by Marilyn Silverstein
NJJN Bureau Chief/PMB

November 18, 2008

The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County has long been providing physical nourishment to the region’s frail and isolated elderly through its Kosher Meals on Wheels program.

Now, the agency has added spiritual nourishment as well.

Launched this past spring, Shabbat on Wheels enlists volunteer families to bring the spirit of Shabbat to elderly Jews at two assisted-living facilities — Buckingham Place, on the border of Princeton and South Brunswick, and Bear Creek Assisted Living in West Windsor.

The families donate their time to the flexible program once or twice a month, and the facilities set up the meeting rooms and provide hallah and grape juice for the service.

“We probably have six different families who have been involved so far,” said JFCS coordinator of volunteer services Laura Perlman, as she waited for the Shabbat on Wheels program to begin at Buckingham Place on a recent Friday afternoon. “It’s a very positive experience for everyone.”

As she spoke, elderly residents were taking their seats in an activities room, and volunteer Susan Giachetti of Robbinsville was just arriving with her 13-year-old twins, Justin and Marisa.

Shabbat on Wheels reaches out to Jews in facilities who may feel isolated and separated from their community, said Perlman, who put together a large-print prayer booklet, in English and transliterated Hebrew, for the program.

“It’s to make them feel remembered and a part of the Jewish community,” she said. “It’s a very short service. It’s very basic. I accompany the volunteers the first time they do this, and I always explain to them that…they’re bringing the flavor of Shabbat to the residents. It’s lovely, because everybody benefits.

“I think it’s a wonderful way for the Jewish community to include people who can no longer be part of the Jewish community,” Perlman said. “It’s also a great opportunity for students to spend time with seniors who are interactive and appreciative. I try to explain to kids that one of the most valuable things they can give to people is their time, and this is a really nice way for families to do this.”

As if in illustration of her words, Justin and Marisa, eighth-grade students at the Pond Road Middle School in Robbinsville, began interacting with some of the 13 women who had gathered for the service.

“The residents here love us, and we just love being here,” Justin told New Jersey Jewish News. “We talk to them. We see how everything is going. We make sure everything is all right with them,” he said. “It’s almost like we have a friendship with them.”

“We come in here sometimes after a long day of school,” Marisa said. “We’re tired. But when we come out, we come out with happiness and confidence and knowing that we help people. It’s taught us that…”

“…age,” her brother interjected, “has nothing to do with spirituality.”

“Everyone thinks that when people get older, they get more tired and don’t want to sing out. They get more stubborn and don’t want to talk,” he said. “But we’ve seen a lot of people here. They all sing out and have a great time.”

‘Shabbat is wonderful’

The twins have been volunteering with Shabbat on Wheels ever since they chose the program as their mitzva project prior to their b’nei mitzva at Temple B’nai Abraham in Bordentown last May, their mother said in an interview.

“I just thought they would enjoy doing it when they needed to do a mitzva project, and it’s something they’ve continued to do and enjoy,” she said, adding that her children “love to share their life” with the seniors.

“We all, as a family, get a lot out of it,” she said. “I just enjoy coming and talking to the people and seeing the joy the kids bring them.”

As the brief Shabbat service unfolded, Justin and Marisa said the blessing over the electric Shabbat lights and led the small congregation in the recitation and singing of the Sh’ma and the Kaddish in Hebrew and English. They recited prayers for healing, as their mother filled small cups with Israeli grape juice and distributed them to the residents. Then, the twins chanted Kiddush over the juice and recited the Motzi as everyone prepared to enjoy a piece of hallah.

“It’s been beautiful,” declared resident Harriet Horowitz as the service ended. “I love it.”

“I’ve enjoyed it tremendously,” said resident Zelda Shuwall. “I think they’re wonderful.”

“Shabbat is wonderful,” agreed resident Anne Wolarsky. “We have it every Friday night for all the Jewish people that are here. They enjoy it.”

Another resident, Edith Wexler, said she usually makes a point of attending the service.

“It’s just a little touch of Shabbat you don’t get otherwise,” she said. “It’s just getting together with a group of Jewish women and conducting a very brief service.

“The service is brief,” she said, “but it’s a touch of home.”

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