It’s going to be a busy Tishrei. With Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos starting mid-week, the coming month promises to be a marathon of nonstop cooking, cleaning, and shopping, as housewives face Shabbos then Yom Tov then Shabbos again, for several weeks. The schedule is daunting even for veteran baalebustas with lots of help. For new mothers, it’s extremely stressful.
Last year, the Tishrei schedule was exactly the same as now. Dina R., who gave birth ten days to Rosh Hashanah, remembers.
“I felt like I was drowning,” she says. “Cooking and cleaning with a fussy newborn was impossible. I was stirring a pot with the baby in my arms, and thinking that it wasn’t very safe, but what choice did I have?” The exhaustion was worst of all.
“At one point, I couldn’t bear it,” she says. “I looked at the clock at midnight and thought ‘this is not right. I had a baby last week. I need to go to bed.’ But bed was as far away as Mars. The next morning, she called Kimpatorin Aid.
Dina felt herself relax as soon as the Kimpatorin Aid housekeeper arrived. Things quickly fell into place, as laundry was folded, floors were scrubbed, and vegetables peeled and diced. By week’s end, Dina felt strong enough to manage on her own. She credits Kimpatorin Aid with keeping her afloat.
This summer, Dina had an opportunity to give back. She volunteered to sell Kimpatorin Aid raffles, raising nearly five hundred dollars. The funds will make a world of difference to a family.
Demand for Kimpatorin Aid’s assistance is always high. But this week, the organization fielded a record number of calls. Women who give birth before Yom Tov are extremely stressed, and their relatives can’t be as forthcoming as during the rest of the year. Kimpatorin Aid is their only place to get help.
“We are being stretched very thin,” says Rebbetzin Unger of Kimpatorin Aid. She urges families to invest in the organization, on behalf of families they may know.
“Kimpatorin Aid is a happy tzedakah,” she says. “Someone had a baby. People don’t realize that within the simcha, there is so much need. If the need is not addressed, we could be pushing women to the brink, causing untold suffering to them and their families for years.”
“There is more Post Partum depression in Boro Park and Lakewood than you would believe,” she adds. Kimpatorin Aid is on the front lines of keeping families emotionally healthy and functional, by supporting new mothers when they are most vulnerable.
Supporting Kimpatorin Aid should be a priority for philanthropists and the community at large, says Rebbetzin Unger. It is an investment that pays off. It also brings donors much bracha. The Spinka Rebbe, Rabbi Hershele Horowitz ZATZAL, blessed those who support the organization, with children and nachas. It is a powerful blessing for the new year.
Kimpatorin aid can be reached at Tel: 718-483-8400; Fax: 718-483-8411; 1324 50th St. Brooklyn, NY 11219 – kimpatorinaid.org
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One Response
We need one of these in Jerusalem, where most of the Americans don’t have their parents around. B’h people are making meals for each other, but in all honesty, I don’t mind standing in the kitchen for a bit and cooking a simple meal my kids will enjoy.(Obviously, it definately helps) But I do mind trying to figure out how to keep my house clean with a newborn(and unable to afford cleaning help, especially with me on unpaid maternity leave.