As I pen this article, just hours before the levaya of Dovid Hess, a”h, one of Baltimore’s biggest askanim, I can’t help but wonder what will become of our community as the proverbial torch is passed to the next generation. After some research, I was reassured to find that the next generation is continuing the mesora (heritage) that Mr. Hess and other exemplary community-minded members have established. Here is just a sampling of some of the acts of chesed our youth perform, 24/7.
WOW!
Batsheva Feldman, 22, is a graduate student at University of Maryland School of Social Work. Although she tutors and babysits on the side, she also makes the time to learn weekly with a young non-observant female at WOW’s learning program for young professionals. She learns halachos of Shabbos, modesty, and other philosophical topics, and answers questions about Judaism. In addition, she learns with two other college students, weekly, through Skype.
“I have been learning with college students/young professionals for about four years now,” says Batsheva. “My family is very involved in kiruv; we have young non-observant men and women at our Shabbos table frequently. This instilled in me a passion to begin outreach work. I am also a passionate individual with a love for Torah and Yiddishkeit, so I feel privileged to share it with those who do not grow up with this special gift.
“My own love for Torah and Yiddishkeit has definitely been enhanced,” continues Batsheva. “When I teach others, it makes me realize how lucky I am to be a frum Jew. Learning about different topics in Judaism makes my relationship with Hashem so much more meaningful and real as well.”
Batsheva told me about her madricha (counselor) experience at a kiruv program, last January, called Heritage Retreats: “One of the girls, who had not met many observant Jews before, asked me, ‘How are you always happy; don’t things ever bother you?’ I answered her, ‘Of course; I’m human!’ But then I said to her, ‘When you’re living a life with so much meaning and fulfillment and you feel such a closeness to Hashem, it gives you a sense of inner peace that leads to true happiness.’”
Twin Volunteering
Volunteering keeps twins Avraham and Mordechai Silber, eighth grade students at Talmudical Academy (TA), quite busy on both erev Shabbos and Shabbos. Every Friday, Avraham learns Chumash with a TA first grader, and Mordechai learns Mishnayos with a TA third grader. They also volunteer for Menucha on Shabbos afternoons, an opportunity that was organized for eighth graders by TA rebbe, Rabbi Yechiel Spero. They visit a young blind man in the community , with whom they learn the parsha and “hang out, playing games such as “guess who is talking.”
“It has been a wonderful experience for both boys,” says their mother, Rebbetzin Aviva Silber. “It enhances their Shabbos afternoon and has allowed them to become more sensitized to those with special needs. It has also taught the lesson that when you are without one sense, your other senses are made stronger. They are all benefiting from this beautiful experience, and I know that after eighth grade, my boys plan on continuing a friendship with this young man,” concludes Rebbetzin Silver.
“As parents, we feel it is necessary to teach our children the importance of chesed. The more you give, the more you receive. Avraham and Mordechai have received more than you can imagine, by visiting every Shabbos afternoon.”
Learning with Girls
Shoshana Barer works in The Learning Center and teaches fourth grade in Bais Yaakov Elementary School. She has been involved in JEP a big sister-little sister program that promotes Jewish pride in Baltimore public school girls who attend grades one through eight, since its inception a few years ago.
“I got involved because my very good friend, Ahuva Spetner, is the program director and gave me the opportunity to be part of such a special organization,” says Shoshana. “JEP has two weekly learning programs for middle school girls – one in Owings Mills and one in Columbia. I run the group in Columbia. This includes preparing Jewish lessons to present every week, making sure I have the supplies needed for refreshments, and a game or project. Additionally, I run the kitchen with a friend, Chomi Bernstein, for JEP’s yearly Shabbaton, held at Bais Yaakov, which has had between 120 and 150 attendees for the entire Shabbos. We do not make the food beforehand; rather, it means making sure all the paper goods are bought for the entire Shabbos and taking care of running all the meals from Friday through motzei Shabbos.
