I am not, under general circumstances, a violent person. I've learned to smile at provocation rather than indulge in a slanging match. I've been told I can be quite diplomatic. I also know which buttons, when pushed, are going to have me seeing red and acting accordingly.
A lot of people at this time of year aren't just pushing the buttons--they're banging on them with sledge hammers. You see, I teach. And teachers seem to be everybody's favorite whipping boy. There is no aspect of a teacher and his/her teaching that doesn't come in for a lot of criticism, none of it thinly veiled or concealed at all.
We teachers have the cushiest jobs in the entire universe. We don't work very many hours and get paid as if we did. We roll out of bed at about two minutes before the school bell rings. We walk into class and then sit and stare out of the windows for the rest of the day. Or even better, we sit on the computers in our classrooms and check our email, pay bills, chat with friends, read blogs, play games and shop. Preparation to face 20-30 students every day? Nah, why bother. The answer to parents' homework with the kids dilemma? We teachers don't give any, and therefore have none to mark. Tests? We buy those ready made. Lesson plans? We buy those too.
Our perks are absolutely the greatest perks ever seen in any profession anywhere. If we work in a yeshiva setting, we get parallel vacations to our own children. Sure we do--ever seen the wide differences in the school schedule from one yeshiva to another? They exist. Look at that--yeshiva teachers get all the Jewish holidays off with pay. That they don't get the regular legal holidays off is way beside the point. And yup, yeshivas just throw the benefits at us. Free health care? How about any health insurance. Retirement accounts? In what universe? And the size of our salaries? Wow, wow, wow!
And facing those 20-30 students? Hey, that's the easy part. Every one of those students comes in every day with the most perfect attitude. They are eager to learn anything and everything that you want to teach them. They never, ever come in in a bad mood. They never, ever form cliques. They never, ever argue with their fellow classmates. They always exhibit the highest level of behavior. They never, ever come in too tired to concentrate because they haven't gotten enough sleep. They never, ever cheat, with or without the assistance of their parents and siblings and fellow students.
And every one of them is super bright--Einstein pales in comparison. They all learn quickly and easily. There is no subject that gives any of them any trouble. Every assignment is done to perfection, meaning no input necessary from us. No one ever fidgets during class. No one ever reads a comic book hidden behind the gemorah, or sits with their cell phone in his/her lap text messaging and playing games. Not a one of them ever leaves to the bathroom and comes back 30 minutes later.
And you know what else? Every one of those students that I should be paying the school for the privilege of knowing them has the most incredible parents ever seen. Those parents always volunteer when asked. Those parents are themselves trained teachers and so offer their suggestions to me on how to improve based on experience, education and acquired skills. Those parents have 100% realistic expectations of what I'm going to do for their children. They know without a doubt that their children are just perfect, and if I don't think so, the problem is all mine. Those parents are 100% realistic in how they view their children. Those parents never tell a teacher "Chaim is an A student in every class but yours. What are you doing so that he isn't an A student by you?" They also never say "Chaim gets straight A's in history. Why isn't he getting straight A's in English? It's not like it's so hard like history."
I've been teaching college for the past ten years and I was thankful because I knew that I wouldn't have to deal with parents any more--yeah, right. I teach at a college under Jewish auspices and the parents of the students still have not gotten it through their heads that college is not like elementary and high school--they call, and call, and call. And by law, I can't talk to them about their children.
In the course of my career I have taught every grade from nursery through seniors in college, excepting fifth grade. I've taught English as a second language students and English as a primary language students. I've taught accelerated classes and I've spent time teaching students with learning disabilities. I've been a Vice Principal, a department head and a program supervisor. I have spent enough years in the classroom to make a definitive statement about what goes on in a classroom: it isn't easy. Those of you who think it is, put your money where your mouths are. Quit whatever job you are doing now and come and be a teacher. Don't worry about any training or education; after all, you already know how to do our jobs better than we do. And God have mercy on you--you're going to need it.
Just a little note: Anyone here work at a job where, when you need to use the bathroom, you aren't "allowed" to go? Any office you know of where the employees can't just go when they have to go? Teachers have to develop "directed bladders." Leaving a classroom unsupervised can't be done.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Numbers Speak
After I had been blogging about 4 months, my sister began nudging me to get a hit counter and put it on the blog. To keep her happy I did. I'm still not sure what the numbers really say about the blog, but I hit one just now that seems to have weight--100,000 hits. This will probably make my sister really happy. Just keep in mind that the 100,000 hits and a small inheritance from a wealthy uncle might get me on the subway (unless the MTA decides to reach into my pocket yet again).
