Dr. Morris Mayer works a six-day, 80-hour week as the owner of two pharmacies – the Joppa Road Pharmacy in Parkville and the Harford Road Pharmacy in Carney. You would think that he would want to take it easy on Shabbos, but au contraire! Each Shabbos, in rain, sleet and snow, Dr. Mayer and his 18-year-old son Doni make the approximately four-mile round trip trek – including the steep “killer hill” leading to Pimlico Racetrack – to Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital.
The dynamic duo started their weekly pilgrimage about six years ago, following in the footsteps – literally – of their son/older brother, Adam, now a 23-year-old medical school student in Philadelphia, who still volunteers at Levindale when he is in town. He was the first in the family to volunteer, seven years ago, encouraged by his friends, the Gnatt brothers, Itamar and Michael.
One Man, One Mission
“The first time I met Dr. Mayer and his sons was last year, and I was amazed. We were in Rehab for a short while,” recalls Esther Liebes, whose husband Joshua resides in Levindale. “This year, we were here for a longer period, and I was able to observe how truly dedicated they are to the shul, the rabbi, and the patients. They are involved in every part, whether it is personally helping the patients get to and from the shul, helping them with the seating, giving them sidurim and Chumashim, helping them put on their taleisim, and helping them get to and from the bima when they are called up for an aliya. They greet everyone with a very warm ‘Good Shabbos,’ a big smile, and a pat on the back. The boys are also gifted with good voices and take part in leading Shacharis and Musaf, as needed, and occasionally they lein. Dr. Mayer helps everyone keep their place by frequently calling out the page numbers. Then he is busy setting up for the kiddush, which he frequently sponsors. He is truly a person to be admired, not only for what he does but for the great example he sets for his children, who are following in his footsteps, and I am sure that they make him proud and give him much nachas.”
Nonagenarian William (“Willie”) Mazer, who has been a member of Beth Tfiloh Congregation for more than 85 years, is just one of the minyan-goers who benefit from the Mayers’ benevolence. “I’ve been living here for one year, and after being here for a while, I found out that they have services in the synagogue. The first time I went there, I was surprised to see that the synagogue itself is very beautiful. I was taken by the fact that everything is so orderly. When I came in, I was escorted to where I wanted to sit. A number of children help out – they put the sidur in front of you and turn to the right page for you. The services are conducted very well. They start at 9 o’clock and end at 11:30. I have to leave early to take my medicine, and they help me get out. They are very good.”
Levindale’s Rabbi
Rabbi Jeffrey Orkin, Levindale’s beloved chaplain for 13 years, conducts the weekly Shabbos morning and Yom Tov morning services. The minyan is not there just for Levindale residents but for everyone. It is often joined by men whose wives have just given birth at Sinai or caretakers of Sinai patients. Rabbi Orkin recalls a story that touched him, when he started leading the minyan. “It snowed one Shabbos morning, during my first winter at Levindale, and a few active older men from the community who usually joined the minyan (a kohen and levi among them) did not venture out to the minyan in the snow. When we reached krias haTorah, I asked if there was a kohen present, and was surprised to learn that one of the nursing home residents was indeed one. He was given the honor of the first two aliyos that morning, as there was no levi. A week later, this man, who was middle-aged, got sick suddenly and passed away. The last memory we had of him was getting called up to the Torah.”
Levindale’s mashgiach, Yehuda (Judah) Yankelove, notes, “Rabbi Orkin is a very warm person, who understands the needs of all the residents. He is always there to assist them during davening, getting them there, and taking them back. He has helpers, but he is the soul of the davening.”
A Minyan for Everyone
“We don’t care how you practice; it doesn’t matter,” says Dr. Mayer. “It is a minyan of Jews. We gather the residents from the new and old buildings, spending a lot of time going from room to room. They look forward to us coming and to Shabbos. Shabbos has become an activity for them.
“On Simchas Torah, I was there, my sons were there, and the mashgichim were there, and we were all dancing, together with the rabbi and his children,” continues Dr. Mayer. “You had to see the smiles on the residents’ faces. They were clapping. Even people with various stages of dementia, who are usually quiet, got into it. It was really a beautiful sight.
Dr. Mayer says it would be great if other men and boys could join in this mitzva, even if it is once a month. “The building is massive, and if one person can’t show up to help, it is hard for everything to fall on one person. The more people who volunteer, the less the rabbi has to worry and the easier it would be. In fact, leiners get paid [through Levindale’s Chaplaincy budget, which is part of the entire Chaplaincy budget of LifeBridge Health at Sinai Hospital], although some of the leiners choose not to be paid, preferring to do it purely for the mitzva. We are hogging this beautiful mitzva, and we are more than happy to share it with others who want to come. When Rambam school was around there was a lot of volunteerism – they were big for volunteerism. Since it closed, it hasn’t been the same. We have a difficult time finding kids to volunteer. Sometimes it is difficult to make a minyan and we need to go to Sinai to round it up.”
Like Father, Like Son
Doni Mayer loves volunteering for the Levindale minyan as much as his father. “I enjoy volunteering at Levindale as I feel like I'm actually making a difference in someone's life,” says Doni, a University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) student. “These residents are stuck in a building with the same folks doing similar activities every day. That’s why they look forward to Shabbat so much, as it provides them with an opportunity to see new faces and to be a part of something meaningful; I think for some of them, participating in Shabbat davening in shul brings back good memories. I love volunteering there; I get the opportunity to help some amazing people.”
“When the residents see us, you have to see their faces,” Dr. Mayer says with enthusiasm. “They are eating breakfast when we arrive, and when they see us come in, you see a glow on their faces. They look forward to seeing us. We come in with a positive attitude and say, ‘Hello, good Shabbos!’ When I walk in, they empower me. I went over to a man with Parkinsons this past Shabbos, whom I remember from before he moved into Levindale. When I said good Shabbos to him, I made his wife smile from ear to ear, when she heard her husband say good Shabbos to me, talk with me, and shake my hand. To me, it is such a simple thing, but to this man and his wife, it is like gold.”
“It is very gratifying to help others, especially the frail elderly, who appreciate the small kindnesses just as much as the big kindnesses in life,” says Rabbi Orkin. “I encourage people from the community to do something very small – take one Shabbos and come to Levindale. That would mean the world to our residents.”
Levindale Household Two centenarian resident Doris Kahn corroborates this sentiment. The longtime member of Suburban Orthodox Congregation, who until this day proudly relates how she raised $3,000 for its kosher kitchen, says, “I love attending the Shabbos services every week and hearing whatever Rabbi Orkin has to say. Shabbos wouldn’t be the same without the Rabbi. He is very demonstrative, and he makes you feel a part of it. I am elated when I come to the Shabbat service. I wouldn’t miss them. I’d rather miss a meal. And when the boys come, then I know it is Shabbat!”
To volunteer at the Shabbos minyan, contact Rabbi Orkin, at jorkin@lifebridgehealth.org or 410-601-2357.
