Editorial: A nice story for a change

Posted
Issue of September 17, 2010/ 9 Tishrei 5771

There is no shortage of sad stories in the newspaper business; no shortage of bad things happening to people and no shortage of things we’d rather not think about. But every so often we encounter stories that surprise us. Stories that for their sheer goodness put a smile on our faces. This is one of them.

At the end of June, The Jewish Star received a frantic email. A Jewish woman, whom we will call Miriam, was desperately seeking a place for her daughter and her two granddaughters who lived out of New York. The father of the children was dangerous and had just gotten out of prison.

“Restraining orders don’t always help,” Miriam wrote. Miriam needed a place to stay temporarily as she planned on making Aliyah with her daughter in October. She didn’t have much but was able to pay a few hundred dollars for rent and asked if The Jewish Star could help.

We sent out emails to various individuals inside the Jewish community and continued speaking with the woman. While we waited to hear back, the woman remained optimistic, certain that the Jewish community would be able to help her out. Some possibilities emerged, but they all fell though. Though the clock was ticking, Miriam did not lose hope.

Eventually, we put Miriam in touch with Rabbi Boruch Bender, founder and executive director of the Achiezer Community Resource Center. The Jewish Star profiled the organization in May, when Rabbi Bender described Achiezer’s purpose as “a clearing house” for anyone who was “dealing with an unexpected or difficult crisis, and [was] not sure where to start.”
Rabbi Bender agreed to look into the case. On Monday afternoon, we received an email from Bender explaining that the organization had done a “tremendous amount of research and after thoroughly vetting the story… we decided it was one we should help with.”

Achiezer had found an apartment for Miriam and her family, the note continued. She would be sharing an apartment with a family that is willing to host her, free of charge, as an act of chesed.

The Jewish Star contacted Miriam and she explained the situation as follows:
“They were wonderful,” Miriam said about Achiezer. “At the 11th hour so to speak (8:00 Tuesday, 7th of September) [they] called with the news and we were able to get in just before the chag. In addition, they located a place in the general area where I have friends so that the holiday meals were easy to arrange.”

Esther Naamat, Rabbi Bender’s assistant, “also offered to host meals for us if there were any unfilled meals,” Miriam added.

As a final touch, she wrote: “Our host family is really very nice and even when they went away for the holiday, they left us a honey cake to start the sweet New Year. Pretty amazing!”

Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah and Boruch Bender’s father, shared another story about Achiezer. Last Wednesday, on Erev Rosh Hashanah, Achiezer learned of a local family that did not have food for the upcoming three-day holiday. The younger Rabbi Bender, according to his father, sent “his volunteers scampering” and they managed to buy food for the entire Yom Tov as well as brand new clothing for the family’s three children.

Miriam concluded her letter to The Jewish Star, writing that because of her limited religious background, she wasn’t “able to actually understand the name of the organization.” However, she was hoping to “know more so that when my situation improves I can perhaps make a donation to assist someone else.”

We cannot think of a better message to share during these Aseret Y’may Teshuva: a wonderful act of chesed performed by an equally wonderful organization. We know the name of the organization. It is Achiezer, which literally means “my brother’s helper.” It is a name the organization lives up to.

You can donate to Achiezer Community Resource Center online at www.achiezer.org. Should you require assistance, the telephone number is (516) 791-4444. It is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.