Jewish Kids Volunteer at Nursing Home so Staff Can Spend Holiday with Family
“Honorable Menschen” is the term used by WWLP 22 News to describe the students of Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts, who spent December 25th volunteering at a local nursing home so the regular non-Jewish staff can spend the day with their families.
From WWLP 22 News:
Jewish volunteers helped relieve non-Jewish staff members at the Leavitt Jewish Nursing Home so they could enjoy the holiday with their families.
Menschen is the Yiddish word for people who do good deeds. And on December 25th at the Julian J. Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home, dozens of volunteers, old and young, did just that…good deeds for the residents and staff members there.
Because most of the staff at the nursing home are not Jewish, volunteers helped prepare meals, answer phones and fold laundry so staff members could get off work early. George Sachs is one of those volunteers who has been relieving staff members for at least 20 years. Sachs told 22 News “We’re here to provide family relief for the people who work hard all year at this facility. It’s an opportunity to give back to them and let them spend the holiday with their family.”
Fourth and fifth grade students from the Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy also gave a helping hand. They children came and visited with the residents, reading stories and playing games. Fifth grader Mendel Gottlieb told 22 News that the experience is rewarding. “It makes me feel really happy that I had the chance to make other people happy that don’t really get so much happiness when they’re in the nursing home.”
The students went floor to floor sitting down with residents and entertaining them with their very own personal story time.
Furry friends Dr. Watson Underfoot, a Schnauzer, and Bruiser Dodo Griffin, a Boxer, also played a role in bringing the nursing home cheer by giving doggy kisses and paws to the residents and workers.
Yitzchok Halevi
While I applaud the kids on doing an important mitzvah, I sure hope that the Nursing Home didn’t use children to do what trained staff normally do.
Rochel Leah Kosofsky
Special thanks to Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy staff, Rabbi Yakov Wolff and Mrs. Stephanie Zolotor, for organizing the trip. We are very proud of our “little menschen”.
A student
Go LYA
Get real
I’m sure nursing home administration had the children distributing medication, cleaning the residents’ rooms, answering phones, performing CPR . . . .
To #4
Your response was perfect!! Couldn’t have said it better. but you forgot open heart surgery etc…..woops I guess they don’t do that in nursing homes, oh well, I guess these kids got off easy……
Yitzchok Halevi
Don’t be naive.