For my dear father, Max Sobel.

I made a startling discovery about five years ago. Long after my mother had seemingly lost all of her language skills to Alzheimer's disease, I happened upon her leafing through a magazine, looking at pictures and reading the headlines aloud. "Mom can still read!" I thought, and vainly went in search of a simple picture book designed for people suffering with mid-to-late stage dementia.

I learned from the librarian of the National Alzheimer's Association that although there are over 20,000 books available for caregivers of people with memory loss, there are only one or two titles for the actual patient! I made a small contribution to this astounding lack of resources with the first book in this series, Blue Sky, White Clouds: A Book for Memory-Challenged Adults. It was dedicated to my mother, and like the present work, contained beautiful, realistic photographs of people and familiar scenes, along with short, easy-to-read captions in big print, requiring no memory to enjoy.

This new book is specifically geared for use with Jewish dementia patients, and contains imagery that is unique and precious to Jewish life. Remarkably, as I write this, Mom is 92 and still home, well into her 16th year of Alzheimer's, but long past the stage of being able to enjoy even a simple book like this.

I dedicate this one to my dear father, also 92, in deep gratitude for his tireless care of my mother for nearly 13 years. Sadly, not long ago, on their 67th anniversary, Dad tumbled headlong down a stairwell and suffered a near-fatal brain injury. Overnight, he joined Mom in needing full-time, at-home care.

I am hoping that this collection of warm and familiar images of Jewish life will evoke memories, stimulate stories and conversation, and provide my father and countless others like him all over the world with many tender, shared moments of joy and connection with their loved ones. L'chaim!

-- Eliezer Sobel