One of the key factors throughout Herb Maneloveg’s life has been his faith.
And without the services provided by The Jewish Pavilion, he would not have the ability to continue many of the traditions. For instance, he always participates in the Shabbat services held by The Jewish Pavilion every other week at Oakmonte.
“The Jewish Pavilion makes me proud that I’m Jewish because of all of the things I know they do,” he says. “All my life I’ve been very family oriented and The Jewish Pavilion is the kind of family that I truly appreciate.”
Herb came to Oakmonte Village four years ago, moving from the West Palm Beach area to be with his sister in Lake Mary. This followed one of the most storied careers in advertising.
Remember the show Mad Men? Herb lived through the real-life Mad Men. In fact, one of the consultants on the show worked with Herb at BBDO.
“I watched the show and kept wondering why they were talking about accounts that I worked with,” he says.
Those clients included such well-known names like Campbell’s Soup, Pepsi and Revlon.
Today, Herb sits at the front of the big gathering room, chatting with some of the people who walk in.
More than a dozen seniors gather every Monday morning in the Oakmonte Village performing arts center to talk about public affairs.
He sits next to an easel with an agenda written out on the board. Topics of the day include everything from who will control congress to the discovery of 113-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in Texas.
“It’s always Texas,” someone says from the audience.
Herb started this group a couple of years ago. It’s something everyone in the room looks forward to. It’s bipartisan and in the front row are two men sitting next to each other. One is pro-Trump. The other is anti-Trump. The two disagree throughout, but Herb keeps them on track, lets them both say their peace and moves on to other people in the room.
“He’s really incredible at how he does this and how he knows all about this,” says one of the women in the audience.
For Herb, it’s all about keeping his mind fresh. He also leads a class on creative writing. He plays bridge. He likes to paint.
“You have to keep yourself occupied, it’s the only way to keep your brain going,” he says. “I’m 97 and I keep myself busy and occupied.”