Clara – A Labor of Love

Every Friday afternoon without fail, Clara cleans the floors at her local Jewish Community Center.  She comes in the door quietly, with mop and pail in hand, and sets about her weekly task with diligence and a tranquil demeanor. 

Clara is not paid staff, nor is she a volunteer in the traditional sense.  For her, cleaning the floor at the Community Center is a labor of love.

"Were it not for the center, I would see no one and talk to no one other than my mother from one week to the next.  Here, I see people; I see lights; I see warmth.  And I can return the help my mother gets."

The "help" Clara refers to comes by way of the Hesed V’Rahamim, Minsk’s Jewish welfare organization, which provides her elderly, homebound mother with food packages. Hesed V’Rahamim shares a building with the local Jewish Community Center.  When Clara approached the Hesed V’Rahamim for help, she found herself drawn to the JCC’s warmth and vibrant spirit.

Shyly, even reluctantly at first, Clara experienced her first Kabbalat Shabbat at the JCC.  Once unfamiliar with Jewish traditions, she is now a regular participant in communal celebrations.  Her life is much fuller, and the camaraderie she experiences at the center gives her a joy that lasts well after she has left for home.