Tzedakah Stories

DORY WOLF SIMS

s the world continues to respond to the seemingly endless crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Memphis community is in no shortage of volunteers performing acts of service and loving-kindness. While we are not physically within the walls of Temple, the foundational values of Reform Judaism are expressed through our members who show up to serve at all times, but especially in a time of need.

One such role model is Temple member Dory Sims, daughter of Brenda and Rodney Wolf, who has volunteered her time as a registered nurse to administer COVID vaccines at the Pipkin Building in Memphis.

“The minute I heard about being able to do this, I jumped on it,” shared Dory. “I love volunteer work, especially in the medical field. This opportunity was exciting to me in particular because it makes me feel like I am, in a small way, a part of history. Being able to use my skills has been super rewarding, especially with the population of people that we started vaccinating.” Many of Dory’s patients waited for hours in a seemingly endless line of cars to receive a vaccination, but when they got to Dory, they were nothing but grateful. “It was unbelievable to see these people coming out and waiting in line for hours and hours, and then they get up to the vaccine site and have no complaints. These are people in their seventies and eighties who have been in line for five, six, seven hours...it’s an amazing thing to see. It’s been an incredible experience.”

Dory grew up at Beth Sholom but spent a lot of time at Temple in her childhood. “My best friend, Tricia Woodman, went to Temple and I would tag along with her to Wednesday night school. Then, I got my family to join Temple because I loved it so much,” shared Dory. “Three of my kids have been bar or bat mitzvah-ed at Temple and we’ve had kids enrolled in the ELC, too.”

Dory has plans to travel in the future and volunteer for service organizations that are like Doctors Without Borders. “My dream is to travel and provide medical care as a volunteer, but being able to help the Memphis community — my home — during this pandemic is an extraordinary thing,” said Dory. “Being able to perform a mitzvah is what I love to do.”

I love volunteer work, especially in the medical field. This opportunity was exciting to me in particular because it makes me feel like I am, in a small way, a part of history.

SOFIA KARABELL

ofia Karabell lives a life of tzedakah. She is one of those young women who actively pursues their passions. In her case, those passions are her Jewish community and helping animals. Sofia was in 4th grade when she discovered her father was Jewish. "Ever since then," she says, "I have always felt a part of the community and wanted to give back. I like being a part of it." Sofia went on to become Bat Mitzvah at Temple Israel in high school and now, as a college student, she continues her commitment to Temple as a 5th grade Religious School. teacher. She boasts about the Temple team saying, "Rabbi Bess and Jackie are amazing and are always taking care of us. During the recent boil water advisory [in mid-February], they checked on everyone. It’s really nice having that support as a college student." On top of her college and religious commitments, Sofia makes time for her other passion — helping animals. To her friends and colleagues at Rhodes College, she is known as "the animal person" — a fitting title, as she has been fostering animals for about five years now. Last semester, she became even more involved with doing critical animal care as well as helping connect people with foster homes, finding stray animals shelter, and giving new animal owners advice. "I threw myself into this work when COVID started. The more you get involved, the more people know you, so you get phone calls and texts...it was overwhelming for my mental and physical health, so now I stick to just networking and helping animals get to a [safe place]."

COVID has exacerbated the problems in the shelter system. Sofia explains, "When this pandemic started, it forced a lot of people to abandon or surrender their pets due to job loss and other issues. That means more animals need care." On the flip side, more people were at home more often, which allowed an increase in people able to foster animals. As for right now? "It’s been really tough," she says. "There are just not enough people who can foster or are willing to, so there are a lot of animals being boarded, and that is draining rescue organizations’ funds which they need for medical care or transport." That combined with a lack of adoption events and volunteering opportunities during COVID is stressing rescue organizations to their limit. Luckily, Sofia has provided a list of organizations and ways to help (found at the end of this article).

Organizations You Can Support:

Happy Dog Rescue

Humane Society

Memphis Animal Shelter

Team Memphis Rescue

How you can help:

Donations of food, toys, or monetary donations, as well as fostering and transporting animals and walking dogs.

