by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

February 12, 2009

Let’s face it, there’s nothing like a bowl of homemade chicken soup when you’re down.

Now one local congregation has taken the comfort of chicken soup to a whole new level. It is a central feature of its efforts to reach out to those in the community who need some cheering up.

On Feb. 8, 31 teens showed up at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange to cook several giant pots of soup, enough for 50 bowls. They chopped carrots, onion, parsnip, and chicken around a communal table under the watchful eye of Pam Riesenberg, a congregation member who runs cooking classes for adults out of her home.

The soup is destined for members of the synagogue or neighbors who are ill or who suffered a recent loss. The project is part of what organizers call a “caring community,” a way to offer friendly visits to people in the congregation in need.

Arlene Gordon started the caring community last year.

“We’re not therapists; we’re not counselors. We’re just reaching out,” said Gordon. “We might hear from the rabbi that so-and-so lost her husband, and that he is wondering how she is doing. We’re the eyes and ears of the rabbi; we’re another way he can get the pulse of the community.”

About 50 people have joined the caring community; they are each matched up with one person, whom they may visit anywhere from once a year to once a week. They don’t always have a package to deliver; often it’s a phone call and a visit.

But the chicken soup offers an ice breaker — a reason for people to make the visits, said Gordon. In addition to soup, a special team delivers bereavement baskets as well upon the death of a member’s loved one and again 30 days later, after the intense mourning period known as shloshim ends. Last year, the caring community reached out to just over 50 people.

Debbie Green Taffet received a basket when the shloshim period for her husband’s father ended on Feb. 6.

“It was really touching and meaningful. It was unbelievable,” she said. “It shows the congregation understands that [a death] is something that continues, that’s fluid. It’s a life-cycle event but it doesn’t just end that day. It took my breath away.”

‘Really good product’

The chicken soup cook-off was the second annual event for members of Sharey Tefilo-Israel Synagogue Youth, the synagogue’s teen group, and many of the kids said it is already their favorite activity. According to one STISY board member, 17-year-old Zach Kohn of Mountainside, who was adroitly peeling parsnips while speaking with a visitor, it’s one of the mostly highly attended programs of the year.

The relaxed atmosphere in the temple kitchen invites easy interaction among the teens, but they are interested in more than just advancing their social lives. Cory Epstein, an 18-year-old South Orange resident, said he wouldn’t miss this event.

“It’s fun to do something for other people and not always look at yourself all the time,” said Cory. “We’re with our friends, but at the end of the day there’s a really good product coming out.”

Jake Schneider, 16, of Millburn said he likes the idea of giving soup “to people who may not be able to make it for themselves if they aren’t feeling so well. It’s a really good thing to do.”

After the teens cooked the soup, it was left to cool, placed in individual containers, and put into the freezer for storage, waiting for Sharey Tefilo-Israel’s caring community to be mobilized.

Although the teens have so far been involved only in cooking the soup, some said they would like to deliver it as well. “I’d like to sit with the people we’re delivering to and spend time with them,” said Danielle Flaum, 16, of Short Hills.

Gordon’s vision includes more participation from the teens as the caring community grows and evolves.

“And maybe if we have a younger member of the congregation who is sick, they can deliver the soup or make a visit,” she said.

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