“My wife Gabrielle and I typically deliver [Passover food] to immigrants from the former Soviet Union and to Holocaust survivors,” said volunteer and Jewish Family Service (JFS) board member Eddie Rivin. “They look forward to seeing us every year and often invite us to sit down and catch up.” For recipients and volunteers, JFS’s Dr. Samuel S. Rockwern Passover Delivery Project builds a network of relationships as well as delivers food.
On Sunday April 6, for the 27th year in a row, Jewish Family Service volunteers and staff collected, packed, and delivered Passover food to those in need or homebound. “Passover is the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday,” said CEO Liz Vogel. “But Passover ritual foods are expensive. This work fills an important gap.” This year 43 volunteers delivered to 615 individuals, which is a 27 percent increase over last year, and higher than expected.
Eddie and Gabrielle Rivin have each delivered since they were kids, and it’s a meaningful volunteer ritual for each, both separately, and now together. “Growing up, I volunteered for the Passover Delivery Project alongside my mom,” said Gabrielle. “After moving back to Cincinnati, I’ve continued that tradition with my husband.”
Eddie’s family came to the US from the form Soviet Union in the early 1990s and JFS helped bring them to Cincinnati. His grandparents are Holocaust survivors who use JFS’s services. “Also, my grandma, Lilly Narusevich, worked at JFS for 20-plus years,” said Eddie with pride.
Eddie loves, now, delivering with his wife of three years, Gabrielle. “Many of these recipients have a hard time leaving their homes,” said Eddie, “and these interactions brighten their days and also makes the experience very meaningful to us as volunteers.”
The hub of operations, the Heldman Family Food Pantry, is located at Jewish Family Service’s Barbash Family Vital Support Center, on the campus of Hebrew Union College in Clifton. The pantry serves Jews in need, and anyone who lives nearby, all year long. In addition, said Vogel, “We coordinate a satellite pantry at Congregation Zichron Eliezer [in Amberley Village], and a grocery program at The Jewish Discovery Center [in Mason]. So a portion of our Passover assistance goes there as well.”
In partnership with Adath Israel’s Ma’ot Chitim Fund, JFS also sends over 150 households a check to help people purchase additional Passover foods.
Summing up the person-to-person importance of the event, Liz Vogel said, “It’s crucial we help make sure that everyone who wants to celebrate, can celebrate.”
For Gabrielle, the pleasure is in moments of companionship. “Many are immigrants from the former Soviet Union, so it feels nice to contribute to their celebration of a Jewish holiday—something they may not have been able to do before they emigrated to the US. Their faces light up because they recognize us now each year.”