Today I interviewed Mrs. Rochel
Rochkind, a woman of extraordinary strength who is at the foundation of many
key Baltimore community moments.
When did your family arrive in
Baltimore?
My mother’s parents moved to
Baltimore from New York in 1940, so she moved with them.
What was your experience, being
part of the first class of Bais Yaakov of Baltimore?
Bais Yaakov was founded in 1942. My
grandmother and mother were listening to the Jewish Hour on the radio and heard
amazing things about Bais Yaakov. They were so impressed that they decided to
send me there for school. My class was the first to go through the whole
system, nursery through twelfth grade. We were eight girls. Now, we are all
older, and many of us have children, grandchildren, and even
great-grandchildren in Bais Yaakov.
After graduation, what was your
next step?
I was offered scholarships to NYU
and Goucher. I decided to go to NYU because my friends and I wanted to attend Rebbetzin
Kaplan’s seminary classes in Williamsburg. Soon after, when I married my
husband Shmuel, I returned to Baltimore so he could continue to learn at Ner Yisrael.
While he was learning, I taught limudei kodesh at Bais Yaakov. During
this time I started my family.
Do you regret not finishing your
degree?
I regret it at times, but I was
given so many other opportunities. For example, I taught at Bais Yaakov, and
that was a dream come true. In addition, I taught at Talmud Torah, where I
introduced Torah and Yiddishkeit to children who would otherwise not have had
the opportunity to be exposed to davening, Chumash, and the beauty of Shabbos
and Yom Tov. I taught literacy and other basic principles that would have
otherwise been lost on the children. In addition, I love my family and am
incredibly proud of them. Our future is brighter than I could have ever dreamt.
How do you feel knowing that your
family is still going to the same school as you?
I have six children, and my five
daughters all attended Bais Yaakov. My daughters sent their daughters to Bais
Yaakov. Currently, my daughter-in-law and three granddaughters are teaching at Bais
Yaakov; they teach limudei kodesh as well as having
responsibilities in the math and science departments. This is a huge difference
from my time, when many of the limudei chol teachers were not
even Jewish. Bais Yaakov has been a tremendously important part of my life. I
have devoted countless hours to the institution and would gladly give more.
What part did you play in the
Ladies Auxiliaries of Bais Yaakov, TA, and Ner Yisrael?
I became involved when my children
were in school and noticed that many mothers in the community could use
something to do with their time. I was the only female member of the Executive
Board of Bais Yaakov and represented the female view of the school. Since I had
been in the role of student, teacher, parent, and volunteer worker, I used this
position to unite the many groups in the community. The Ladies Auxiliaries of
the three schools organized luncheons that took place weekly. The one for TA’s
school mothers would be the first week, followed by Bais Yaakov’s mothers, and Ner
Israel’s mothers the third week.
Preparing the luncheons with the women
of our community was as exciting as the event itself. We made the food by hand
and decorated the room. We never hired any outside company to do any of the preparation
or clean up. In addition to luncheons, we raised money for the school in order to
help support its financial future.
What is Mesorah Baltimore or WIT? How
did you become involved with this organization?
When WIT was founded, I was asked
to be a member of its board. The organization is a continuing Jewish education program;
it provides high-level Torah classes for women above the seminary age. The name
was changed from WIT to Mesorah when the program began to get mixed up with WIT’s
college program.
As a member of the board of the Mikvah
of Baltimore, what did you do to facilitate building the new mikvah?
I’ve been on the board since the
1980s. As a community, we fundraised, designed, and campaigned for this project
until its eventual success. It was very exciting to see our hard work pay off.
What did you do for the Women’s Gala
event in 2020?
There had been a series of events
for men and women, but this one was the first exclusively for the alumnae of
our Bais Yaakov community. I was the honorary chairwoman for the event. This Gala
Event was a success and continues until this day. I still attend the event
every year, but I am no longer involved with its preparation or organization.
What did you do as office manager
at ABC Management?
ABC Management was my family’s
business. Since my husband was knowledgeable about real estate, we bought
property and built up our real estate company. Our first property came from our
own funds. Since we knew that we would need to procure mortgages in the future,
we were very careful to pay all the bills on time. We established a good
reputation. We continued to buy, sell, and rent properties, and slowly, with
the help of Hashem, the company grew. As the business grew, we realized that we
would have to explore computers to move the business forward. The real estate
needed to be organized, and so we had a computer program written to efficiently
carry on business. This was ahead of its time since there were no apps or programs
readily available. Currently, we have mostly retired from the business. Our grandson
is actively running the company and working hard to grow it further.
Your family is considered one of
the oldest in the Baltimore’s frum community. How do you feel about
this?
I don’t see it that way. We are a
family in the Baltimore community. We came at the very beginning, but it was
never just us. I love seeing the community grow and grow and grow! I look
forward to seeing the geula one day, and everyone in Eretz Yisrael.
Aidee Moss is a high school junior
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, traveling to new places, and writing. Aidee’s
favorite way to spend any day is with her family and friends!
