Today, I interviewed Ruchi Tenenbaum.
What year did you graduate Bais Yaakov
Baltimore, and what seminary did you go to?
I graduated high school in 2008 and then
went to Ateres for half a year. While there, I
made many good friends with whom I am
still in touch.
Did you return to Baltimore after
seminary?
Yes, I came to work in the Bais Yaakov
daycare at the middle school. Someone had just had a baby, and I was taking
over for her. I worked there for a few years before I changed jobs.
What did you do next?
I began working for the Jewish Caring
Network (JCN), which helps families in medical crises.
How did you get involved with JCN?
In eleventh grade, I was asked to do a
delivery, and I ended up volunteering for many years. Later, I was asked to be
a volunteer coordinator, which made me responsible for finding volunteers.
What do volunteers do?
There are many amazing opportunities for
volunteers! They can deliver food to hospitals, babysit, grocery shop, or do any
number of tasks. We always need more volunteers. I encourage people to
volunteer whenever they can help.
What do you do now as part of
JCN?
I work in the office full-time, and I am a
lot more involved in the details of day-to-day operations. We send packages to
people with life-threatening or life-altering diseases. When Rosh Chodesh or
other Yom Tovim come, we prepare lunches and other kinds
of care packages to send to the families. Each day is another opportunity to do
good for others.
Can you share any stories from working
at the Jewish Caring Network?
I have made many amazing relationships
with the patients who came in from out of town, and I still keep up with their families. I’m glad to be on
the giving end and be able to help people through their struggles.
How has JCN affected you?
It makes an impact when the families show hakaras hatov and give good feedback. It’s a tangible
way to see what we’ve done to help others.
How else do you participate in the
community?
On Fridays, I work for Bikur Cholim, helping with their Shabbos food
deliveries. The food goes to people’s homes, hospitals, and rehab centers; each
week is a different story.
When did you get engaged?
In April, before Pesach, I got engaged to
Binyamin Steinberg from Baltimore. His grandfather, Rabbi Steinberg, z”l, was the principal of Bais Yaakov. The
wedding is in June, iy”H, and I will
continue to work at JCN after the wedding.
Do you have advice for anyone seeking chesed opportunities?
Always try to do one good thing for
someone each day, whether for yourself, your family, a friend, or a neighbor. Chesed is very
important, and there are many ways to do it. It could be simply smiling at
someone or holding the door, but at the end of the day, chesed is super
important for everyone to be involved in.
Aidee Moss is a high school sophomore in
Baltimore. She competes in CIJE high school robotics and is an assistant coach
for middle school CIJE robotics. Aidee enjoys STEM class, volunteering at the
Baltimore Humane Society, and traveling to new places. Aidee’s favorite way to
spend any day is with her family and friends… but never at the same time!