“Giving these girls an opportunity to have a meaningful, positive Jewish experience reminds me how special Yiddishkeit is,” continues Shoshana. “The Shabbatons are extremely inspiring. When I see these non-religious girls being excited about something related to Torah, I remember how important it is for all frum Jews to set an example for young non-religious Jews and give them only positive interactions with religious people. It also strengthens my pride in my people and the Torah that we live by and makes me feel lucky that I was fortunate enough to grow up in a frum home.
As a teacher in Bais Yaakov elementary, and a volunteer for an organization that deals with the same age girls, I am constantly reminded how similar these JEP girls are to my students in school. They are all young Jewish girls who just want to be loved and are beginning to try to figure out the world around them.”
Refreshments and More
Shira Malka Meister is another JEP volunteer. The Bnos Yisroel senior has taken the initiative to fill a void in our community. Two summers ago, she organized “Refreshments,” a series of weekly summer shiurim for entering high school seniors, as well as seminary and first-year post-seminary girls. The program provides food for spiritual growth and actual refreshments. The food, paper goods, and raffle prizes are donated by local vendors as well as by the teens and their families. Refreshments is so popular that parents of the teens and other adults wish they could attend! The shiurim have been graciously hosted by the Hirschman family and Mrs. Bedziner.
“I love learning, and this was the type of program I was interested in attending, but it did not exist,” explains Shira Malka, “so I started it. I wanted to give everybody an opportunity to get together with their friends in the summer and learn things that may have not been addressed in school. It’s a chance to learn in a relaxed atmosphere from speakers you normally don’t hear and of whom you can ask any question you have.”
The first summer, between four and 16 girls attended; that number increased to 20 to 50 girls this past summer. Each week a different speaker, such as a teacher, rabbi, mental health professional, or kiruv personality, lectures. Many of the speakers are very well known. Since the group is small, topics can be catered towards the crowd, and girls can speak with the speaker afterwards.
“It’s a bonus that I get to finalize speakers and topics,” notes Shira Malka. “I welcome input and really use everyone’s opinions, but it’s nice to know that I will enjoy every speech! Also, I get to hear all the amazing feedback and find out how people’s lives changed. It is very inspiring.
“I was recently told that a high school class was having a discussion about talking to boys,” continues Shira Malka. “A few girls gave a detailed, well formed argument against it, bowling the rest of the class and the teacher over, since it was very out of character. Afterwards, they said that they learned about this in Refreshments! It is wonderful to see the real results Refreshments has had in peoples’s lives.
“At the end of a meeting, I always ask for feedback, and girls have told me that they are more honest now, feel better equipped to improve themselves, started a cheshbon hanefesh (spiritual accounting), or have realized many new things that make them overall better and more aware people. It is also touching to see so many different types of girls coming together to learn from a speaker as well as from each other. It is beautiful to see girls who normally would never come to a shuir attending and enjoying it. I am very thankful to the Baltimore community for helping so much. We have a wonderful community and I feel that Refreshments is a community project, as so many people give to it.”
Shira Malka is planning a Refreshments parlor meeting after Pesach to promote it and get people’s ideas for topics, speakers, and suggestions. She can be contacted at: shiramalkameister@gmail.com.
Chesed Taught at Home
Eli Drabkin, 23, currently learns in Rabbi Frand’s shiur in Ner Yisroel, while working for ArtScroll on the ArtScroll Digital Library App, and attending college at nights for a degree in Computer Information Systems.
“I volunteer for Gevuras Yarden/The Jewish Caring Network, and am currently part of its Big Brother program,” says Eli, whose mother, Chaya Amy Drabkin, cofounded the organization, together with Keren Traub. “Once a week, I go out with a boy, and we have fun. Sometimes we go to the JCC for basketball or a good workout, and sometimes we sit down together and learn a nice piece from R’ Shimshon Pincus. Whether we walk away all sweaty and in better shape or totally inspired by R’ Pincus, our outings are always great!
