Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Today would have been Miriam Feig’s 95^thbirthday. Miriam’s life was characterized by significant upheaval. During the Holocaust she was hidden in a monastery and survived by living among Christians, and hiding her true identity. She maintained her faith throughout these tumultuous times, and then after the war, she was adopted by a Satmar family and went from a monastery in Europe to the Chassidic community of Williamsburg. From there she moved to  Manhattan’s West Side and became a veritable Chesed machine.

Miriam would shop, cook, clean and keep company with so many elderly members of the West Side. She would raise money for them, and for some, serve as their only connection to the outside world beyond their own four walls. Miriam turned such profound adversity to Chesed and kindness, and that is what we are seeing all over Israel these past two weeks. The heroic mesirus nefesh and extraordinary activities all over Israel have shown that deep down, we really are one big family.  

May the next few difficult weeks see Israel successfully navigating the uncertain paths before her.

Stay well and healthy.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org

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