From Diary of a Naïve Volunteer…
The Judith Bernstein Lunch Program is housed at the B’nai Jeshrun Synagogue on the upper west side of Manhattan. Lunch is served at noon every Thursday. Our guests enter slowly or quickly, hungry for nourishment or friendship, even love. We welcome them all. We want our guests to use our sanctuary as a place for acceptance and comfort. We serve soup and a sandwich, salad, pasta, dessert, and coffee or tea. We have food to take home if they desire. There’s always a friendly word, a smile, a gentle touch. In a place of holy sanctuary we serve those in need. We are one of many synagogues and churches that serve food to the poor throughout the country. We welcome them all with love.
Stephen Silverman’s musings on the complexity of homelessness are poignant and heart felt. While volunteering at a weekly soup kitchen over the course of many years, Mr. Silverman becomes an astute observer of the ravages of homelessness in New York City. He does not just serve up a weekly lunch but rather becomes a part of the fabric of the lives of the people he serves. This book should be required reading for all Social Work students because there is much knowledge to be gleaned from a seasoned volunteer.
Sharon Ash Tancredi, LCSW
Portland, Me.