New York City – For the past 30 years, the Jewish Chapel located on the 2nd floor of Mount Sinai Medical Center has served not only as a functioning shul within the hospital, but also as a spiritual sanctuary for those who need it. Whether utilized to catch a mincha during a hectic day in the hospital, as a place to say tehillim while a loved one is in surgery, or as a place to daven on Shabbos while staying the hospital, the Jewish Chapel has been the address for all members of the Jewish community.
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Chesed 24/7, therefore, is pleased to announce that after many months of hard work and coordination, they have designed and erected a brand new mechitza which incorporates every possible stringency and chumra such that all individuals would feel comfortable davening with the kehilla. Since Chesed 24/7 has had a long standing presence in the hospital (as in 12 other area hospitals) with their Chesed Hospitality Room, as well as meals and transportation, they were in the best position to interact with the hospital administration to facilitate approval for the new mechitza. From the engineering, to the design, to obtaining the approvals from the various levels of administration, Chesed 24/7’s determination and perseverance prevailed. After many long months of hard work, a brand new, beautifully designed mechitza was erected.
The joy and jubilation from the installation of the new mechitza was overwhelming. On the very first Shabbos that the new mechitza was installed, there were almost 30 mispallelim joining the minyan, both at night and during the daytime tefillos. Chesed 24/7 is proud of this initiative and hopes that this new mechitza will allow everyone to feel welcome and comfortable within the shul so that all mispallelim can join together and collectively daven for a refuah sheleimah for all cholim and a yeshua for all of Klal Yisrael.
A special thanks goes to a dear Chesed 24/7 friend, Shloimy Weiss from Brooklyn, for his boundless efforts to bring this project to fruition.
Thank you Pesach Greenberg and chevrah for all your chesed 24/7/365.. It really is appreciated!
A great mitzvah was preformed by Shlomie Weiss who was instrumental in getting the Mechitza up at Mount Sinai Hospital.
After havng worked tirelessly for nearly a year to accoplish this ,while adhering to Mitvas Kibbud Av under extreme hardship ,Shlomie’s father was niftar the day the mechitza was installed.Tiha nishmoso tzrura bezror hachaim.
Chesed 24/7 gets a yaasher koach, too.
The building was only built less then 20 years ago and the chapel was opened 17 years ago with thehelp of R Peck
Great. That’s where were gonna have our next baby I”H
Wow! Its unbelievable what Chesed of New Square is doing they also have a Beautiful Room there in Mt. Sinai fully stocked with Kosher Food, being there for a long time with my baby I couldln’t imagine how its Possible to survive without that..
every minute I saw all kinds of Jews ,Yeshivish, Chasidish, Modern – Old & Young, Men, kids, women entering the room, to Refresh, Relax & Rejoice 24 hours a day.
I couldn’t imagine that they have 12 other rooms same as this.. may hashem bring Moshiach in Zchus of this Special People..
I remember ones (nm”g) we were in the hospital and we were helped by them. These people from skvere chesed are AMAISING.
Just out of curiosity, why would the hospital install a mechitzah when so many of their jewish patients, visitors and staff are not frum? Why not make the chapel welcoming to all jews rather than sending a non-inclusive message.
#7 , The non Frum do not care much about chesed and devarim shebikdusha. All Chesed organizations catering to all types of Jews are functioned by religious groups. Therefore they have the stronghold and have every right to impose the mechitzah in the shul. And secondly, why is the mechitza so offensive to you ?
Thank you chesed of new square. Thank you.
To all who wqnt to know where their room is, it’s on emergency room level. After you pass the entrance to the emergency from inside the hospitol on medison abe. Side, follow sign to the administrative offices, after those offices you’ll find it.
It’s also worth to note that you can get there from the basement hallways all the way from klingesthiem pavilion (labor and delivery) if you don’t know how ask them for a map and follow the recent colored hallways
#7 , a non frum or half frum person has no objection entering a shul with a full mechitza (like the new one), but frum people do have an issue with a half size mechitza (as was till now), so the hospital let Chesed install a nechitza that’s good for everyone, frum and non frum.
I was a just recently a patient at Mount Sinai, I was in and out of the hospital. The new chesed room in the basement was a breath of fresh air in the most tense and hard moments, fresh food and drinks hot and cold brought daily by 2 bikur cholim,s, Satmar from Williamsburg, and Chesed of New Square.
(In addition to the old small bikur cholim room next to chapel on second floor).
I’m so grateful and appreciative to all volunteers and donors of Square and Satmar bikur cholim.
whats the connection of a mechitza with the people who do chesed?
the chesed would be doing their chesed even if there were no shul at all?
#7 ,
Many non-frum people are NOT hostile to Orthodox Judaism.
For example, at Montefiore Medical Center, the Jewish chaplain is a JTS grad. But the minyans are all conducted according to halachah and the chaplain supports that. Most of the people who attend the weekday minyanim are hospital employees, not chesed volunteers. There is a mechitzah in the chapel that is kosher according the the opinions of Rav Soloveitchik z’tz’l and Rav Henkin z’tz’l. I’ve never heard anyone complain about the height of the mechitzah.
Reply to #7 ,
If you don’t believe that G-d appeared to the Jews at Mt Sinai and gave them the Torah along with the admonition to be holy, i.e., seperate. (ask any ten year old that learned mesecheteh kiddishin) Than it is not orthodox judaism that does not exist. It is Judaism that does not exist and if you need a social hall to fulfill your “spiritual” needs, then go to a social hall. Do not lower the standard of people that actual practice the letter of the law whn there is no reason for you to be in the room to pray to the god that you don’t believe exists. People that need prayer rooms need prayer rooms by the book. People that don’t believe in G-d and make a god in their own image when it suits them don’t get make to the rules.
Kol HaKvod, what an inspiring article and truly the way to start Chodesh Elul. May we all learn from Chesed 24/7 and attempt to emulate their wonderful mitzvahs. I know all of the Chollim and their families appreciate your efforts.
“Its amazing to watch these selfless people come and go 24/7 take care of every jew. When the fridge is empty they don’t investigate who ate it from or nonfrum all they do is bring fresh stock daily….”
If this is the case, then why is the combination to the roon only written in Yidish? Many people have written the combination in english for those yidden who can’t read yidish but still need kosher food and a room to relax in, but the Chesed people keep crossing out those numbers. Something tells me, they only want people like themselves who look like them, and speak like them to have access to that room. I thought the idea was to help all yidden with that room. Maybe I was mistaken.
“…a brand new mechitza which incorporates every possible stringency and chumra…”
Why was it necessary to install a mechitza incorporating “every possible stringency and chumra”? Does the average chareidi Jew know the difference between ikar halachah and chumra?
Chesed 24/7 is gevaldig! Yossi greenberg is the great man behind all this hard work! keep it up!
How can this mechitza fulfill all of these things when the women cannot see what is going on. Surely one way glass is what should have been used.
#18 its not a mistake, if it would be in english it would be for the general public most jews can read hebrew atleast the aleph- beth