Nonetheless, to those who have come to read here and have kept the numbers flowing upwards, thanks for "hitting on me."
Nonetheless, to those who have come to read here and have kept the numbers flowing upwards, thanks for "hitting on me."
And the Blogger is........
Nefesh b'Nefesh has made its decision and the blogger chosen to accompany the new olim on a flight next week is bad4shidduchim. Applause! Her reporting should be interesting to say the very least. (Preening a little here at having a student who is the Chosen One.)
Speaking of Innovative
I received the following via email this morning. There's been some talk on the blogosphere about financial incentives, whether for students or parents. This raises things to a new and different level.
Fleetwood Synogogue
Modern Orthodox--eruv--kosher shopping
25 minutes to Grand Central
Closer than Teaneck!
Up to $30,000 move-in bonus!
Discovery days: 9/6 & 10/25 @ 1PM
120 East Broad Street Mount Vernon, New York
www.fleetwoodsynagogue.org
Need a bigger place to live?
Want a Shul where everybody knows your name?
Fleetwood Synagogue, a modern Orthodox shul in Westchester County, NY, is offering a $30K bonus to families who buy a house.
Go to www.fleetwoodsynagogue.org to learn more.
Fleetwood Synogogue
Modern Orthodox--eruv--kosher shopping
25 minutes to Grand Central
Closer than Teaneck!
Up to $30,000 move-in bonus!
Discovery days: 9/6 & 10/25 @ 1PM
120 East Broad Street Mount Vernon, New York
www.fleetwoodsynagogue.org
Need a bigger place to live?
Want a Shul where everybody knows your name?
Fleetwood Synagogue, a modern Orthodox shul in Westchester County, NY, is offering a $30K bonus to families who buy a house.
Go to www.fleetwoodsynagogue.org to learn more.
The World is not the Only Thing Getting Smaller
Shopping is frustrating enough without getting mad and aggravated during the process. Yesterday I couldn't help that aggravation. I noticed in one of the supermarket circulars that solid white tuna was on sale and at an excellent price. Add in that I had a couple of coupons for the tuna and I should have been a real happy camper--NOT. Looking at those cans--and I'm talking national brand here--something just seemed a bit off. Now granted, I stocked up on tuna a few months ago so I was even being l'chav z'chus that it was me, not having shopped for tuna for awhile, that was having a problem, not the tuna.
But the niggling persisted and I started to scrutinize the can. Lo and behold I found the problem. You know those six ounce cans of tuna that used to be standard? Well no more. Those cans are now only 5 ounces. A check of the tuna shelf showed that all those big name brands were now coming with less tuna in the can. So a sale, yes, but getting less for your money. Time to adjust my recipes as well. I make tuna patties and/or loaf for the yom tovim. My recipe calls for 5 cans of tuna, but that's 6 oz. tuna. To get the same amount of tuna I'm now going to have to use 6 cans of that 5 oz. tuna.
Some companies try to con the consumer by announcing that there is a benefit to the consumer from some new type of packaging. They gloss over the fact that there is less product in the package. One orange juice company went to a 59 oz. bottle this way. Lots of shampoo companies that have changed to a grip-friendly bottle and are giving you less shampoo at the same time. Reynolds went to a smaller box for its 200-foot roll--they boast that the box will take up less room on the shelf in your kitchen. And the foil takes up less room in the box because it's not as thick as it used to be. Apparently the tuna fish producing companies couldn't think of a good enough con to make consumers think there was a benefit to less tuna in the can, so they just snuck it up onto the shelves.
And so the consumer gets rooked yet once again.
But the niggling persisted and I started to scrutinize the can. Lo and behold I found the problem. You know those six ounce cans of tuna that used to be standard? Well no more. Those cans are now only 5 ounces. A check of the tuna shelf showed that all those big name brands were now coming with less tuna in the can. So a sale, yes, but getting less for your money. Time to adjust my recipes as well. I make tuna patties and/or loaf for the yom tovim. My recipe calls for 5 cans of tuna, but that's 6 oz. tuna. To get the same amount of tuna I'm now going to have to use 6 cans of that 5 oz. tuna.
Some companies try to con the consumer by announcing that there is a benefit to the consumer from some new type of packaging. They gloss over the fact that there is less product in the package. One orange juice company went to a 59 oz. bottle this way. Lots of shampoo companies that have changed to a grip-friendly bottle and are giving you less shampoo at the same time. Reynolds went to a smaller box for its 200-foot roll--they boast that the box will take up less room on the shelf in your kitchen. And the foil takes up less room in the box because it's not as thick as it used to be. Apparently the tuna fish producing companies couldn't think of a good enough con to make consumers think there was a benefit to less tuna in the can, so they just snuck it up onto the shelves.
And so the consumer gets rooked yet once again.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A Yeshiva Business Model?
I've been thinking about how Yeshivas can change the way they do business so as to effect cost-cutting measures. What popped into my mind was the airline industry, and in what ways yeshivas parallel that industry and in what ways they don't. Amazingly, there was a lot of congruence between these two seemingly disparate organizations. In no specific order, here's what came to mind.
1. Airlines come in all sizes. Some are quite small; some are quite large. Some of the smaller airlines provide niche services; they may get private executives and those with money to pay the huge fees to where they want to go in luxury and real comfort. Other of the small airlines provide a service in a geographic area that would otherwise not have air travel available. They may be "the only game in town," and they may either keep their prices low, needing the good will of the people they service, or they may keep their prices high, reasoning that their customers have no other options. Some smaller airlines clearly have less expenses than the larger airlines because they have less planes and less personnel; on the other hand, because they are smaller they may not qualify for the reductions in purchasing costs that a larger airline can negotiate through size alone. Obviously, some yeshivas are larger and some are smaller. Some serve niche purposes. Some charge more than others.
2. Frequent Flyer Miles: Some airlines offer points for traveling which can translate into reduced price tickets or free tickets. Parents with many children in a yeshiva get these types of frequent flyer miles in reduced or no tuition. Each airline has a different policy of how and when such miles are earned and how and when they may be used. Ditto the yeshivas. But one thing anyone trying to use those frequent flyer miles for free or reduced tickets knows is the airlines offer very few of these types of seats on any given flight. There may be only 2-4 of these seats on a flight, out of 300 available seats. Hey, the airlines aren't in business to lose money. The yeshivas shouldn't be either.
3. Free Travel to Personnel: Those who work for an airline can get free travel on that airline. They aren't traveling first class, nor is the free travel available on every flight. The free seats are limited in number and will depend on whether or not a flight is full. Nonetheless, that travel is available and is considered a perk of being in the airline business. Yeshiva personnel get the same "free travel" in that they may receive free tuition for their children. Some yeshivas will offer this perk to only some of their personnel; others are doing away with this or severely limiting it. About time. Airlines don't give that free travel to their employees in unlimited amounts, nor can they take all their family members with them for free, just themselves. And you don't hear the airline industry saying that it is making free travel available sometimes in lieu of higher salaries, or because their employees make such low salaries. If and when this free travel cuts into paying business or threatens the airline economically, it will be "gone with the wind." Most yeshivas can no longer afford to offer this perk to their employees.
4. Space Utilization: Specific classes of airplanes (a 747 for instance) all have the same outside dimensions; they may, however, differ in how the space is configured on the inside of the plane. Some of these planes have less seats, but this results in higher fares to make up for the lost revenue. Other airlines squeeze as many seats as is possible into this space, thus producing more revenue for the airlines. Sometimes the airlines may pass along some of their extra money to the customers by reducing fares; other times they don't. Some yeshivas have more students per class, some have less. The less students in a classroom, the lower the revenue produced, in general.
In addition, some airlines which are smaller have joined together with other smaller airlines, or even sometimes with larger airlines, to purchase or rent terminal space. The amount of money in overhead to maintain a terminal for their own, small usage is too prohibitive financially to make sense. Do we really need all the yeshiva buildings we presently have, with their duplicated expenses? Wouldn't one larger building hosting many smaller yeshivas make more sense?
