In 2024, the JFS team embraced a new core value: Be A Mensch.
A mensch is a stand-up person, a compassionate individual who does right by others.
Jackie and Mahlen Cummins, JFS Volunteers
During the pandemic, some of the hardest hit JFS clients were our Holocaust survivors. As older adults, they needed to take extra care and precautions to stay healthy. So, the volunteer team at JFS developed a pen pal program to help clients reduce isolation.
Two community members stepped up to be a point of connection in a moment of loneliness. Jackie and Mahlen Cummins decided to sign up and show their support.
An interfaith couple, Jackie’s parents were Holocaust survivors themselves, who lost many extended family members during Hitler’s reign. Mahlen’s father served in the military with a Jewish pilot who died in World War II, who became his namesake. They had both seen the impact of the war on their parents and their communities. That unique vantage point motivated them to commit to serving where they could make an impact.
The couple was matched with Eva, a Hungarian survivor with a long history as a professional in Buffalo’s medical field. Living alone, Eva had little contact with others during the pandemic. For some time, the three were penpals and enjoyed phone calls. When it was safe to do so, they began to meet in person. “She was fiercely independent, a real force,” Mahlen remembers.
Eva and Mahlen shared a love of gardening, and the three loved to enjoy lunch together. “I can’t not think of her when I see red beets,” Mahlen shared. “She had so many health tips. I learned that they lowered blood pressure.”
When Eva could no longer live alone, the couple would often visit her at the nursing home, bringing her plants to help her take her love of gardening indoors. “Sometimes it looked like she was in the botanical gardens in that room!” When Eva passed in September 2023, the couple had a tree planted in Israel to honor her life and her legacy. The gift seems especially important, given her love of her garden.
When asked what they would tell someone considering volunteering, Jackie said, “It’s the most rewarding experience. It’s taught us so much.” Mahlen added, “It expands your family. It expands your world.”
After Eva passed, the two realized that the need for companions for survivors was still critical. They asked, even though they missed Eva deeply, to be paired again, and that’s how they met Sophia, another Holocaust survivor whom the couple now visits. “Sophia says we can come by any time, but we have to call on the way so she can put coffee on,” Jackie shared, with a smile.
Your end-of-year gift can make a profound difference. Together, we can continue fostering a sense of community and belonging, reminding everyone that they are not alone in their journey.