Although Rabbi Levi and Soshie Gurkow have been hosting activities and programs for the Jewish community of Oceanside, N.Y., for more than 20 years, the coronavirus pandemic has brought their devotion to their town to a new level. As a result of the rabbi’s tireless work as a hospital and fire department chaplain during the ongoing pandemic, he has been named the area’s “Person of the Year” by the Long Island Herald, a leading community newspaper.
Since the start of the pandemic almost one year ago, Gurkow has been a comforting force for people of all faiths and backgrounds as a chaplain for Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, acting as an intermediary between quarantined patients and their loved ones unable to visit them. The rabbi explains that he is many times the only tangible link between patients and their families: “We go in, I speak to the patient, I call the family. Sometimes, I call the family on FaceTime so they can see their loved ones. Often, it’s the first time that they’ve been able to see their loved ones since the start of their stay at the hospital. You’re the link between them.”
Rabbi Gurkow also serves as a chaplain for the Oceanside Fire Department. When a call comes in about a Covid-related patient in need of urgent assistance, Gurkow acts as a first-responder and is there to show support, moral or spiritual. “Many times I know the family personally, and I’m able to be there for the patient in their time of need. They look at you and they recognize you as the rabbi, and just by the fact that you’re there for them, they feel safe and comforted.” Additionally, Gurkow counsels and offers encouragement to members of the fire department.
“Since the start of the Covid pandemic, my husband’s schedule has been a nonstop daily routine of visiting patients at the hospital, the fire department as part of the chevra kadisha burial society,” says Soshie Gurkow, co-director of Chabad of Oceanside and the rabbi’s wife of 26 years. “Since the height of the pandemic, there was this ‘no day, no night type of pattern.’ ” As a result of Gurkow being extra involved in uplifting and comforting families of those affected by the pandemic, most of the general Chabad work fell on her and her daughters’ shoulders.
“My husband lost two of his uncles to the virus, so my family was unfortunately not immune to pain. But even throughout this difficult personal period, we knew we had to reach out to our community and do what we could. Sometimes, we look back at the more difficult months and think, ‘Wow, how did we survive all that?’ The truth is that when you’re in it, you don't think; you just do.”
“The Gurkows are a huge part of our lives,” says Ilyana Meyer, a member of the Chabad community of Oceanside. “We send our kids to the Chabad preschool and try to participate in the different activities that they offer. Ever since the pandemic started, they’ve really been involved and engaging with people.”
One of the things that she says she particularly enjoyed was the drive-by parade that the Gurkows arranged to show support to the frontline hospital workers. She described how people waved and came out of their houses. “Our kids were in the car and they’re young, but they felt like they were part of it. They were really excited about it. With people feeling like they’re stuck at home and isolated, it was a huge deal to be able to get out and be able to participate in something like this.”
Her husband, Aaron Meyer, adds: “Before any Jewish holiday, they had packages sent out that had everything included in them. I know that their work and impact goes beyond what we see, and I think the broader community really appreciated it.”
As a hospital chaplain, Gurkow explains how her husband has a constant queue of people calling up to find out how their relatives are doing. He puts on tefillin and prays with patients, arranges kosher meals, and unfortunately, in the worst case scenario, steps into the role of saying final prayers with people.
“It’s been tough, but he is mentally very strong,” says Soshie Gurkow. “I obviously don’t want to add to his mental stress, so I try to keep him out of whatever we can so we don’t give him more of a burden. My family, specifically my girls, have adapted and stepped up to the plate. It’s a family effort; that’s what it really is,” she says.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, their outreach work changed drastically, she explains. Their once in-person weekly classes and monthly events transferred to Zoom. One of their primary concerns was that the elderly members of their community have adequate support. The younger members of the community became involved in shopping for groceries and delivering meals for the elderly, doing whatever was necessary to make sure they stayed home. The Gurkows made certain that a member of the community was always in touch with them by phone or WhatsApp. They sent out “Passover in a box” packages for the holiday and weekly Shabbat kits with freshly baked kugels and other treats. Additionally, Chabad of Oceanside’s preschool, Hebrew school, adult-education classes and women’s circle all went on Zoom.
“I know if I needed anything, they would be there to help me,” says a grateful community member. They’ve helped many people during this time, and the members of the community know that the rabbi will talk to anybody in need.”
Rabbi Gurkow says he’s been receiving many texts and WhatsApp messages from thankful recipients of support during this challenging time: “Sometimes, it can get a little awkward because you wonder if people really appreciate what you’re doing. But the feedback confirms that people do indeed appreciate it tremendously.”
“Our sense of community, if anything, has only gotten stronger,” says Soshie Gurkow. She relates how the general Chabad phone line transfers to her personal cell phone in the evenings when she is no longer in the office. It just so happened that a woman in the community who has a Holocaust survivor mother in her 90s called her after 10 p.m., and she called her back immediately. Answering the phone, the woman at the other end of the line exclaimed, “I knew you’d call me back. I thought to myself, ‘Soshie is going to think something happened and call me back immediately!’ ”
“Every member of the community is really like a family member,” says Soshie Gurkow. “My husband and I are here to help whenever and however we can.”
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