Hundreds of Jewish community members came together on Sunday, March 1, to pay tribute to an organization that serves people in their most trying moments—Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley.
Rav Hillel Friedman, assistant rabbi of the Agudath Israel in Highland Park, noted that a broad cross-section of the Highland Park/Edison/East Brunswick communities and beyond support the work of Bikur Cholim. He commented that the work of Bikur Cholim volunteers is to help those suffering, and their families, feel that they are not alone by providing physical and spiritual support.
The guest speaker, Rabbi Shmuel Marcus of the Young Israel of Queens Valley and rebbe at Lander College for Men, began his presentation by noting how inspired he was with the number of varied services this organization provides and the immense ahavat Yisrael that the group exhibits. When someone is ill, the feeling of isolation can be worse than the actual ailment. Rabbi Marcus related a personal anecdote about a time when his father was suffering the after-effects of chemotherapy that rendered him unrecognizable to friends he passed on the street. Even people he knew well did not stop to greet him, which made his father feel worse than the illness itself did.
Rabbi Marcus pointed out that Chazal say that each visit to a sick person alleviates 1/60 of their pain, so imagine how much suffering is relieved by each and every act performed by a Bikur Cholim volunteer! He continued that while chesed may go unnoticed here on earth, it is never overlooked by Hashem. One never knows when a chesed will be “paid back.”
Bikur Cholim Co-President Roz Slepoy stated that she originally got involved with Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley as a way to “pay it forward” after being the recipient of Bikur Cholim activities in Monmouth County. She has seen the growth of services offered in the Central Jersey area, giving the example of an initial tiny closet of food and materials that has grown into the current room at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick that has fresh food, reading material, phone chargers and a place to sit and eat. She noted that Rena Klein, a member of the community, recently joined Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as a patient navigator and will be able to provide additional help and assistance to the community.
Slepoy continued by stating that in addition to the “usual” services of transportation, food and hospital visits, Bikur Cholim also arranges for Shabbat hospitality for those wishing to remain close to area hospitals and partners with the Chaim v’Chesed house in New Brunswick for longer stays. Four families from Israel were hosted this year for long periods of medical treatment.
Dr. Aviv and Adrienne Orani received the Gomlei Chesed Award for their numerous examples of assistance to Bikur Cholim, particularly their building of an apartment to house visitors requiring long-term stays near area care facilities. Adrienne Orani accepted the award and noted that the Hebrew word natan (to give) is a palindrome, with the letters the same going forward and backward. When giving chesed, one also receives, and there are enormous implications for chesed that are generally not seen in a person’s life.
Local physician Dr. Josh Segal and his wife, Yael, guests of honor, were introduced with the reading of a poem a grateful patient wrote to thank Dr. Segal for his work. Dr. Segal continued with a reference to the angels visiting Avraham as the first recorded incident of Bikur Cholim, noting that “Hashem empathizes with our pain.”
Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose goal is to help carry out the mitzvah of bikur cholim with humility, compassion, care and sensitivity by providing services within the communities of Edison, Highland Park, East Brunswick and New Brunswick, and the surrounding areas. They offer ancillary services to hospitalized and homebound patients and their families.
In addition to supporting members of the local community, Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley serves all Jewish families seeking medical care in the area hospitals and facilities. Currently needed are volunteers for hospital visitation, transportation and food delivery. Visit them at https://bikurcholimrv.org/ to learn more about their services, volunteering and donation opportunities. For immediate assistance, call the hotline number: 732-572-7181.
By Deborah Melman
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