The Parker Jewish Institute in New York is building a collection of Indian prayer books, thanks to the donation from members of the community, a media report said. Parker’s Indian Cultural Unit now features a burgeoning collection of prayer books and religious poems.

Carefully selected, the books bring residents and patients a sense of spiritual wellness, India-West news said in the report in February citing the institute as saying. In December 2019, Asa’Mai Temple in Hicksville, New York, donated seven religious books, and members of a Long Island family recently published, printed and donated 12 small books of religious poetry, in memory of their late father, the institute further said.

Sujata Seth, an Indian-American marketing associate at the cultural unit, arranged for the books’ wire-binding, making the texts easier to handle. “These remarkable donations truly make a difference for residents and patients on their path to wellness at Parker’s Indian Cultural Unit,” the India West report quoted Michael N. Rosenblut, President and CEO at Parker Institute, as saying.

“The library of books is just one example of how the unit meets the growing needs of the local South Asian community.” Parker’s Indian Cultural Unit provides specialized care to the increasing population of older Indian-Americans in Nassau and Queens. The unit is staffed by Indian physicians, nurses and other associates who are fluent in Indian languages, including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi.