News from Kol Ami

on Sunday, 19 January 2014.

BY MARLEINE KAY

     Miriam Amon                                Melanie Samra

It is wonderful to honour two very special human beings, Miriam Amon and Melanie Samra, who have done so much over the years to enhance the Out of the Cold (OOTC) program held at Har Zion.

Kol Ami is now pleased to announce that our shul will be more involved with the Out of the Cold program through a partnership with Har Zion. The Mosaic Interfaith Out of the Cold Program provides safe refuge, warm hospitality and emergency shelter in York Region to the guests, who are either homeless or in need of food and clothing. Overnight shelters are operated by various interfaith communities on different nights of the week during the coldest months of the year running from November to March. The program at Har Zion runs every Wednesday from November to January.

Both Miriam, cousin of Kol Ami Cantorial Soloist Dawn Bernstein, and Melanie, sister-in-law of Dawn, have been involved in the OOTC program for a considerable time.

Miriam is a long-time member of Kol Ami, along with her husband Eli and children. Miriam, who works as a registered nurse at St John’s Rehab, first became involved with OOTC many years ago when she and her kids, Emily, Cory, Ari and Matthew would make breakfast at 5.00 a.m. on Thursday mornings at Har Zion. Later, second son Ari added to his breakfast commitment by hosting one evening dinner on a Wednesday night as part of his Bar Mitzvah project. It then became a family tradition to host an evening meal each OOTC season.
 A number of years ago, Kol Ami requested to be involved in this effort and volunteers from the congregation stepped forward to help cook part of the meal. However, Miriam is the true powerhouse behind this vital mitzvah, as she secures donations of brisket from Nortown, and what she cannot get in donations, pays for as a family mitzvah.

Every year, volunteer cooks meet Miriam and her helpers in the shul car park around 7.00 p.m. and are given their allocated ingredients to make their part of the meal. This ranges from brisket, to roasted potatoes and veggies to apple crisp, and regular volunteers usually make the same dish every year. Once the meal is cooked on the actual day, Miriam organises the volunteers to take their dish to Har Zion. The meal is always delicious, and it has been said many times over, that it is one of the very best meals of the OOTC program. This year, despite suffering the tragic loss of her dear mother, Miriam still made sure that everyone received their ingredients on time through her steadfast helpers Simma Sidlofsky and Tammy Shendroff.

In addition, Miriam is also the Chair of the Chesed Committee. Along with her dedicated team, Miriam is instrumental in the phenomenal task of organising shivas and consoling the bereaved in our congregation. Miriam is indeed the true soul of kindness and a shining inspiration in our shul. Rabbi Elazar once said “Tzaddikim - good people say little and do much”. How true of Miriam, who quietly and humbly goes about doing much.

Melanie has been actively involved with The Out of the Cold at Har Zion for the past three years. Together with her husband Richard Bernstein and two children Griffin and Miles, Melanie has been a member of Kol Ami for many years. Melanie is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and is both an Interior Decorator and a designer of fabric for wall coverings and rug companies.  

Last year, Melanie also volunteered at Beth Shalom's Out of the Cold program, by assisting in their art program.  The guests attending the program expressed themselves through drawings, using watercolours or charcoal pencils.  This has proven to be a very welcoming and therapeutic experience for the guests. Shortly after the program concludes, an Art Show displays and sells the guests' art work.  The guests walk away with a large percentage of their sales and a great sense of self-worth, while the purchaser obtains a very individual and unique piece of art. Needless to say, the program was a great success.

For the past couple of years, Melanie has worked at Har Zion’s OOTC “shop”. This is where the guests are able to choose warm winter clothing, boots, toiletries, sleeping bags and even some bedding. This year Melanie presented Har Zion’s OOTC committee with the idea of starting an art program for the guests. Har Zion has now implemented the art program into their weekly OOTC activities, which has been very successfully led by Melanie.  

Melanie has a warm, generous and inspiring personality. She is always ready with a warm smile and words of encouragement, which has provided a positive experience for the many guests. Shimon, the son of Rabban Gamliel, says, "It is not what one says, but rather what one does, that makes all the difference in the world". (Pirke Avot 1:17). Melanie has certainly made a difference to the OOTC program. 
Miriam and Melanie Todah Rabah! You make the world shine!