Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation
Helping a member of our community
Dear SOJC, 

At the end of our letter a few weeks ago asking for assistance for a congregant engaged in a battle with serious illness, we asked that if you find yourself in a similar situation to please let us know and let the community help. We made this request knowing that more of us would find ourselves requiring help in the future and with supreme confidence that our congregation would step up. As it turns out, we were correct on both accounts. We have been overwhelmed by the assistance offered several weeks ago to the Alvardo family and convey their thanks to you. But we are also writing again now with the difficult news that another member of our congregation, Meredith Klaff, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and after surgery a few weeks ago is set to start chemotherapy in the next few weeks. Meredith's needs are slightly different, but we offer them to you today knowing that as a community we stand together and the same confidence that we will help in whatever ways we can.
Here is how you can help
SEND A MEAL
During Meredith's chemotherapy, it will be difficult for the family to cook. A "meal train" has been organized on their behalf where you can sign up to bring them a meal. You can find the website by clicking here or by clicking on the "click to sign up" tab in this section.
dinner.jpg
The "Meal Train" wesbite has a great deal of additional information including their special instructions, preferred delivery time, address, number of people, and some particular things they like. The wesbite also has Meredith's email address so that you can coordinate delivery of the food. If however, you'd be more comfortable delivering the meal to the synagouge, please contact either Rabbi Hillel or Michele Fischer to drop the meal off at the synagogue several days in advance in disposable containers and we will arrange for the delivery of the homemade meals to the Klaff home. We will be placing the meal in the freezer and would appreciate it if you could please freeze the meal before bringing it to SOJC, we would appreciate it.
Help Sadie and Nethaniel Support Their Mom
Directly from Sadie:
"Hello! We are selling special shirts to support my mom! They are $10 a shirt and part of the proceeds go towards her medical expenses. We've made a Venmo account to pay for the shirts. All you have to do is go to the Venmo website, make an account, search for my username (Sadie-klaff), and pay the amount for the shirts you bought.. The shirts come in all sizes (youth all the way to 3xl). However, a 2xl will cost $3 extra and a 3xl will cost $4 extra. There even come in 2 different types of fits- men (loose) or women (tighter). The Deadline to order is September 8th.
We are also selling bracelets that say 'live, love, fight' on them which are only $1.
Thanks so much for your help supporting our my mom!!"
Here's the link to sign up that also has the instructions on how to order the shirts. 
Community Help
PROVIDE A RIDE
While Meredith won't need rides to doctors appointments, she and Eric have expressed a need in helping her children get to and from Religious School on Sundays and Wednesdays from Hunters Creek. If you are able, and will be in the future, please send an email to Rabbi Hillel -  rabbi@sojc.org - who put you in touch with Meredith and Eric. 
On behalf of the Klaff family, we thank you for your support. They have already expressed how blessed they are to be a part of our community, just as we are blessed to have them as a part of our synagogue family. And once again, we offer our synagogue as a means of support for any amongst us who is suffering. We simply ask the same two things:

  1. If you find yourself in a similar moment of crisis, please let us know. We want, badly, to be able to help. 
  2. When the next letter comes along - whether it is in the coming days, weeks, months or years - please open your hearts the same way we know you will now. 

As we approach the new year, we pray for a R'fu'ah Sheimah, a complete healing for all those who are ill, and that we all be inscribed in the Book of LIfe for the year to come.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Hillel Skolnik
Cantor Doug Ramsay
Michele Fischer, co-President
Vivian Kerstein - co-President
  Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation | 407-239-5444 |  Email  |  www.sojc.org