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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2021 UNSUNG HEROES!
JEFF GOLDEN - LAURA GOLDMEIER - GINNY WEISS - CAROLYN SATZ - NANCY KEYSER - ARLEN CHALEFF GET TECH VOLUNTEER GROUP
READ THEIR STORIES IN OUR 16 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION!
TECH TUTOR VOLUNTEER GROUP
René Zar vowed to care for friend’s adult children with disabilities—and that’s what she’s done for 16 years Rochelle Goldman (left) and René Zar at Artists First.
BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In this edition of the Jewish Light, we highlight our 2021 Unsung Heroes, each of whom has devoted hundreds of hours volunteering with various organizations, many in the St. Louis Jewish community. In this space, I’d like to tell you about another individual — another hero in her own right — who is making a monumental difference in the lives of two Jewish adult siblings, one of whom has developmental challenges and both of whom have shared experiences of chronic physical and mental illness. The story begins about 20 years ago at the former B’nai El synagogue. That’s where a thirtysomething René Roth (now René Zar) met Irene Goldman, who at the time was in her 70s and caring for her adult children, Rochelle and Steven, who have a range of special needs. “She was this nice, sweet lady at synagogue,” recalled René, now 52, whose professional background is as an occupational therapist. “My husband and I were dating at the time and new to the congregation. The little old ladies at the synagogue loved when a new couple showed up. She and I befriended each other. We just took to each other.” In addition to B’nai El, René would sometimes run into Irene at the grocery store — the two lived nearby. “One time I stopped by her house to visit her. That was the first time I met her son and daughter and the first time I realized how full her hands were.” Irene lived into her early 90s but didn’t
drive and was pretty much confined to the home she shared with Rochelle and Steven once she turned 80. In fact, the last nine months of her life were spent in a nursing home in Maryland Heights. She passed away in February of 2017 at the age of 92. “For the last 12 years or so of her life, I pretty much was the primary caregiver for
her son and daughter in terms of their connection beyond the walls of their home,” said René, who is married with three teenagers and now belongs to Congregation Shaare Emeth. René eventually was given power of attorney for Rochelle, now 58, and Steven, 72.
“My goal was to help them stay in their house for as long as possible because I was really terrified about what the options were — there just weren’t many,” she explained. “They were able to stay in their home for a year. When it became the anniSee RENÉ ZAR on page 3A