5. Classes of Service: Many airlines have at least three levels of service on any given airplane: first class, business class and coach. Coach may be further divided into a whole alphabet soup of fare classes. Thus the same exact seat that you are sitting in may have cost you more or less than your neighbor in the next seat paid. Those in the higher fare classes are paying way more than those in the lowest coach seats; their payments help to subsidize the lower fares in coach. Airlines seem to have no problem in raising first class fares; they reason that those with the money to pay those fares aren't going to cavil about a "little" extra cost. Yeshivas also seem to have developed this kind of a "fare" policy. Some people with children in a yeshiva are paying a lot more than others are. Even in the yeshiva "coach" pricing there are many different variations. All children are sitting at the same exact desks, but not everyone is paying the same price for that privelege. And unlike the airlines, those parents who are paying the full first class fare don't get anything extra for doing so. Note: there are a few yeshivas in which all the seats are "first class," and parents pay accordingly.
6. It may not be much, but first class and business class passengers get lots of little perks that make the flying easier. They get wider, roomier seats with lots more leg room. Depending on the plane and the flight, these seats can recline into sleeping cots. They get free Internet connections in some cases. They get meals served to them with no extra charge. There is no charge for alcohol. They get wet, warm washclothes with their meals to cleanse their hands and faces with. They have a steward or two whose only job is to make the first class passengers comfortable and happy. They get to board first and deplane first. They have private lavatories that only they may use. Those first class and business class passengers in a yeshiva aren't accorded any special services; if anything, the yeshiva looks at them as cash cows and milks them accordingly.
7. Food Service: Domestic flights in the US have all but done away with regular meal service. Some airlines still serve free snacks to their passengers, mostly on longer flights. Some airlines will serve meals but only if you pay for them extra. Some airlines are even doing away with free beverage service; again, if you want a soda on these airlines, you have to pay for it. Airlines looked at meal service and saw where they could trim money from their operating budgets. Yeshivas might want to follow the airlines' example and either get rid of meal service altogether, or charge separately on a pay as you go basis for meals ordered.
A thought: airlines, for security reasons, don't allow you to bring onto a plane bottles of drinks purchased elsewhere. Only when you have gone through security and entered into the general boarding area may you purchase those drinks for sale there. And oh boy do they charge through the nose for those drinks. There are some yeshivas which have a similar policy. Students cannot bring in food from home: only that food purchased from the school is okay. They have kashrut "security" concerns. Either way, parents are being gouged. (Last January at Newark airport our flight was delayed and my husband and I went to get something to drink. I don't drink soda usually so I headed for the bottled water. A 20-ounce bottle of water was $3.15 for one bottle. My hubby's bottle of Coke was even more. Obscene? You bet! That same week I had purchased a 24-pack of 16 ounce bottles of that same brand for $2.99! The school where I teach has a drink machine where a 12 ounce bottle of water is "only" 75 cents, and they are actually cheaper than many of the stores right down the block.)
8. Customer Service Satisfaction: Almost all airlines send out surveys to their customers asking them about customer service. They ask to hear what they are doing right and what they are doing that could be improved. They ask their customers which services the airlines offer that the customers value. They ask for suggestions as to how to improve customer service. Any one here ever get such a survey from a yeshiva? Airlines look for customer input, but yeshivas seem to refuse to see parents as paying customers. The last thing they want is for parents to "mix in" to their business.
9. Routes: Airlines are in business to make a profit; at minimum, they have to cover their expenses. They take a look at all the routes they fly and the number of daily flights on that route. Sometimes they see that certain flights are underutilized and they cut that flight out of the schedule; it's just not cost affective to keep it. Sometimes they will find that they have too many flights on a given route per day, and they cut down the number of flights. Sometimes they even cut a day out of the flight schedule. We have yet to see yeshivas consider cutting out a period every day, or cutting out Sundays, both of which would cut expenses.
Maybe some of these suggestions would be easier to impliment than others. I'm not suggesting that everything an airline does could be utilized by yeshivas with exact correlation. But a whole lot of what airlines do could be utilized to good affect. People who fly may not be 100% happy with some of the cost cutting measures the airlines have put into affect, but those measures did what they were supposed to do: they controlled costs. We can't lose anything by giving some consideration to the airline model.
1. Airlines come in all sizes. Some are quite small; some are quite large. Some of the smaller airlines provide niche services; they may get private executives and those with money to pay the huge fees to where they want to go in luxury and real comfort. Other of the small airlines provide a service in a geographic area that would otherwise not have air travel available. They may be "the only game in town," and they may either keep their prices low, needing the good will of the people they service, or they may keep their prices high, reasoning that their customers have no other options. Some smaller airlines clearly have less expenses than the larger airlines because they have less planes and less personnel; on the other hand, because they are smaller they may not qualify for the reductions in purchasing costs that a larger airline can negotiate through size alone. Obviously, some yeshivas are larger and some are smaller. Some serve niche purposes. Some charge more than others.
