The chesed undertakings throughout our communities have already borne admirable fruits. Our young people who are obviously observing these efforts have begun initiating their own projects. The following are three newly organized chesed projects initiated and carried out by local youngsters.
The Commer family from Livingston has been involved in chesed even before relocating from Staten Island. The father, Josh, served as an EMT with the Staten Island Hatzolah for many years. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Commers helped local victims restore their homes and their lives. In the face of the coronavirus, the Commers once again as a family picked up the reins. After receiving a Facebook post about how to create face shields for healthcare workers, Josh headed to Staples and Home Depot and brought home the supplies needed. Then together with his wife Leah, son Adam, 16, and daughters Rebecca,14 and Elise, 11, they began putting together the protective face shields by hand. Their first batch of 50 has grown to more than 1,000 in only a few days due to their tireless efforts. Josh delivers the shields to the healthcare workers at nearby St. Barnabas Hospital where they are received in the parking lot with sincere gratitude. The Livingston community had been encouraging their efforts by contributing generously toward the supplies. To join their effort, contact Josh at [email protected]
Zach Klinger is a senior at Frisch. Sensitive to the loneliness seniors are feeling during these harrowing times, his own grandmother is in isolation in Brooklyn, Klinger was determined to get involved in alleviating this situation. He recruited his fellow seniors, with the help of Frisch Head of School Rabbi Eli Ciner and Activities/Chesed Coordinator Rabbi Josh Shulman, to begin an errand service for seniors. He also schedules virtual visits and phone calls with any interested senior. Despite being only up and running for a few days, Klinger has received many requests from local senior citizens and the number keeps growing daily. Klinger hopes to continue this chesed in the Old City of Jerusalem where he hopes to study next year at Yeshivat Orayta. If you know of a senior citizen who would appreciate the assistance of a Frisch student, contact Zach Klinger at zachary. [email protected].
David Markovitz, a junior at Frisch, was contacted by the principal of the boys’ division of the IVDU School in Brooklyn, Chavi Kahan. Kahan was familiar with Markovitz’s basketball skills through his family’s connection to the school. The Marilyn David IVDU Upper school was named in memory of Markovitz’s maternal grandmother Marilyn David z”l, one of the founding directors of the school. A division of Yachad, the IVDU Upper Schools, with separate boys and girls divisions, offers a pre-vocational training program for young adults with disabilities to help them transition into adult life, integrate into the world of work and the full spectrum of communal life. One of their provisions is mainstreaming activities with yeshiva high school students. Kahan and Yachad Programmer Kyra Englander suggested to Markovitz that he and his classmates provide extracurricular activities through Zoom for the IVDU students isolated at home. Markovitz was able to quickly recruit 25 Frisch juniors who have already offered classes and coaching to IVDU students in basketball, cooking, magic, art and even Kahoot.
Markovitz said, “It’s great seeing the smiling faces when we socialize virtually with the students during these difficult times of separation.”
By Pearl Markovitz
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