Page 27 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Living with the Binshtocks

Under these circumstances, Leiser was the provider and his wife
was the queen, treasurer, educator of her daughters, and matchmaker
for all her offspring. He was a kindhearted man, but not much for
talking—a gift Nature bestowed on Sheindel, his wife and my aunt.
She was a kind woman, active in all charitable enterprises; not only
talking, but real working. Day or night, rain or shine, thirty below
zero and snowing, Sheindel would grab any woman in the
neighborhood and drag her around for hours knocking on doors, a
red handkerchief in her hand, asking for donations for the sick or the
poor, or trying to marry off an old maid. Sheindel never looked for
recognition for her social work, as people sometimes do today. The
person receiving help seldom knew the benefactor, and the person
who gave never knew to whom the aid was given. This is as real
Jewish charity should be; as our sages said, he who gives secretly
without shaming the recipient is forgiven his sins by the Lord.
Sheindel could read the scriptures and knew the meaning of the
words. Our family blessed her many times for saving our lives. Many
were the favors we received from her, not big things but those which
in a stressful moment are the greatest.
When Leiser had slaughtered fifteen or twenty-five calves he
would bring home all the milts. So Sheindel would send us over half a
dozen. Sometimes we got calves’ feet and my mother made jelly; it
tasted very good. Also we got calves’ intestines, cheeks, and tails.
Sheindel’s daughter Gittel was married to Yankel Manchic, also a
shochet; and she, too, would give us all she could get. We were closely
attached to them. Yankel had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy
had scarlet fever at the age of eight, a very contagious and crippling
disease. He had to be watched during the high fever, so my cousin
David and I had to be on night watch to give him medicine and other
cures. He lost an eye from that fever.

23