2. Frequent Flyer Miles: Some airlines offer points for traveling which can translate into reduced price tickets or free tickets. Parents with many children in a yeshiva get these types of frequent flyer miles in reduced or no tuition. Each airline has a different policy of how and when such miles are earned and how and when they may be used. Ditto the yeshivas. But one thing anyone trying to use those frequent flyer miles for free or reduced tickets knows is the airlines offer very few of these types of seats on any given flight. There may be only 2-4 of these seats on a flight, out of 300 available seats. Hey, the airlines aren't in business to lose money. The yeshivas shouldn't be either.
3. Free Travel to Personnel: Those who work for an airline can get free travel on that airline. They aren't traveling first class, nor is the free travel available on every flight. The free seats are limited in number and will depend on whether or not a flight is full. Nonetheless, that travel is available and is considered a perk of being in the airline business. Yeshiva personnel get the same "free travel" in that they may receive free tuition for their children. Some yeshivas will offer this perk to only some of their personnel; others are doing away with this or severely limiting it. About time. Airlines don't give that free travel to their employees in unlimited amounts, nor can they take all their family members with them for free, just themselves. And you don't hear the airline industry saying that it is making free travel available sometimes in lieu of higher salaries, or because their employees make such low salaries. If and when this free travel cuts into paying business or threatens the airline economically, it will be "gone with the wind." Most yeshivas can no longer afford to offer this perk to their employees.
4. Space Utilization: Specific classes of airplanes (a 747 for instance) all have the same outside dimensions; they may, however, differ in how the space is configured on the inside of the plane. Some of these planes have less seats, but this results in higher fares to make up for the lost revenue. Other airlines squeeze as many seats as is possible into this space, thus producing more revenue for the airlines. Sometimes the airlines may pass along some of their extra money to the customers by reducing fares; other times they don't. Some yeshivas have more students per class, some have less. The less students in a classroom, the lower the revenue produced, in general.
In addition, some airlines which are smaller have joined together with other smaller airlines, or even sometimes with larger airlines, to purchase or rent terminal space. The amount of money in overhead to maintain a terminal for their own, small usage is too prohibitive financially to make sense. Do we really need all the yeshiva buildings we presently have, with their duplicated expenses? Wouldn't one larger building hosting many smaller yeshivas make more sense?
5. Classes of Service: Many airlines have at least three levels of service on any given airplane: first class, business class and coach. Coach may be further divided into a whole alphabet soup of fare classes. Thus the same exact seat that you are sitting in may have cost you more or less than your neighbor in the next seat paid. Those in the higher fare classes are paying way more than those in the lowest coach seats; their payments help to subsidize the lower fares in coach. Airlines seem to have no problem in raising first class fares; they reason that those with the money to pay those fares aren't going to cavil about a "little" extra cost. Yeshivas also seem to have developed this kind of a "fare" policy. Some people with children in a yeshiva are paying a lot more than others are. Even in the yeshiva "coach" pricing there are many different variations. All children are sitting at the same exact desks, but not everyone is paying the same price for that privelege. And unlike the airlines, those parents who are paying the full first class fare don't get anything extra for doing so. Note: there are a few yeshivas in which all the seats are "first class," and parents pay accordingly.
6. It may not be much, but first class and business class passengers get lots of little perks that make the flying easier. They get wider, roomier seats with lots more leg room. Depending on the plane and the flight, these seats can recline into sleeping cots. They get free Internet connections in some cases. They get meals served to them with no extra charge. There is no charge for alcohol. They get wet, warm washclothes with their meals to cleanse their hands and faces with. They have a steward or two whose only job is to make the first class passengers comfortable and happy. They get to board first and deplane first. They have private lavatories that only they may use. Those first class and business class passengers in a yeshiva aren't accorded any special services; if anything, the yeshiva looks at them as cash cows and milks them accordingly.
7. Food Service: Domestic flights in the US have all but done away with regular meal service. Some airlines still serve free snacks to their passengers, mostly on longer flights. Some airlines will serve meals but only if you pay for them extra. Some airlines are even doing away with free beverage service; again, if you want a soda on these airlines, you have to pay for it. Airlines looked at meal service and saw where they could trim money from their operating budgets. Yeshivas might want to follow the airlines' example and either get rid of meal service altogether, or charge separately on a pay as you go basis for meals ordered.
