Rosh Hashana

Imagine being stuck in a hospital on the holiest days of the year. Imagine the physical, emotional and spiritual anguish of lying ill in bed, in an impersonal room during the momentous yom tov, Rosh Hashana. Imagine the heartache! We at Yad Ephraim cannot remove the patients’ physical pain, but we can relieve some of the emotional ache. By visiting each day, bringing with us warm, homey yom tov meals, we bring a touch of yom tov atmosphere into the patients’ rooms. Each patient receives a special plate with a “shechiyanu fruit” as well as the simanim: a head of a fish and specific fruits. When our volunteers blow the shofar for the hospital residents, we not only help them fulfill the obligation of hearing shofar, but we also show them that they are not forgotten.

The visits, the blowing of the shofar and the homey meals all make a marvelous impact on the emotional states of the patients. But at its most simple level, our meals are a physical necessity. Without our meals, patients must make do with what is generally bland, tasteless hospital food. Some patients can’t bring themselves to eat it, especially on Shabbos or yom tov days. Our meals offer them a nourishing, tasty alternative.

Help make Rosh Hashana a yom tov in the true spirit of the word, for the many hospitalized patients. Send Yad Ephraim your bighearted contribution, so that we can continue to fund the Rosh Hashana project. Click here to become a part of this program.