“Growing up, everything in our house was about Gevuras Yarden, especially in the early days, when it was mainly my mother, Mrs. Traub, and Mrs. Capla ,” continues Eli. “We were always doing something for them, whether counting pushka money and putting it into rolls of coins or helping with mailings, the kids were always mobilized to contribute. My mother would frequently take us to visit some of families, as well. As I got older and more capable (i.e., a license, lol!) I would always be running around doing things for Gevuras Yarden. During high school, I ran the Sunday Funday program, where I would take out a few kids and would go and have a blast: go-karting, bowling, and arcades. One time, I even took some kids into a Ferrari/Lamborghini dealership; that was a lot of fun, especially since one of the kids absolutely loved fast cars. But it never stopped there, there was always more that could be done. I would hear my mother on the phone with someone, and she’d yell up to my room “Eli!!” and I knew I’d be off running some errand or something. These “Eli!!” moments always took me on an adventure, from delivering packages to learning at someone’s bedside during his final hours.
“Watching what just a small kindness can do and how far it goes when you can give a person the feeling that someone is looking out for him – this means the world to people!! It’s not about how much you do (even though Gevuras Yarden does so much it’s not normal. Baruch Hashem!) It’s about always being there for others. It’s about always showing your face when times are going a little better just as much as when times are bad, rachmana litzlan. This had the greatest effect on me – the feeling that someone has your back no matter what. This is the biggest chesed anyone can do, because it gives people the menuchas hanefesh (support) to continue fighting their own battles without having to worry about everything else falling apart. That is Gevuras Yarden.”
Reading, Writing, and ’Rithmetic
Rachel Afrah, 25, is a Hebrew and English reading tutor for children and adults. She also tutors children who have dyslexia, and teaches English as a second language. Once a week, for one hour, Rachel helps girls with math and reading at Jewish Community Services (JCS). She has also enjoyed using her creativity by volunteering for the JCS “Centerpieces for Tzedaka” project. If all that is not enough, Rachel also spends an hour each week volunteering for Northwest Neighbors Connecting, a CHAI program that helps seniors stay independent. Her job is to act as a “shadchan” for Friendly Callers – matching women who want to receive calls and visits with volunteers who want to give them.
“I really enjoy matching these women and following up to see how things are going. A woman might be at home because she doesn’t socialize or because she just had surgery, or she might just need a friend. It makes me feel very good to know that this person feels cared for and not alone. Being of service is so rewarding, and I like it so much, that I would like to continue.
“Volunteering is not only a good opportunity to get experience; it also helped me to learn about myself and to decide which field I wanted to go into,” adds Rachel. “I was able to explore various fields without taking a huge risk or committing to one before I was ready. Through volunteering, I feel I have received a lot more than I have given.”
Never Too Old for Creativity
Adina Edelman, a 15-year-old Bais Yaakov High School student, volunteers her time to run a creative writing workshop for Northwest Neighbors Connecting (NNC), a CHAI program, of which her mother, Risyl Edelman, is the director. “I feel I am giving the people who come to these workshops a chance to express themselves through writing and to enjoy a fun, free, and easy atmosphere,” says Adina. “Stories and poetry deemed worthy make their way into the NNC Newsletter ‘Staying Connected.’ I also enjoy getting to know the amazing people who have joined the creative writing workshop. Really, I am not the teacher there; they are the ones who are teaching me!”
Adina continues: “It is definitely very interesting and fun to listen to the short stories the writers come up with through the prompts I have given them. Everything they have written so far is creative and interesting, and it’s wonderful to know how much talent a person can put forth when given the opportunity. At the last session, we were joined by two visually-impaired seniors. I was inspired to note that they composed poetry in their head and recited it when we took turns reading our writing at the end of the prompt. I thoroughly enjoy the workshops and look forward to many more.”
A First Responder
Avraham Shugarman is an 18-year-old Baltimorean who attends Mesivta Shaarei Arazim in Monsey, New York. When he comes home, every three weeks or so, he actively helps Chaverim and Hatzalah. As a Chaverim member for almost three years, he has responded to calls for help in such crisis situations flat tires, jump starts, and car and house lockouts.
“I got into it when my cousin was in Chaverim,” says Avraham. “I went on calls with him and enjoyed it. So as soon as I got my license at 16, I joined Chaverim. At first it was only supposed to be for a summer, but when they saw that I could take as many as 20 calls a day when I’m home – while the other units have jobs and a family – the organization enjoyed having me around and kept me. They moved me up to a dispatcher role, as well.
