Meet the Man Cooking for Dozens of COVID-19 Patients

It started when Chaim Shlomo Bernstein's wife and three children got sick at the end of last summer, and he went with them to a coronavirus hotel. "I was the only one in my family who didn't catch it," Chaim Shlomo shares, "Honestly, it's quite amazing because during my stay at the hotel, I was exposed to hundreds of COVID-19 patients, yet the virus didn't reach me. The frustrating part was that when we returned home, I had to quarantine for two weeks as I had been exposed to confirmed COVID-19 patients."

During these two weeks at home, Chaim Shlomo found himself passing the time by talking with acquaintances and friends, some of whom were also ill with COVID-19. "I heard about their experiences, and suddenly I realized the difficulty families face when a parent contracts the virus. While sometimes recovery is relatively easy, there are many instances where the virus completely incapacitates, confining one or both parents to bed and rendering them unable to function."

Chaim Shlomo notes that in such situations, there are sometimes neighbors or good friends who try to help the family by buying bread and milk every morning and even occasionally sending cooked food, but there are many times when this does not happen. "From conversations I had with people, I understood the main challenge is during Shabbat," he adds, "Friends told me they were unable to get out of bed to cook for Shabbat, but they were embarrassed to ask neighbors or family members to cook for them. In the end, sometimes a neighbor tried to help or someone thought of them, but their Shabbat table was left completely empty and embarrassing."

"In such situations of illness, when you and your family are dealing with total isolation from the world, the distress over not having normal Shabbat meals is harder than can be described," explains Chaim Shlomo, noting that these sentiments struck a chord with him.

One Man, Dozens of Patients

"Even during my isolation, I began to inquire about contacts who could provide me information about families with COVID-19 patients in my area who needed help," notes Chaim Shlomo. "This way, immediately after I was released from isolation, I was able to start taking action. At first, I worked alone and prepared a few Shabbat meals for additional families. It wasn't a problem because I was already preparing for my family, so I just added a few more portions."

However, this small volunteer effort grew. "Within a few weeks, more and more requests started coming in, and when people come to you asking for food, you can't say no."

On the eve of Hoshanah Rabbah, he found himself preparing holiday and Shabbat meals for six families, all of whom needed the food delivered to their doors due to being in isolation. "At this point," he says, "I began to understand that I couldn't manage this volunteer work alone, so I enlisted additional volunteers to help me carry the kugels, fish, meat, and everything I prepared to the families' homes."

Since then, each week anew, according to Chaim Shlomo, the number of families he assists steadily grows. "Basically, I limit my activities to families with COVID-19 patients, but a few weeks ago I learned about a nearby family where the mother is an oncology patient. I wasn't even aware of it, only that her children came to play in the yard on Shabbat and a neighbor spoke about the cholent he had eaten. The family's son heard and innocently asked, 'You had cholent? We had pita and laban.'

"The child shared this with his parents," Chaim Shlomo continues recounting, "and they approached me and asked me to take on preparing meals for this family as well. They might not have a financial problem, but the mother cannot function and can't prepare for Shabbat. Since then, for a few weeks now, I've been sending this dear family food, and I feel with Hashem's help that I'm truly lighting up their home. This is in addition to the other families who rely on us, which, as mentioned, continue to increase every week."

Do you cook all the food by yourself?

"I do everything in my home kitchen, together with my wife. For half the week, starting on Wednesday, the two of us enter the kitchen and start cooking, preparing dozens of portions using the four-burner stove. We ensure everything is fresh and under the most kosher certifications. There are fish, poultry, salads, side dishes, everything needed, and in ample amounts. We also add candy bags for the kids and nuts, because it's important for us that people feel we thought about them. Our kids also join in the effort when they return from school, helping to distribute all the food into boxes and crates."

Chaim Shlomo mentions they try to think outside the box. "We believe in bringing joy to people not just with food, so we try to add other items. For example, one Shabbat we arranged a bouquet of flowers, and on Shabbat Mevarchim of the month of Kislev, we included decorated chocolates that were donated."

When it comes to distributing the meals, according to him, they rely on a team of volunteers. "Until about three weeks ago, when they changed the clock for daylight saving, I was the only one delivering on Fridays, but after the clock changed and I found myself returning from deliveries just twenty minutes before candle lighting, I realized this couldn’t continue and I enlisted the help of ten more volunteers. Together we conduct the distribution already on Thursday night, all of us transporting the meals from neighborhood to neighborhood, thus completing everything that night."

Last Friday, he says, a woman came to help with the distribution and brought along her elderly parents. "She told them they must see what was happening here, and they were so moved to be part of this significant endeavor."

The Vision and the Wish

We all hope that COVID-19 will soon end and become history. What will happen then? Will the 'enterprise' you opened close?

He pauses for a moment and then replies, "I have a wish and a vision, these are two separate things. My wish is to close the operation as early as tomorrow morning, because I want all of Israel to be healthy and for no one to need this service. But as I mentioned, I strive to assist not only COVID-19 patients but also oncology patients, who, unfortunately, are found in every neighborhood and, especially these days, try not to leave their homes and often isolate themselves extremely. My wish is to continue helping them as much as I can."

And what's your vision?

"The vision is to move to a larger kitchen because maintaining such a project in a home over time is challenging. Meanwhile, I'm trying to organize a doughnut campaign for the upcoming Chanukah, where each family in isolation will receive an elegant and high-quality doughnut set, along with additional ideas that have started coming to mind."

Isn't this at the expense of other things?

"You might be surprised to hear, but no. My wife and I find the time to continue our previous occupations. Maybe we sleep a little less at night, but we do it willingly and devote the effort to merit the people of Israel so that we may all see this difficult period behind us and return to a blessed routine."

To get in touch with Chaim Shlomo Bernstein: a0799693944@gmail.com