Shiffy’s Bas Mitzvah Project

Soon after I started 2nd grade I wasn’t feeling well. I was tired all the time, I was going to the bathroom constantly, and I lost a lot of weight. On Erev Rosh Hashana, when I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

While I was excited to have an excuse to drink Diet Coke, it was pretty scary. My mother and I spent Rosh Hashana at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

One of the things that made our Yom Tov easier was the Bikur Cholim room in the hospital. It was fully stocked with everything we needed for holiday — round challahs, apples and honey, a a machzor, and even a shofar. (Thankfully friends arranged for someone to come blow shofar for us so my mother didn’t have to try.)

Now that we live in Florida and I am becoming a bas mitzvah, I wanted to do something for the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Kosher Family Lounge that will be opening soon here in Hollywood, FL. I want to make sure that any Jewish family who finds themselves in the hospital at any point can have access to regularly stocked kosher food and any other Jewish items they need to make their stay easier.
Please consider making a donation to support this new initiative which is a joint project of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Young Israel of Hollywood, Healing Hearts, and Dorit and Ben J Genet.

My bracha to everyone is that you should never need to use the Kosher Family Lounge. But for those that find themselves at the hospital, it will be there to make your experience a little bit better.

Thank you