The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale-The Bayit (HIR), located at 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx, announced that its annual 9/11 memorial day of giving opportunities has been renamed the Ruth and Howard Bromberg, z”l Chesed Day, dedicated to the memory of a beloved Riverdale couple by their friends and family.

Scheduled for this Sunday, Sept. 15, this year’s chesed day will focus on two pressing issues — a critical shortage of blood supplies in the New York metro area and the unprecedented homefront challenges faced by Israel as it fights the longest war in its history.

In addition to a blood drive, there will be opportunities to learn about two institutions offering vital support to a nation at war: American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), which supports Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, and Beit Halochem USA-Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans (FIDV), which is tasked with rehabilitating Israeli servicemen and women wounded in the line of duty.

The blood drive will also honor community leader and longtime blood donor Jeffrey Moerdler, who in addition to being an attorney specializing in real estate and communications, is a trained emergency medical technician (EMT) who currently serves as co-president/chief of Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance of Riverdale. “After having a family, being an EMT on Hatzalah is the most rewarding thing that I have done in my life,” he said. “It’s all about giving back to the community.”

Community, for Moerdler, also encompasses Israel: Just weeks after Israel went to war following the Oct. 7 attack, he flew to Israel to head a U.S. team of Hatzalah members filling in for Magen David Adom members called up for IDF reserve duty.

Speaking about Chesed Day, which was initiated by The Bayit in 2002 as a tribute to the victims of 9/11 and the heroism of the first responders, HIR’s Senior Rabbi Steven Exler said:

“I’m so touched and grateful that family and friends of Ruth and Howard Bromberg, z”l decided to dedicate our annual special day in their memory. Ruth and Howard were longtime Bayit members, beloved and cherished by our community for their selfless giving. As paragons of chesed, they truly walked with God, providing for the needy and encouraging and inspiring others to do the same. They did this while modeling deep spirituality and religiosity. We miss them and still feel them with us.”

Rabbi Exler added: “Jeffrey Moerdler is a giving neighbor who models chesed. As co-president of Riverdale Hatzalah and an MDA/Hatzalah Medical volunteer, he places the value of loving care in the most important way possible — saving lives! Jeff is there in countless situations of need, saving and supporting lives with quiet reassurance and infinite kindness. No need is too big or too small for Jeff. He is a friend to all.”

The blood drive will be held in the synagogue’s social hall from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with the nonprofit New York Blood Center (NYBC) providing the specially trained technicians and equipment to draw the blood.

It comes at a time of critically low blood inventories, locally and throughout the nation. Over the summer the NYBC issued a stern warning that there is a “dangerous shortage” of type O-positive and O-negative blood, reportedly the lowest since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are appealing to our community to step up and donate blood, especially individuals with Type O blood,” said NYBC’s Senior Vice President Andrea Cefarelli.

Seryl Ritter, HIR’s blood drive coordinator, said all donors “are strongly encouraged” to schedule an appointment in advance. They can register online at www.thebayit.org/bd or by scanning the QR code displayed with this article. They can also schedule an appointment — or volunteer their services for the blood drive — by emailing her at [email protected].

While priority will be given to those who pre-register, Ritter was quick to add that “walk-ins are most welcome and we will do our absolute best to accommodate them.”

Several ALYX machines will be available for donors who meet specific minimum height and weight requirements, offering them the option of giving two complete transfusion units of red blood cells.

Eligible donors must be between the ages of 17-75 and will be required to present a photo ID; those who have blood donor cards should bring them as well. Sixteen-year-olds can also donate blood with a signed NYBC parental consent form and proof of date of birth. Anyone experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms is not eligible to donate blood.

American Friends of Magen David Adom volunteers Matthew Shore and Rachel Orloff will be at the synagogue from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. to discuss the crucial work of MDA in wartime Israel and share their experiences in Israel as MDA volunteers. Of special interest to children, Orloff will be accompanied by her therapy dog, Charlie, and will explain how specially trained animals assist MDA in helping victims of terror and other injured and hospitalized patients.

“Avi the Ambulance,” a series of children’s books inspired by the lifesaving work of MDA, will be available for children to read and there will be copies for them to take home. Visitors can also write thank-you messages to the MDA heroes, from dispatchers to ambulance drivers, portrayed in the books.

Rabbi Exler noted that Blood Centers of America, of which NYBC is a member, has had an agreement with American Friends of MDA since 2018 to activate blood donors in the U.S. should severe shortages occur in Israel during an emergency. “Fortunately, despite the current crisis, Israel right now has an ample supply of blood.”

Beit Halochem USA-Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans will be represented by Shari Goldberg, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Beith Halochem is a nonprofit agency that operates rehabilitation centers in Israel, serving more than 50,000 veteran servicemen and women and their families.

Visitors are invited to send Shana Tova greetings to two featured veterans after reading their inspiring stories. They are Dana Pinhasov, a former medic with the border police force who suffered serious burns in a suicide bombing years ago, and now helps show younger veterans. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” she tells them. Also, Itay Erenlib, who despite losing both legs in an IED explosion, amazed doctors and therapists with his miraculous recovery and his wheelchair tennis performance in Paralympics competition.

The Bayit’s semi-annual clothing drive is another mainstay of Chesed Day. Separately bagged men’s, women’s and children’s clothing as well as gently used linens, blankets, quilts and towels can be brought directly to a truck parked on the street outside the synagogue from 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. To volunteer for the collection or for more information, contact Steve Pretsfelder or Barbara Gochberg at [email protected].

Preceding the clothing drive the night before, on Sept. 14 from 8:15-10:15 p.m., will be a Motzei Shabbat clothing swap, when gently worn, clean, outgrown or unused women’s, men’s and children’s clothes and shoes can be brought to HIR and traded for something “new.” This event is for clothing only and unclaimed items will be loaded on the truck the following morning.

The Ruth and Howard Bromberg, z”l Chesed Day schedule of activities also includes:

• Rivka & R’ Yitzchak Haut Memorial Lecture and Brunch, 10-11:30 a.m., with writer and former member of the Israeli Knesset Dr. Aliza Lavie, author of five books and the recipient of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award for “A Jewish Women’s Prayer Book.” Her latest book is “Iconic Jewish Women: Fifty-Nine Inspiring, Courageous, Revolutionary Role Models for Young Girls.”
• Gift of Life Marrow Registry, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., where attendees can add their DNA profile to the registry for bone marrow transplants with a quick and painless cheek swabbing. Learn more at giftoflife.org.
• Youth Department’s Tribute to First Responders, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. Children will harness their creative energies to prepare thank you signs and cards and pack health bars for distribution to a local FDNY firehouse and NYPD precinct. The children will also create Rosh Hashanah cards for homebound seniors.
• Sandwich making for the Riverdale Neighborhood House Community Friendly Fridge, noon- 1 p.m., a project in support of a community-based initiative to address food insecurity in the Bronx.

To volunteer for the MDA, Swab-a-Cheek, Youth Department or Friendly Fridge activities, contact HIR Program Coordinator Yael Oshinsky at [email protected].