“I also started helping Hatzalah service units with Tzvi Pensak and Tzvi Topper this past summer, cleaning out the ambulances and restocking them with the necessary supplies. I get to do mitzvos and I find it enjoyable, too.”
Cars and Kiddush Hashem
My 20-year-old son, Tzvi Pensak, has been volunteering for Hatzalah since eleventh grade. At first he was on call for making sure the ambulances had the necessary medical supplies and were clean and sanitized. Now, he also takes them for fuel and brings them for servicing of mechanical issues when they arise.
Tzvi joined Chaverim shortly after he got his license, and also volunteers for Ahavas Yisrael, on a more infrequent basis, helping to assemble and deliver food packages for the needy. “Knowing that I am contributing by helping out the community with my time and capabilities, giving back to a community that has done a fair share to help me, is rewarding,” says Tzvi. “It comes down to making a difference in people’s lives.”
He shared a story of an incident which not only illustrates this point but gave him the opportunity to make a kiddush Hashem: “I once noticed a non-Jewish woman who was stuck on the side of a busy road. Driving around as a member of Chaverim with the many tools that are used tends to keep one on the lookout for those who need help. After I pulled over to find out what was wrong, the woman said she was lost and ran out of gas. I mentioned I might be able to help her. I filled up her tank with enough gas to get to a gas station, and she told me that she couldn’t believe that in today’s world there is still true kindness.”
Gaining Perspective
Over the past year, Rachel, 21, has spent much of her free time volunteering for Kids of Courage (kidsoc.org), an organization that is entirely volunteer-based, from the counselors to the logistical team to the doctors, nurses, and paramedics. She became involved in the organization because her brother has been a camper for the past five years.
She was a counselor for their nine-day summer adventure camp, for which the organization flew approximately 190 medically-fragile campers to Orlando to visit theme parks and attractions, bond with new friends, meet celebrities, and experience the “Dream and Wish” trip of a lifetime. She also served as a counselor for a weekend ski trip in Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as for out-of-town Shabbatons. In addition, she organizes local Kids of Courage events –such as a Chanukah party, Tu B’Shvat ceramic paint-a-piece party, and a trip to Disney On Ice. She is quite close with her New York campers and calls them often throughout the year; she even invited on of them to her house, for Shabbos recently.
What does Rachel get out of volunteering for this unique organization? “Real perspective on life,” says Rachel. “It is hard to complain about trivial concerns after witnessing the campers’ optimism – even in the midst of debilitating illnesses. Hearing the campers’ stories, watching how they adapt/live, and seeing the mind-boggling daily suffering many go through had quite an impact on me. Some of the kids were completely healthy before a tragic accident. For example, one camper who spoke at a Shabbaton had been an amateur teenage photographer who climbed what he thought was a telephone pole in order to take a better picture. It turned out it was an electric pole, and he is currently paralyzed and missing part of one arm. Another presenter had been in a horrific car crash.”
Riding for Simcha
Last summer, Pinchus, 28, was one of about 300 bikers who rode in Bike4Chai, a two-day, 175-mile ride that raises money for the children of Chai Lifeline. This year, on Wednesday and Thursday, July 30 and 31, he plans to do the ride again, this time through the Pocono Mountains – a route that will challenge even the more advanced rider – before arriving at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, New York.
“I have to fundraise for it,” says Pinchus. “Last year, I raised $7,500 in four or five months. Three months ago, I started fundraising for this summer, and I hope to exceed the amount I raised last year. I do it because I enjoy helping the children who have life-threatening illnesses or serious chronic and genetic conditions. All the money goes to help the camp, children, and families. It is unbelievable what Chai Lifeline does.”
Bike4Chai is not the only cause for which Pinchus volunteers. A few months ago, he joined the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), to help with traffic control, snow issues, and missing person searches. He also likes to help the NWCP and Shomrim. In addition, Pinchus makes time to visit sick people in facilities and in their homes. Whenever he can, he visits patients in Sinai Hospital and Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center, and on Shabbos, he tries to help make a minyan at Tudor Heights, a senior assisted living facility. “I like to help out everyone,” says Pinchus.
