Yedid Nefesh - Friendly Visits to the Ill
Friendly Visitors strive to be present for our members in their times of need by visiting hospitalized and home-bound members, offering support, companionship, and prayer. Through these connections, members who would not normally meet each other form relationships, thus helping us to connect more as a small community.

Volunteers give time either once a week, or every other week, or even once a month. Volunteers might be families (especially students looking for a meaningful Bar/Bat Mitzvah project), couples, retirees, or individuals who work and are looking to add something special to their lives. Volunteers are matched according to needs, abilities, and comfort level. There will be a required training session for all volunteers, as well as ongoing support.

Might you benefit from such a connection? Are you alone in your home most of the day, and might appreciate a visitor for some engaging conversation? Do you have a parent or a friend in a nursing home who is looking to rekindle that Beth El connection? Please be in touch and we will try to make appropriate matches.

For more details, and to volunteer to visit, or to request a visitor, please contact Rabbi Garber directly igarber@bethelwh.org or 233-9696 x104.

 

Hineini - Bereavement Support
Hineini is a group of Beth El members connected by email. We respond to the needs of mourners in our community based on information that the mourners themselves provide, usually through our Rabbis. The assistance may include preparing the home for mourning, arranging for meals, picking up relatives/friends from the airport, providing a “buddy” to come to daily minyans, attending shiva minyans...whatever the particular needs of a specific mourner may be. Notifications are sent to Hineini members of specific needs. If you are able to meet a specific need, that’s wonderful. If not, no response is necessary. Some people are able to respond often. Others may respond once a year. We currently have about 100 people on this network. We would like every family in the shul to have at least one person’s name on the Hineini list. The more names on the list, the more services we can provide and the fewer jobs fall to each person.

If you would like to participate in Hineini, or if the time arises that you are need of support from this committee, please contact Linda.stanger@comcast.com or any of our professional staff at the Beth El office.

 

The Caring Committee - Help for Those Who Are Ill

The job of the caring committee is to coordinate assistance to members and their families when there is an illness, injury or hospitalization. Assistance can be in many forms, such as meals prepared and delivered to the home, transportation to appointments, grocery shopping and other errands, even help with laundry.

Committee coordinators first speak directly to the family to determine what the specific needs are, then contact a pool of volunteers through e-mail and phone. The coordinators act as “case managers” for the family, maintaining a schedule of volunteers and staying in touch with the families for as long as they may need help.

If you are experiencing an illness or injury or facing a hospitalization you can contact the committee directly by e-mailing barbarachecknoff@aol.com, or you can ask a member of the Temple's professional staff to pass your name along.