On the morning of May 21, Berel Kesselman, Mendel Mishulovin and Mendy Grossbaum set off in a silver Toyota stuffed with supplies to help victims of the tornado in Moore, Okla., one of the towns hit hardest by a devastating tornado the day before.
Part of the local Glenna and Richard Tanenbaum Rabbinic Internship Program, they and Rabbi Ovadia Goldman, co-director of The Chabad Community Center of Southern Oklahoma, had spent the past night making call after call to community members, and preparing to offer the Chabad center and its services to anyone in need.
Driving down the interstate, the three men said they saw areas where houses had been reduced to rubble, so they parked on the side of the highway and went to talk to people sifting through what was left of their belongings. “There was a woman, nothing in her house was left standing except her staircase,” said Mishulovin. “It was horrific to see, blocks and blocks of houses destroyed.”
They stopped at the area’s command center and offered comfort to those displaced by the tornado, many of whom appreciated the inquiries about their well-being and plans for the next few days. Then they went to nearby Newcastle to check on a Jewish family they knew.
Stores were swarming with people buying water, diapers and other basic goods. “It was clearly for the people of Moore—the entire city was doing whatever they could,” he said. “Basics came rolling in.”
‘Every Person is Important’
For the past few days, the trio has been handing out items like Wal-Mart gift cards and teddy bears, and checking in on people in their homes and shelters. Mishulovin, who is from a family of emissaries in West Bloomfield, Mich., said his upbringing has given him the foundation to understand that every person is important, and not to have preconceived notions about anyone. Though he has spent time connecting with people in communities before, this was his first experience dealing with a natural disaster, and he said he was moved by how much Chabad’s efforts meant to the people they met. “Never underestimate what your concern for someone else might mean to them, what one word of care does to someone’s spirit,” he said.
Rabbinic intern Berel Kesselman had planned on being in New York this week, but his flight from Oklahoma was cancelled because of the weather. He decided to stick around, and said he hopes that he has raised the spirits of some of the people he has met as much as they have uplifted him with their strength and determination. “I hope we gave them encouragement, and let people know that we are there for them and praying for them, that people are willing to help—and not just that people are willing to help, but that they’re helping,” he said.
Also the son of shluchim, Chabad emissaries, and originally from London, England, this was Kesselman’s first experience with a tornado, he said, and his first time assisting individuals whose lives have been hit so hard. “People lost whole homes in 15 minutes,” he said, the disbelief still resonant in his voice. Kesselman plans to go on to New York to continue his studies, but noted that he has learned some valuable lessons.
“Even if someone says they don’t need help, at a time like this, you have to help them,” he said. “Everything could be good, and 15 minutes later, it’s all gone.”
Walking up to people as they picked through their personal belongings and starting up conversation was tough, they said, but they were well-received, with men and women opening up and sharing their stories, worries and situations. “It was a good feeling,” said Kesselman, “and it was productive.”
Raised to Help Others
The perseverance of those who have lost so much stood out to rabbinic intern Mendy Grossbaum, who grew up in Toronto, Canada, in an emissary family and came to Oklahoma this fall after a stint studying in Crown Heights, N.Y. He said the idea of helping people in a time of need isn’t new to any of the three interns; they were raised on the idea of providing spiritual and physical assistance wherever and whenever they can.
However, noted Grossbaum, “this was a bigger experience. It was a serious thing that devastated a whole community, a whole city,” he said. “I never saw so many people at once missing a house and losing everything.”
In the face of such devastation, people are picking up the pieces to rebuild, he said. The interns have gotten the chance to witness that firsthand, and said they have been touched by the way people are pushing forward. “Even though their whole livelihoods were destroyed in front of their eyes, they were in a good mood, ready to take on the challenges,” said Grossbaum.
He added that the plan is to keep visiting Moore and offering all the help they can, noting that Chabad has a call number where they can be reached and a relief website set up to connect those in need with resources. They’re also working to bring in volunteers to help with the massive cleanup efforts, he said.
Meanwhile, the interns have been keeping every inch of their car stocked with packaged food and bottled water, as well as toys for the kids, said Grossbaum. “We’ll keep canvassing the neighborhoods,” he said. “And we’ll be more than happy to assist in any way possible.”
In the next few weeks, the three young men are likely to go their own ways, and spend the summer visiting small towns or summer camps as part of their work for Chabad.
But Mishulovin said he’ll take lessons from Oklahoma with him. “Never underestimate what you can do—even a little thing can make a big difference,” he said, adding that it’s important “how thankful we have to be every day that we’re OK.”
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