It became clear that there was something bigger at play here
The Neshei of K’hal Lev Avos, a kehillah in North Woodmere, New York, has several committees — one arranges meals for new mothers, another is responsible for planning events, and yet another is charged with welcoming families who move into town, and so on.
But the shul’s “Special Circumstances Committee,” run by Mrs. Elky Rubin and Mrs. Leah Wielgus, was set up specifically to handle atypical situations that don’t fall within the purview of the other committees. As an example, someone recovering from surgery would be considered a “special circumstance” and would qualify for gracious assistance from Mrs. Rubin and Mrs. Wielgus.
Last week, Mrs. Wielgus undertook the extraordinary chesed of donating a kidney to a recipient she knew only as a Yid in need. Renewal, the organization dedicated to facilitating kidney donations in the frum community, informed her only that she was a match. In her typical refined manner, Mrs. Wielgus didn’t reveal her plans to anyone outside her immediate family.
A week before the scheduled surgery, Mrs. Wielgus decided to inform Mrs. Rubin, her co-chair on the Special Circumstances Committee, of her planned donation. She was unsure how she would feel post-surgery and thought it only appropriate to alert her partner that she might not feel well enough to attend to her chesed activities.
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