Red, White & Soup! - Hebrew Order of David cooks for Aishel House guests on July 4th
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Photo by JHV: CAMERON SAMUELS
Marisa Brown and Zak Katzenellenbogen package fresh-baked cookies. |
Independence Day is often a time for people to gather around an outdoor picnic table with hot dogs and watermelon, but this year in the Texas Medical Center, volunteers of the Hebrew Order of David Lodge Galil made soup and cookies for guests at Aishel House.
Aishel House, which is run by Rabbi Lazer Lazaroff and his wife Rochel, host families of patients who are receiving nearby medical treatment. Their kitchen is typically filled with staff who prepare food, but volunteers often step in to give back to the community. HOD was one of the first service groups to come back to volunteer since the pandemic.
“Hebrew Order of David’s goal is to do for others what you would like them to do for you,” HOD Lodge Galil scribe Mark Katzenellenbogen told the JHV. “What a better time to do that than on the Fourth of July.”
People of all ages and backgrounds came together sporting their patriotic red, white and blue clothing to brew split pea soup and prepare “Texas-sized” oatmeal cookies. Volunteers worked in groups to make the oatmeal cookie batter with cherries, cranberries, walnuts and pecans in which they passed it on to others for laying out, baking and packaging.
“We try to cook everything to be healthy,” Rochel Lazaroff told the JHV. “What is good for the soul is good for the body. We have to nurture both of them.”
After the necessary taste-testing, volunteers were quick to say the cookies were the best they have ever had, drawing attention to the rewarding effects of serving one’s community.
The service project was especially meaningful for some of the volunteers.
“I was a cancer survivor myself and I know a lot of people here are waiting for their family or loved one to get treatment for cancer,” volunteer Michael Wiesenthal told the JHV. “It’s a great way to give back and know they will really appreciate it.”
In addition to providing healthy and comforting food, the HOD Galil Lodge also donated first-aid supplies to each of the 24 rooms at Aishel House. Residents received boxes of Band-Aids and Neosporin, among other supplies, to have available when needed.
“We like to do this at least 3-4 times a year,” said Katzenellenbogen. “Pre-COVID, we used to put the food we prepared on the table in the lobby and residents would be able to come eat, and we would have packages to go give to the various rooms.”
Now that the Houston community is getting back together face-to-face, the HOD Galil Lodge is hoping to return to the service projects they partook in before the pandemic.
“Most of these volunteers won’t get to see the faces of the people they are touching, but it makes such a big difference,” Lazaroff said. “It goes a really long way of creating an element of home in our building. It’s a great comfort and message that we are in it with you.”
Aishel House, which is run by Rabbi Lazer Lazaroff and his wife Rochel, host families of patients who are receiving nearby medical treatment. Their kitchen is typically filled with staff who prepare food, but volunteers often step in to give back to the community. HOD was one of the first service groups to come back to volunteer since the pandemic.
“Hebrew Order of David’s goal is to do for others what you would like them to do for you,” HOD Lodge Galil scribe Mark Katzenellenbogen told the JHV. “What a better time to do that than on the Fourth of July.”
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Photo by JHV: Cameron Samuels Michael Wiesenthal, Ernie Palla and Ian Kavin lay down oatmeal cookie batter. |
People of all ages and backgrounds came together sporting their patriotic red, white and blue clothing to brew split pea soup and prepare “Texas-sized” oatmeal cookies. Volunteers worked in groups to make the oatmeal cookie batter with cherries, cranberries, walnuts and pecans in which they passed it on to others for laying out, baking and packaging.
“We try to cook everything to be healthy,” Rochel Lazaroff told the JHV. “What is good for the soul is good for the body. We have to nurture both of them.”
After the necessary taste-testing, volunteers were quick to say the cookies were the best they have ever had, drawing attention to the rewarding effects of serving one’s community.
The service project was especially meaningful for some of the volunteers.
“I was a cancer survivor myself and I know a lot of people here are waiting for their family or loved one to get treatment for cancer,” volunteer Michael Wiesenthal told the JHV. “It’s a great way to give back and know they will really appreciate it.”
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Photo by JHV Cameron Samuels Hebrew Order of David Lodge Galil members volunteered at Aishel House on July 4, making soup and cookies, while also donating first-aid supplies. PIctured: Ron and Marilyn Kammerman, Mark and Zak Katzenellenbogen, Shim Brookman, Michael Wiesenthal, Harry Brown, Lawrence Barris, Aishel House host Rochel Lazaroff, Ernie Palla and Marisa and Deborah Brown. Also volunteering were Ian and Annette Kavin. |
In addition to providing healthy and comforting food, the HOD Galil Lodge also donated first-aid supplies to each of the 24 rooms at Aishel House. Residents received boxes of Band-Aids and Neosporin, among other supplies, to have available when needed.
“We like to do this at least 3-4 times a year,” said Katzenellenbogen. “Pre-COVID, we used to put the food we prepared on the table in the lobby and residents would be able to come eat, and we would have packages to go give to the various rooms.”
Now that the Houston community is getting back together face-to-face, the HOD Galil Lodge is hoping to return to the service projects they partook in before the pandemic.
“Most of these volunteers won’t get to see the faces of the people they are touching, but it makes such a big difference,” Lazaroff said. “It goes a really long way of creating an element of home in our building. It’s a great comfort and message that we are in it with you.”