Meister Menorah project benefits all generations

Herb Meister with grandson Ethan ThalerWhen you think of the word tradition, what comes to mind for most people is Tevye the milkman from “Fiddler on the Roof.” When I think of tradition what comes to mind is Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island’s longtime volunteer Herb Meister.  Herb has been visiting nursing homes as a volunteer for Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island, a Jewish Seniors Agency’s outreach program for more than 15 years.

Herb recognized a long time ago that it is vital for someone living in a nursing home to be able to carry on all the Jewish traditions including Hanukkah. But the holiday candles could not be kindled in an individual’s room for safety reasons.  Herb created a menorah out of wood that used crayons to represent the candles. The Meister Menorah was born, and the community embraced the project by decorating and distributing the menorahs to nursing homes.

This new wonderful mitzvah was passed on to Herb’s granddaughter, Rachel Salzman, in New Hampshire. Several years ago she and her grandfather made a new batch of Meister Menorahs for her bat mitzvah project. She truly appreciated the bonding experience with her grandfather and learned so much about the value of giving back to the community.

In March, Herb’s grandson Ethan Thaler will be celebrating his bar mitzah at Temple Habonim in Barrington. Herb and Ethan worked closely together and made almost 200 Meister Menorahs for our Jewish nursing home residents across the state of Rhode Island. Along with other family members, they decorated the menorahs. The smile on the faces of both Ethan and Herb showed that this ritual was so important between grandfather and grandson. What a wonderful mitzvah to be shared among the generations. The residents who received the menorahs beamed with pride, and each one felt like a grandparent to Ethan when they heard the story of the Meister Menorah and why Ethan was doing this as his bar mitzvah project.

As we say mazal tov to Ethan and his family, we also say a big thank you to Herb Meister for passing down his values to his grandchildren. This has benefited all of our seniors who receive visits from Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island and, of course, the Meister Menorahs.

SUSAN ADLER is director of Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island. JERI is a partner agency with the Jewish Alliance of Rhode Island.