Chesed work expands at Shalhevet

For the past two years, Woodmere resident Mindy Shachar stood before the class as a teacher at Midreshet Shalhevet, the North Woodmere girls high school. This year, she is out of the class, but busy coordinating numerous activities aimed at promoting community service among students. “This is the time to make an impression on them,” Shachar said. “I hope they continue chesed beyond their school year.”

Handling a schedule of soup kitchen visits, cemetery cleanups and nursing home activities, Shachar is the school’s first chesed coordinator, chosen based on her ability to connect with students and seek meaningful chesed activities. “Chesed comes in many forms,” Shachar said. “The girls will have the opportunity to volunteer in many different ways.”

Among the activities are regular visits to the JASA (Jewish Association for Services for the Aged) center in Far Rockaway to “Adopt a Bubby,” where each student connects with one resident. “My own bubby is the activities director at JASA, and we want this to be a relationship rather than a random visit,” Shachar said. Her proudest moment so far was seeing her students taking photos on their Blackberries with their adoptive seniors. “It was cute to watch.”

Teaching that chesed goes beyond “money in a tzedakah box,” Shachar promises to create strong connections between her students and the seniors they visit. “We hope that this will be a special opportunity for both the young and the not so young.”