Mitch Gerber is giving the residents of EdenBrook of Dunwoody Assisted Living and the surrounding community a taste of the Far East, but he's not putting kosher sweet-and-sour chicken on the menu.

Instead, Gerber added variety and culture to the residents' exercise program by introducing Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese exercise and meditation practice.

EdenBrook of Dunwoody residents get a taste of the Far East by adding Falun Gong to their exercise routine.

"I've gotten some phenomenal responses from staff members" and EdenBrook residents, said Gerber, who has led his exercise class for about two months.

When Gerber began practicing Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, more than four years ago, he didn't know the impact it would have on his life and the lives of others.

The 25-year-old, who moved to Atlanta from South Africa in 1995, said that when he began to practice Falun Gong, he "felt completely rejuvenated" after just a few weeks. He wanted to share his passion and introduced the exercise to his mother and grandmother. When they also had positive results, a light bulb went on in Gerber's head.

This summer, Gerber contacted Fred Glusman, EdenBrook's kashrut supervisor and a friend of his father's.

"He invited me to exercise there, and I started to practice with the elderly. I've had huge popularity and good responses," Gerber said.

His Sunday morning class attracts seven to 15 residents, said Jennie Raines, EdenBrook's activities coordinator.

"Exercise has become very important" to the residents, Raines said. "This is adding some variety to the exercise program."

Gerber learned of Falun Gong while attending a human rights fair at the University of Georgia in May 2001. He said Amnesty International was handing out fliers to raise awareness of Falun Gong in China and the persecution of its practitioners at the hands of the Communist regime.

"I saw the exercise and thought, 'This is a wonderful practice,' and on the other side I saw the persecutions," Gerber said.

Feeling compelled to find the true story, Gerber did his homework and researched the history.

He learned that Li Hongzhi founded Falun Gong in 1992 on the basis of three principles: truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. The practice quickly spread through China and many other countries, including Israel and the United States.

After the group mushroomed to nearly 70 million followers in China alone, the officially atheist Chinese Communist Party established "the 610 Office" on June 10, 1999, to administer a [persecution], according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. [...]

Since the ban, the Falun Dafa Information Center has verified at least 2,781 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

As a Jew and a South African, Gerber found the cause to be worth pursuing.

"I feel a sense of urgency," Gerber said. "My family escaped the Holocaust from Hungary and Poland, and I experienced a lot of persecution against my black friends in South Africa. So when I found out about Falun Gong in China with persecutions against people, I found it a threat."

Gerber founded a Falun Gong human rights group at Georgia State University, where he is working on his bachelor's degree in international business. Though Gerber is active in his cause, he leaves the politics at the door when leading the EdenBrook residents in their weekly exercises.

Rabbi Shalom Lewis of Congregation Etz Chaim explained that offering something like Falun Gong to the seniors is not only good for the body, but also for the character.

"There is a great deal that we as a people can learn from other faiths and cultures, and we would be well advised to accept that which is good," Lewis said of Gerber's class.

Raines said she has noticed a change in the participants' demeanor after their Sunday morning activity. "They seem very peaceful after they exercise, and it puts them in a wonderful mood, and it makes for a pleasant day."

Glusman said community members are welcome to participate in Falun Gong exercise with EdenBrook residents. In addition, Gerber plans this month to expand his teachings and lead a class at Huntcliff Summit, a Sunrise Senior Living Community like EdenBrook.

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