In this, our annual “organizations” issue, we bring you profiles of some new Baltimore organizations as well as some old stalwarts. All organizations are established to serve a need. Sometimes, fulfilling the need takes a lot of money and a lot of people; sometimes it takes no money and just one or two people. All organizations show thought and caring for those around us. Browse through this article and be inspired.
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Nismach Maryland
“As the organization’s name implies, Nismach is a group that encourages happiness,” says Margie Pensak, who often hosts get-togethers in her home. “It’s patterned after the international group, Samchainu, which supports over 2,700 widows throughout the world. The activities are uplifting and fun with the intention of reminding the participants that, even though their husbands have passed away, they need to continue seeking happiness and enjoy life.”
Nismach Maryland, a program of Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington, was founded in 2015 by Stephanie Savir-Perlman, to afford over 175 Maryland almanos the opportunity to experience some of the same enjoyable and meaningful friendship-building activities as their Samchainu “sisters’” who primarily reside in the New York area. The group serves Orthodox Jewish widows in Baltimore, Silver Spring, and the Metro Washington, D.C. areas.
Nismach is not a support group but rather a friendship group for fun get-togethers through which support develops. Its programs include weekly art classes (via Zoom), outings, luncheons, and monthly shiurim providing chizuk – also Chanukah and Purim parties, winter and summer trips, and an annual Labor Day weekend Shabbaton. Nismach also has a very active WhatsApp chat group, where ladies post daily challenges, share simchas, words of inspiration, humor, questions, announcements, and overall chizuk. As you can see, Nismach is a lifeline to its members, connecting them with others who “get it.”
There is no charge to join Nismach or to participate in its events. You are welcome to browse our website to view recorded speakers or classes, to join, or to donate: www.Nismach.org.
More Successful Moments
Miriam Singal has been running her small organization for eight years. She originally started More Successful Moments when Moshe Moskowitz, a”h, was killed in a car accident. She knew that Moshe loved to learn and loved to help others. What could be more appropriate than an organization to help children learn? The program is simple. Elementary age girls come to her house between 4:00 and 4:45, where Miriam serves a snack and helps them with their homework. “The girls love to come,” she says. Miriam has tapped into a need and found a simple way to help mothers and their children.
Share Your Ride
Miryom Edelson has been running the Share Your Ride gemach for many years and is passionate about her project. “Here is an opportunity to be kind without much effort,” she says. “For those people who are able to take a passenger or a small package, it’s just a matter of remembering to make that phone call.”
Share your ride gemach was founded at a meeting of Agudah of Park Heights about 40 years ago as part of the shul’s general chesed effort. R’ Yerachmiel Friedman, a”h, realized the great need for interstate rides and undertook this important project, assisted by his wife Judy.
Share Your Ride gemach gets many calls every week from people looking for rides but many fewer from people offering rides. “The community is the staff of Share Your Ride. We can’t share rides unless we have them to share!” Over the years many interesting stories have occurred.
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In December, a man was coming to a family simcha on a short Friday. The bus stopped at a Delaware rest stop, which is an hour-and-a-half away from Baltimore. For some unknown reason, the bus driver left the man behind. He called the bus company, and they did not give him any solution. Share Your Ride gemach had one call from someone offering a ride from New York. “We called and asked him where he was at the time. The driver said he was two-and-a-half hours away from Baltimore. We told him what happened with this man, and he said he would stop and get him. He rescued him and brought him to Baltimore.”
We also sometimes get calls from people whose car has broken down on an interstate highway, asking if anyone is en route to their destination and could pick up passengers of that car.
“We once got a call from a teenager who was en route to New York with her family. The family had planned to pick up her brother at his yeshiva but forgot. “We forgot our brother in Baltimore,” she said. “Do you have any ride for him?”
An elderly Holocaust survivor who lives in Borough Park calls us for rides to be able to come to Baltimore to visit her elderly brother, who is in a nursing home here. We have never been able to get her a ride.
“One evening, a man called us that he had arrived at a convention in downtown Baltimore but had forgotten his laptop in Newark airport. He was desperately looking for someone to bring it to him; otherwise, he would have to travel to Newark and back the same night, and he simply didn’t have the energy for it. Luckily for him, someone had offered a ride from Brooklyn, and we asked that person if he would go two exits out of his way on the Jersey Turnpike to pick up the laptop at Newark Airport. He was happy to help. The convention goer paid him for the service and received his laptop.”
A young, single fellow needed a ride to Monsey. The person offering the ride was very impressed by him and decided to set him up with his niece. It was a successful shidduch.
“We often receive calls from families in Brooklyn, Monsey, and Lakewood coming to visit their relatives in Baltimore, but their car is full. They need a ride for just one more child.”
Last year, a Lakewood resident was in Johns Hopkins hospital. Her adult children called regularly asking for rides for various family members to visit. They took turns staying with their grandmother so she would not be alone in the hospital. This went on for many months.
“We receive ride requests from young people residing in Baltimore with one parent and want to go to another city to visit their other parent.”
“One heartbreaking call was from a teenager studying in a yeshiva high school in Baltimore. His mother unfortunately was deathly ill, and the doctor said that he needed to come immediately as her time was very limited. We did not have a direct ride to his town. We had one offer going to a different town who said that he was on a very tight schedule. He offered to drop the boy off at the rest stop at exit 7A, from where his older brother came to pick him up and bring him to the hospital.”
