living Church of God, Goode does not credit Jews—and specifically the practice of hanging mezuzahs—with inspiring the product she sells. There is no mention of Judaism or mezuzahs on the Doorpost Blessing website, though Goode says she finds the Jewish mezuzah “a beautiful item.” “I’m not referring to a mezuzah,” she says of her creations. “I’m doing what the commandment says. I’m doing it from a Christian perspective, not a Jewish perspective. I would see similarity in that there’s a blessing hung around the door frame, but other than that I credit the Bible.” Mendel Kugel, a Manhattan rabbi who runs MezuzahMe, a service for selling and examining mezuzahs, says Goode’s project is a testament to the mezuzah’s resonance as a ritual item. But he worries that the presence of Christian mezuzahs will make it easier to mistakenly purchase a non-kosher mezuzah. “It just shows that it’s such an important thing that Christians also want it,” Kugel says.

Home

Top five things to do now to get homes ready for fall After the long, hot summer, HVAC systems may need some attention before the start of fall. Here’s a quick checklist of things to do to prepare.

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all officially started last month, and even if the weather still doesn’t feel like fall yet, the professionals at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® say now is a good time to run through this checklist to get homes ready for the cooler weather. 1. R eplace air filters. A clogged or dirty filter can make systems work harder, which uses more energy. It can also damage the system. Replace filters once a month or as recommended by the system’s manufacturer. 2. Seal leaks. Take a quick walk around the house to check for cracks and gaps around windows and doors. This could let the heat out and cold air in. Now is a good time to find these leaks and seal them up. Also, consider a humidifier to make the home more pleasant in the fall and winter. 3. R eplace the batteries in programmable thermostats. Now is also a good time to consider upgrading to a Wi-Fi thermostat, so the home’s temperature can be controlled and monitored from anywhere. Now is also a good time to replace the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. 4. T idy up. During the warmer months, flammable materials like paint or cleaning supplies may have been placed near heating systems. This could be a safety hazard. Clear the area around furnaces or heating systems and make sure furniture and rugs are not blocking vents and registers. 5. G et a Tune-up. Have a professional clean and inspect the heating and cooling system every year. A professional can help maintain the system, which can extend the product’s life and help reduce the frequency and severity of breakdowns. For more information on preparing homes for the fall season, visit OneHourComfort.com

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Home This Panoramic Sukkah re-creates Jerusalem in your backyard Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA)—When it comes to Sukkot, the weeklong festival in which Jews live and eat in temporary huts known as sukkahs, no place does it better than Jerusalem. City schools and plenty of workplaces close, and a festive spirit permeates the air. Many Jews around the world make a tradition of visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the holiday, which is also known as the Feast of Booths. Can’t make it to the Holy City? Fear not. Your sukkah can now transport you and your loved ones here. Well, sort of. The Panoramic Sukkah is a creation by Andy “Eliyahu” Alpern, a photographer specializing in 360-degree images. Thanks to his sukkahs, which consist of panoramic photos of famous places in Israel, celebrants can easily pretend that they are actually at notable Jerusalem sites such as the Western Wall at night or smack in the middle of Mahane Yehuda market. Alpern, 50, is a native Chicagoan who now lives in the northern city of Safed, where he runs his own gallery. Five years ago he was wandering through Safed during the festival, listening to the voices of families who were celebrating in their sukkahs, when the idea for the Panoramic Sukkah hit him. By providing an immersive, inside-Israel experience, the Panoramic Sukkah is “a way of sharing Eretz Yisrael with people all over the world who can’t be here,” he says, using the Hebrew term for the Land of Israel. Alpern added that the point of Sukkot is to hearken back to life during biblical times—for example, wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt (hence the origin of the sukkah), thus one of his panoramic images is of the Negev Desert. Also, as Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (the others being Passover and Shavuot), it was tradition for Jews to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. Launching Panoramic Sukkah as a business two years ago, Alpern had to find the material to print the walls on and a printer to transfer the images, taking into

consideration both quality and affordability for the consumer. Alpern declined to say how many sukkahs he has sold to date, but said his goal is to sell 100 by the time next year’s festival begins. (And while it’s too late to purchase a Panoramic Sukkah for this year, it’s not too early to plan for next: Keep an eye out for a sale during the intermediary days of the holiday, when Jews have Sukkot on the brain.) A variety of images and styles are available. The full Panoramic Sukkah kit (from $1,080) includes a frame, as well as four walls with a 360-degree image on semi-translucent fabric. Other options include walls only (from $800) or single-wall panels (from $210) if, as the website says, you’re “looking to bring Israel into your Sukkah, but not for quite so much Israel.” Of course, Alpern can also create custom sukkahs. This year he created a

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wall panel for a customer depicting the Ushpizin, mystical special guests that are ritually welcomed each evening of the holiday. The panel included the images of the traditional “guests”—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and King David—and interspersed them with images of the customer’s family members and inspirational figures such as Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. If Alpern’s Panoramic Sukkahs can bring Jerusalem to anywhere in the world, then it’s probably no surprise that the reverse can also be true. Perhaps the greatest custom sukkah that Alpern has created was for himself: Wrigley Field. A diehard Chicago Cubs fan since he worked as a vendor at the iconic ballpark in 1984, Alpern was disappointed that he could not make it back to his hometown last year for the World Series. So he took a panoramic photo of Wrigley that he had shot a few years back and turned it into a

Panoramic Sukkah of his own. Last year, Alpern and his three sons slept in the sukkah, waking up in the middle of the night to watch the games broadcast over the internet. This year— with the Cubs on a hot streak and ready to defend their title—they planned to do the same: Major League Baseball’s postseason began Oct. 3, the night before Sukkot’s start.