Keeping Kosher in… Trying Medical Circumstances

We arrived at 5pm on a hot Sunday afternoon after spending over four hours in traffic. We were tired, hungry, stressed and scared. The scheduled medical procedure loomed in front of us, coming inexorably closer with each passing moment.

We drove up to the address we had been given – a stately Boston townhouse – and climbed the stairs to our apartment. Beside the apartment door was a brightly decorated and personalized folder that contained pertinent information and instructions. We opened the door to the apartment and breathed an audible sigh of relief. Clean, spacious, and relaxing. Dinner was waiting for us. Fresh rolls. A bottle of Cholov Yisroel milk was prepared in the fridge for a coffee the next day.

Boston is a charming city that has played a central role in American history. Home to the Boston Tea Party and famous for its role in the American Revolution, a center of politics, higher education and baseball, modern Boston is a city peppered with world-famous, state-of-the-art medical institutions. Many of these consistently find their names at the top of the "Best Hospitals" list year after year. In search of the most cutting-edge medical treatments and care available, people from all over the world stream to these hospitals.

Often, procedures necessitate lengthy medical stays that can extend over a period of months, and involve not only the patient, but a supporting cast of family. The crippling stress of illness, compounded with financial pressures and the difficulties of being in a foreign place combine to create an overall experience that is extremely trying, especially for frum, kosher observant Jews.

Unfortunately, our situation was one that the Rofeh Bikur Cholim, under the auspices of the Bostoner Rebbe shlita, is all too familiar with. This renowned chesed organization, under the umbrella establishment ROFEH International, is dedicated to providing medical referral and social support services to the sick and their families. For someone who is undergoing a medical procedure in Boston, Rofeh’s willing help is a G-dsend.

Rofeh owns several apartments that are available to Jewish patients and their families during the time of treatment and medical care. All apartments have clean accommodations and are equipped with full kosher kitchens. The ovens are even koshered through self-cleaning after each guest leaves. Based on needs and preferences, Rofeh sees to it that healthy and tasty kosher meals are cooked and delivered to patients and their families. Transportation and translation services are available as well.

The crippling stress of illness, compounded with financial pressures and the difficulties of being in a foreign place combine to create an overall experience that is extremely trying, especially for frum, kosher observant Jews…

In the words of one grateful recipient: “After placing several calls to key hospital personnel, Rofeh finally managed to get permission to bring their own fridge, food, and hotplate to the hospital. With just a few short hours remaining before the holiday, Rofeh bought us a new mini-refrigerator and put together complete meals for the entire holiday! Rofeh brought everything from A to Z,” Mr. Rosenstein, a native Israeli recalled. “They brought meat, fish, challah, grape juice, dessert, tablecloths, and candles. Everything!”

A clean, comfortable place to stay? Check.

Three nutritious, fresh, home cooked meals a day? Check.

Need the food to be brought to the hospital? Check.

Have special dietary needs? Check.

Yom Tov meals including refrigeration? Check.

Rofeh International prepares dozens of fresh meals a day and delivers them to apartments, hotels, and medical centers. They go out of their way to make people feel comfortable. Rofeh dosen’t only cater to the poor, their services are available to everyone and guests are treated in the most dignified manner. They visit, call to make sure your needs are met, and have a shul, mikvah and parking located right near the apartments.

Throughout the long and difficult process of being in a strange city under the most trying of circumstances, Rofeh (to use an analogy of a city where baseball is paramount) steps up to bat and delivers.