Between her compassionate spirit and intense studies, Sofia is creating a bright future for herself. She is a senior at Rhodes, majoring in Biology with a minor in Religious Studies, while also working part-time as an assistant vet technician at Walnut Grove Animal Hospital. She intends to go to vet school in 2022. We wish her the best of luck and continued success! Reach out to Sofia if you or someone you know wants to get involved in volunteering or learn more about helping surrendered animals in Memphis: sofibell88@yahoo.com

THE SHAINBERG FAMILY

hen their father, Raymond Shainberg, passed away in 2019, the Shainberg siblings knew they wanted to honor both of their parents’ memory in a significant way. Their mother, Toby Sturman Shainberg, predeceased their father in 2007. The eldest of the Shainberg children, Temple member and past Sisterhood President Nancy Kline, shared with her siblings Temple’s need for financial support of the congregation’s cemetery. So, they decided to make a gift in their parents’ memory to support the cemetery’s ongoing care.

“Dad was very much a forward thinker and saw challenges before they arose. He was also one of the founders of the Memphis Jewish Foundation,” shared Nancy. “We felt like this would be a meaningful and important way to honor both of our parents’ memories.”

The Temple Israel Cemetery is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the South, spanning 16 acres, and has served as the congregation’s burial ground since 1846. A special section of the cemetery established in 1900 contains remains that were moved from the congregation’s burial ground on Bass Avenue (later, Jefferson Avenue). This section, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence, contains the graves of many of the congregation’s earliest members, as well as numerous victims of the yellow fever epidemics that plagued Memphis during the 1870s.

The cemetery has been expanded only once, in 1991, when the congregation purchased additional land across from the existing cemetery to meet future needs. The Levy-Cooper Chapel was constructed on the grounds in 2006 and has held congregational services since January of the following year. Temple also has plans to significantly upgrade the audio/video technology to continue accommodating virtual attendance at outdoor funerals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Both of my parents were incredibly charitable, and it was important for them to give to worthy causes, and Temple is a place they loved,” shared Andrew Shainberg. “We heard from Nancy that the cemetery needed a plan for the future, and we decided this was a great cause. It’s important for us that we follow in our parents’ footsteps in terms of giving to causes, organizations, and institutions that are in need.”

Although Paul now lives in New York and Andrew lives in New Jersey, Toby and Raymond’s children were all raised in Memphis and grew up at Temple. “Going to Temple was instilled at an early age — we had to be confirmed, and we had to graduate from Temple. It wasn’t even a question,” shared Robin Shainberg. “All of us have lifelong friends that we grew up with at Temple. It’s a very family-oriented congregation. We wanted to support a few places that meant the world to my parents to honor their memories. Temple is one of them. They loved Temple.” Their sister, Kathy, is also buried in the Temple Israel Cemetery.

Not only were Toby and Raymond charitable where the community was concerned, they cared deeply for all five of their children — Nancy, Kathy of blessed memory, Paul, Andrew, and Robin. “We all know mom and dad were very generous,” shared Paul Shainberg. “Generous to causes, generous to family, their kids, and their grandkids...they took care of all of us. They were good people. They loved having Temple as their spiritual home.”

The Jewish cemetery is known by many names. House of graves — or beit kevarot — refers to the consecrated ground assigned eternally to those who inhabit it. The Jewish tradition also refers to the cemetery as a beit olam, or eternal house.1

“Our Cemetery is beautiful, and it is kept beautiful, and we are so lucky to have such a peaceful place, not only for those who have passed but their loved ones who visit as well,” shares Nancy. “What this gift is going to do for Temple is ensure that the Temple Israel Cemetery is always the beautiful resting place it is today. It is our hope that others also will choose to contribute to the Temple Israel Cemetery to help ensure its future.”

1Beloved: A View of One of the South’s Oldest Jewish Cemeteries as Photographed by Murray Riss. What this gift is going to do for Temple is ensure that the Temple Israel Cemetery is always the beautiful resting place it is today.