Our Children   

Many years ago, my husband was recruited to volunteer for an organization that helped at-risk teens. Eli considered this sacred work, and he really felt for the lost, confused teens, so despite the fact that he was teaching full time, he spent many hours working in Save Our Children.

Initially, Eli was recruited to volunteer for a few hours a week, but he ended up pretty much running the place because there was no budget to hire real staff. Eli did secretarial work and fundraising and stayed up all night talking to kids in crisis. He even brought some of them home, sometimes for weeks at a time.

Sharing my house with these troubled kids was hard for me, but I knew how important this lifesaving work was, so I went along. I remember David, an 18-year-old who would show up at his parents’ home and terrify his younger siblings. His behavior reached the point where his parents had no choice but to put a restraining order on him. When he violated the order on Erev Pesach, the police arrested him. His parents called Eli, beside themselves — they wanted David away from his siblings, but they didn’t want him in jail, especially not over Yom Tov! Eli worked the phones; half an hour before Yom Tov David was released into our custody. (David was safe with other children, just not his own siblings.)

Sarah was another complicated case — I clearly remember her father begging Eli to talk to her while his mother screamed at Eli for interfering. And our neighbors weren’t particularly happy with these kids coming and going. Some of them complained to Mr. Gordon, the head of the organization. Still, Eli was serving a critical function, and most people did appreciate it.