Mt. Sinai South Nassau dedicates Sabbath House

Mount Sinai South Nassau dedicated its new Sabbath House last week, honoring longtime supporters Iris and Shalom Maidenbaum.

The Sept. 12 event followed the facility’s recent relocation to larger quarters at 2500 Washington Ave., on the hospital’s Oceanside campus.

“The Jewish community, which makes use of the hospital to a great degree, needs to be close by on the Sabbath so they can stay in comfort while they’re dealing with so much stress with their loved ones who are in the hospital,” said Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich of Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence.

“There’s a very strong Jewish community within the area and they have specific needs that are challenging if we don’t offer assistance to meet during the Sabbath,” explained hospital President Adhi Sharma. “Family visitation is an important part of the recovery and the healing of our patients, and we’re committed to that. And spirituality it is also an important part of many people’s recovery and healing. So this house allows us to address both.”

The Sabbath House addresses both religious obligations (like visiting the sick) and logistical needs (such as proximity to the hospital and kosher food).

“I feel very privileged to be part of this community-supported project,” said Shalom Maidenbaum, who contributed along with his wife, Iris, and law firm, Cedarhurst-based Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, to make the expanded facility possible. “It’s essential for the non-traveling-on-Sabbath community.”

It is the latest in a series of initiatives Mount Sinai South Nassau has undertaken to enhance patient and visitor care.

The Maidenbaums recently made a significant gift to Mount Sinai South Nassau to establish the Maidenbaum Health Care Heroes Plaza in honor of healthcare workers who bravely cared for thousands of critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The gift supported the hospital’s ongoing effort to bring high-level specialty care to the South Shore so residents don’t have to travel to New York City or north for advanced treatment, a hospital spokesperson said.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and while, thankfully, I’ve never had a loved one in the hospital for an extended period of time, I know that many in our community have,” said Amy Madmon, a partner in the Maidenbaum firm and a resident of the Five Towns. “To know there’s a safe haven for people who are going through such difficult moments — where they can rest and be surrounded by others in similar situations — is incredible.”

In addition to the Sabbath House, the Jewish Communities Program at MSSN includes a kosher pantry and respite room within the hospital that is operated in collaboration with the Achiezer Community Resource Center, helps schedule rabbinical visits, and facilitates access to all Shabbat hospitality, kosher food, and other ritual needs.

The kosher pantry and respite — accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, secured with a Hebrew lock  — is stocked with books of Tehillim and chumashim, fresh prepared kosher foods and beverages, and such Shabbat and holiday necessities as battery-operated Shabbat candles and menorahs (in accordance with hospital safety).

“Both the Sabbath House and kosher pantry and respite room can be used as a resting place for family members and friends during a time of emergency, an extended stay for a patient, or for those who live a distance from the hospital,” said Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau and Associate Rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere.

To meet the dietary needs of patients and their families, the hospital’s Food and Nutrition Department offers a full kosher menu. The department serves glatt kosher meals on request for patients as well as their family members. Frozen kosher entrees are generally available for patients or family members arriving after hours. Freshly prepared kosher food is also available for purchase in the hospital’s coffee and gift shop.

“Thankfully, I’ve never personally needed (the Sabbath House), but I feel for many who did, and it’s been a tremendous gift for the hospital and gift to our community,” said Rabbi Zalman Wolowik of Chabad of the Five Towns. “It’s our community hospital. It’s not even about Jewish or not Jewish — it’s a great community hospital that serves the community.”

The Sabbath House Committee is leading an effort to raise funds for the ongoing renovation and maintenance of the Sabbath House.