WOMEN FARBREINGEN IN KISHINEV
Farbreingen was dedicated to the day of liberation of the First Lubavicher Rabbi. This day has become a holiday for all the Jews, since by liberating the Rabbi, Emperor Pavel recognized the Hasidism in Russia.
WOMEN FARBREINGEN IN KISHINEV
Farbreingen was dedicated to the day of liberation of the First Lubavicher Rabbi. This day has become a holiday for all the Jews, since by liberating the Rabbi, Emperor Pavel recognized the Hasidism in Russia.
This time Rebtzin Lea Abelsky gathered the farbreingen at home, where Rachel, the daughter of Rabbi Zalman and Rebetzin Lea who came from Israel was present. Some years ago our newspaper wrote about Rachel. This wonderful woman with the face of Gioconda, the mother of five children, told us also about the life of the women of the Habad in Israel. She helps her husband Rabbi Nachman Maidanchik who holds a high position in the Chabad movement in Israel.
If you think that our dear Rebetzin Lea can be reached at home on the weekdays, you are absolutely mistaken. Each hour of her weekdays is already filled with appointments.
Today is also the day when she is visiting the elderly women under her wardship, who is more than 90 years old. The most important thing for them is your individual treatment, says Rebetzin Lea. They are very lonely. Some of them have not come out of their house for several years, because they are afraid to stumble and fall, as falling at this age is fraught with serious consequences.
Following Rebetzin Lea, we are getting into the car and coming to Botanica. A woman opens the apartment door. She looks after Rosa Mendeleevna, a woman who is 97 years of age. This is not the first time Rebetzin Lea has visited this old woman, as she has been on her own for a long time. Until recently, everything went well: she managed to take care of herself alone, but a misfortune happened. Having fallen, she damaged her leg and, due to the brain concussion she suffered, she became almost deaf. She eventually had to resort to the help of Hesed and her neighbors.
“Nights are the most awful for me,” Rosa complains, “when the recollections and the thoughts about my helplessness overwhelm me and do not allow me to fall asleep.”
Rebetzin Lea makes notes of these complaints in her notebook and, turning to me, says, “ We need to call so that more attention will be paid to this woman.” After that she inhales, and thinking out loud, says, “What can Hesed do in this situation, I do not know. They have reduced the hours of visiting sitters.” Listening to this, my heart fell. Who cooks for this woman, and what kind of food is she given? She needs to be taken care of. All I saw on the table were some stale apples and dry crusts of bread, but I knew that the old woman had no teeth.
I really saw what true feelings Rosa Mendeleevna had when she was speaking Yiddish with Rebetzin Lea. She literally breathed in each word in response. And she had so much hope for things to get better that tears filled my eyes. Having said goodbye to the old woman, Rebetzin Lea gave her a present. She also gave some essential pieces of advice to Rosa’s caretaker on taking care of her.
Upon leaving, we heard “Kimt! Ich vart of Aich!” (“Come! I am waiting for you!”).
The next stop was not far away. Elizaveta Elevna, a nice little old lady, opened the door for us. She had a scarf on her head, tied like a turban, which was in fashion in the fifties of the last century. She let us in, asking Rebetzin Lea who had come with her. When the lady learned that I was from the editorial staff of “the Cradles of Life” she was pleased, saying, “At last I can say thanks to all those who help me.”
We were totally stunned by her words. We could see that she waited long to share not only her personal problems that she has, but also ideas of her own on the events in the country and in the world. It was necessary to listen to this little grey-haired woman, who had wonderful lucidity of mind and a nice sense of humor. At the same time, she understood the complexity of the situation she was in. She continued, saying, “I am absolutely alone. But I am grateful to the God that He gives me power to take care of myself. They say, what does a man need? But a man truly needs a lot. But you realize it particularly when you lose sight and your fingers lose sensitivity and flexibility. But the Most High does not leave me. He is with me. And that comforts me.”
Elisaveta Elevna will be 95 years old soon. She has almost no relatives and friends. And she is exceptionally grateful to those who visit her, and says, as if justifying the reason as “Why would they spend time on me? They are not young themselves and have a lot of troubles.”
She was speaking incessantly, recollecting the past and returning to the present. She just had to speak her mind. “Oh, I am recollecting my grandmother. What a person she was! She took me to the synagogue and taught me a lot! And then, during the Soviet administration, all of us could get education. We believed in our future. We were thinking not only of ourselves, or of our material comforts, but also of our motherland, Moldova. I trust in our President, because he turned to us, to the old people, and he knows how much we gave so that good could triumph over evil.”
I was listening to this woman and thinking of her life and the lives of thousands of such women, who have never lost their belief in the better that a person can have.
Elisaveta continued, “I am thankful to the Hesed for everything it does. Many would have perished without its help. Although now, less attention is paid to us. Until recently, a person came to me, talked to me and read newspapers. At present, there is no such a person. But I am not complaining. I just want to exchange words with someone, but there is no one. Also, I say thanks to Galya from the Social Security Agency. May God grant her good health for her help.”
When Elisaveta learned that I wanted to take a photograph of her with Rebetzin Lea, she began to bustle about, saying, “Oh, I must tidy myself up.” She took small steps to the mirror in the corridor and approached closely to it. Being shortsighted, she narrowed her lids when looking into the mirror and adjusted her headdress. Having taken the photo as a present from Rebetzin Lea, she thanked us a lot and wished Rabbi Zalman to visit her.
As we began to leave, Rebetzin Lea told Elisaveta, “You may contact him on the telephone. He will never refuse you a talk and a brach.” I thought about Rebetzin Lea just then, and how she constantly took care of and thought about the people. We descended the stairs and heard the same “Kimt! Ich wart of Aich!”.
P.S. To everyone who has read this article, maybe a good idea will strike you on how to make the lives of our elders more beautiful. We want to hear from the organizations and the young people and all those who understand that the youth is not eternal. Together, we can do something that is extremely necessary for all of us.
By Riva Rozner