A thought: airlines, for security reasons, don't allow you to bring onto a plane bottles of drinks purchased elsewhere. Only when you have gone through security and entered into the general boarding area may you purchase those drinks for sale there. And oh boy do they charge through the nose for those drinks. There are some yeshivas which have a similar policy. Students cannot bring in food from home: only that food purchased from the school is okay. They have kashrut "security" concerns. Either way, parents are being gouged. (Last January at Newark airport our flight was delayed and my husband and I went to get something to drink. I don't drink soda usually so I headed for the bottled water. A 20-ounce bottle of water was $3.15 for one bottle. My hubby's bottle of Coke was even more. Obscene? You bet! That same week I had purchased a 24-pack of 16 ounce bottles of that same brand for $2.99! The school where I teach has a drink machine where a 12 ounce bottle of water is "only" 75 cents, and they are actually cheaper than many of the stores right down the block.)
8. Customer Service Satisfaction: Almost all airlines send out surveys to their customers asking them about customer service. They ask to hear what they are doing right and what they are doing that could be improved. They ask their customers which services the airlines offer that the customers value. They ask for suggestions as to how to improve customer service. Any one here ever get such a survey from a yeshiva? Airlines look for customer input, but yeshivas seem to refuse to see parents as paying customers. The last thing they want is for parents to "mix in" to their business.
9. Routes: Airlines are in business to make a profit; at minimum, they have to cover their expenses. They take a look at all the routes they fly and the number of daily flights on that route. Sometimes they see that certain flights are underutilized and they cut that flight out of the schedule; it's just not cost affective to keep it. Sometimes they will find that they have too many flights on a given route per day, and they cut down the number of flights. Sometimes they even cut a day out of the flight schedule. We have yet to see yeshivas consider cutting out a period every day, or cutting out Sundays, both of which would cut expenses.
Maybe some of these suggestions would be easier to impliment than others. I'm not suggesting that everything an airline does could be utilized by yeshivas with exact correlation. But a whole lot of what airlines do could be utilized to good affect. People who fly may not be 100% happy with some of the cost cutting measures the airlines have put into affect, but those measures did what they were supposed to do: they controlled costs. We can't lose anything by giving some consideration to the airline model.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Hachnosos Orchim Reminder
It's only a couple of weeks until Yom Tov. Balabustas all over are busy making shopping and cooking plans. Guest lists are being firmed up. And once again I'm asking that we all expand our ideas of who goes on that guest list.
There are singles of every type, young to old, who will be alone, yet again, for yom tov, and not by choice. Please, don't assume that these people are going to ask you if they can share a yom tov meal with you--it's not the way hospitality should work. Please, YOU be the one to ask someone if they would like to come for a meal.
And for those older people among us? They may be happy to have a meal in their own home, but they need help in getting everything they need into their homes. You're already going to be shopping for your family--how difficult is it to pick up a few extra items and deliver them to someone whose mobility is not as easy as yours? How difficult is it to offer a ride to the store to someone who doesn't drive themselves?
There is also this. Some of the older members of our communities can still make it to shul but could use an "escort" when they walk. They feel more secure with someone by their side, someone they can lean on if need be. You're going to shul anyway, so why not stop by and walk with an older person to shul?
I hope that yom tov will be joyous for all of us, and I mean ALL of us. We can make it that way. Please do.
There are singles of every type, young to old, who will be alone, yet again, for yom tov, and not by choice. Please, don't assume that these people are going to ask you if they can share a yom tov meal with you--it's not the way hospitality should work. Please, YOU be the one to ask someone if they would like to come for a meal.
And for those older people among us? They may be happy to have a meal in their own home, but they need help in getting everything they need into their homes. You're already going to be shopping for your family--how difficult is it to pick up a few extra items and deliver them to someone whose mobility is not as easy as yours? How difficult is it to offer a ride to the store to someone who doesn't drive themselves?
There is also this. Some of the older members of our communities can still make it to shul but could use an "escort" when they walk. They feel more secure with someone by their side, someone they can lean on if need be. You're going to shul anyway, so why not stop by and walk with an older person to shul?
I hope that yom tov will be joyous for all of us, and I mean ALL of us. We can make it that way. Please do.
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