After hearing all these stories, it is not hard to understand the value and need for this project. Every person is busy with their own life. It takes thought to stop what you are doing and make that phone call. You never know what mitzvah will land in your lap. Although there are other ways to find and share rides these days, Share Your Ride gemach fulfills a vital need. Many people don’t have internet on their phones to access ride chats, and they call the gemach. Please call 410-358-RIDE to share your ride.
Let’s Connect!
“It’s all about the connections” is the motto of Let’s Connect!, a community for 55+ Torah-oriented woman in Baltimore, which will be starting soon,” says Sara Brejt. The steering committee of this new and exciting organization – Rebbetzin Chasida Teichman, Mrs. Sara Brejt, Dr. Moshay Cooper, Mrs. Chaya Dachs, and Mrs. Sharon Zuckerbrod – are planning the inaugural event for May 4. The insightful and inspiring programming will focus on a woman’s three most important connections: with Hashem, with herself, and with others. The program will provide ample food for thought as well as an opportunity to meet new friends. If you have suggestions, questions or want to be involved, please reach out to letsconnectbaltimore@gmail.com.
Hatzalah Dispatchers
We are all familiar with that wonderful organization, Hatzalah, but we may not have given thought to the voice that answers the phone when we call with an emergency. As one Hatzalah dispatcher says, “We are the unseen but not unheard members of the Hatzalah team. We are the voice on the phone and on the radio. We are the ones who direct the Hatzalah responders to the location of the emergency.”
According to one volunteer dispatcher, “It’s important for you to know how dispatching works and why we ask specific questions. The first thing we need from you is the address or location of the emergency. It’s important for us to know exactly where you are, how we can get into the location (codes), and whether someone can meet us in the front. If you are in your car, we need to know where you are parked and what car you are in.
“Then we will ask, “What is the nature of the emergency?” In just a few short words, we want to know if you are sick, hurt, or having a different type of crisis. We do not need details and may cut you off. It’s important for us to be able to send you the crew you need, and for them to be as prepared as possible for the type of call. Then we dispatch the call to get you a crew as fast as possible. It is not necessary to call back to cancel or to find out how long it will be; we are on our way!
“If you call accidentally, please stay on the phone and just let us know. We will otherwise be calling you back to check that you’re okay! It is easier to just let us know that it is an error.”
Dispatching can only be done from home, so dispatchers have a weekly schedule worked out to make sure Hatzalah is always covered. They answer calls during vacation times and all hours of the day or night. Hatzalah is a 24/7 operation, including Shabbos and Yom Tov as the laws of pikuach nefesh (saving a life) override Shabbos. Dispatching on Shabbos is almost identical to dispatching on a weekday with just a few minor changes regarding record-keeping and time-stamping, which can be done after Shabbos.
It is a privilege for us to have the opportunity to serve the community as part of the Hatzalah organization. We hope you never need Hatzalah but if you do, we will be there to answer your call. For more information: www.hatzalahbaltimore.org or 410-585-0054
Northwest Neighbors Connecting (NNC)
Are you looking for new social connections? Imagine belonging to a friendly village, where you can attend monthly kosher luncheons, join a book club, participate in exercise groups, go on fantastic trips with door-to-door transportation, and receive small home repair and tech help by wonderful and willing volunteers, all for the yearly membership fee of $130. Is that possible? Yes!
NNC is a grassroots “village” supported by the Aging in Community department of CHAI (Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc.). NNC’s network of resources enables members to remain independent by supporting their ability to age in place, reducing loneliness, and enhancing their emotional wellbeing through connection to a community.
NNC is a diverse group of over 120 active members. One member recently said that she had been concerned that she would have nothing to do with her time in retirement, but since joining NNC, “I am busy with friends, classes, and even volunteering to lead classes.” Another happy member wrote that she “feels much more socially connected and more open to connecting and making friends with people I might never have met.” For more information on joining NNC, please contact Annie Shimanovich at ashimanovich@chaibaltimore.org, or call 410-500-5334.
CARE
CARE (Connecting and Reaching Elderly) was formed to provide outreach and support to seniors in the Baltimore community. Currently, CARE has several active programs, including weekly or bi-weekly home visits, Yom Tov package deliveries, and Chanukah lighting home visits. CARE pairs seniors with visitors by working with individual volunteers as well as by partnering with organizations that provide volunteer groups. For more information or to volunteer email us at contact.carebaltimore@gmail.com.
Ezreinu Baltimore Holding Hands
Ezreinu Baltimore Holding Hands, a division of Ezreinu Holding Hands of NY-NJ, is here to meet a critical need for families with children who have special needs. Many local parents are overwhelmed in providing the care their children deserve due to the challenges they face. Volunteers from existing local organizations are doing their best but are stretched too thin to fully meet the demand for respite care for our growing community. This is where Baltimore Holding Hands comes in. Thanks to Yahalom MD, which recognized the urgent need for respite care, Baltimore Holding Hands is here and ready to serve. The mission is clear: working together to enhance the lives of these families, but we need community involvement to truly thrive. Whether it’s volunteering just an hour a week or helping out during a simcha, individuals from high school age and beyond can make a real difference, either through volunteer work or paid opportunities. Let’s come together as a community to ensure that families with special needs children do not feel alone. By rallying support for Baltimore Holding Hands, we can create a warm, inclusive environment where every family feels understood and cared for. Check our ad in this issue for more details.
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The Where What When is proud to share with the community some of the many organizations that strive to make people in all ages and stages of life better and more connected.
