Why not profile Ruchi Steinberg, eminently average Jewish woman? Don’t we struggling non-superheroes deserve to be represented in the pages of our magazines?
But as I meet her eyes, at once deeply caring and piercingly shrewd, I catch a glimmer of the powerhouse behind the ordinary facade. And as we talk, Tzirel slowly opens up, overcoming her innate modesty to share with our readers the inspiring story of the woman who was the CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation, gave it up when she realized she was sacrificing making her children home-cooked dinners, and then used all her savings to build a worldwide chesed empire from her home — but never at the expense of her husband or children, she assures me.
“I’ve always had a burning drive to help others,” she says, eyes gazing mistily in the distance. “I was eight years old when I ran my first chesed drive — I sold all my toys to raise money for a friend who needed new shoes.” She chuckles at the memory, and then lowers her head humbly. “But really, none of this is me. Everything I do, it’s all from Hashem. I’m just blessed to be His conduit.”
I ask her the question that’s surely on everyone’s minds: “Are you for real?”
I give a sardonic laugh and delete that last line. Then I head to the kitchen for a coffee break. Caffeine is essential when it’s midnight and I’m pushing deadline. But honestly, for writing profiles like these, chocolate is even more essential.
Create a free account to keep reading.
