Tikvah for Parkinson Blog

Angela Duckworth claims to have found the formula for success in her book Grit : “talent x effort = skill skill x effort = achievement” (Duckworth, 2016).             Grit is the combination between passion and perseverance. In this post you will learn how grit applies to Tikvah for Parkinson, and how you can grow grit in your own life to accomplish your goals. In the “paragons of Grit” interviewed by Duckworth, grit develops in a particular order:             First comes interest . Passion is connected to enjoying what you do, even if some aspects of your work are less attractive than others. The people who work for Tikvah for Parkinson have an interest in helping other people. Debbie Shapiro herself began the organization because she felt passionate about offering alternatives and a holistic service for the people with Parkinson in Jerusalem, with an emphasis in the Orthodox c...

       “And now write for yourselves this song and teach it to the children of Israel, put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me among the children of Israel” (32:19). Rabbi Elliot Marmon used to attend Dancing with Parkinson once a week for one hour, and Tikvah for Parkinson twice a week for three hours. During those three hours, Elliot practiced brain exercises, worked out, practiced speech therapy, did tai chi, talked with the community, did voice training, danced and singed. During my conversation with Elliot’s wife, Ilana Marmon, I asked her why all the emphasis on the voice. She answered that Elliot loves to sing, that he has a beautiful voice; that he is lucky because when some people with Parkinson’s speak up, you can hardly hear. Ilana Marmon was born in Tel Aviv, while Elliot Marmon was born in Philadelphia. Their paths crossed in New York City, when the student of business administration and marketing met the soon to be conservative Ra...

     Sharon Friedman, the first Israeli woman boxing champion, describes her experience with boxing as follows: “Boxing is what I love and what I do best (…) There’s not just something completely physical, you are kind of a vessel for something spiritual and you feel it. You feel it just as much when you are working out as when you are in the synagogue, or when you are in nature. There are ways of feeling connected to God.”      A healthy body helps with a healthy mind, and that is why Tikvah for Parkinson prioritizes boxing and exercise as a way to cope with the degenerative disease. Several weeks ago, Sharon Friedman taught one of our boxing classes. She had unlimited energy when jumping up and down, punching at the air or bouncing between her feet. Most of us could not keep up, but we all had a great workout from trying! Sharon shared with us the story of her own fight with cancer, and how boxing helped her to deal with her own pain and anger. Life somet...