To Save An Extraordinary Life, Help Keep Zelig At Home

Zelig Nirenberg 

The meaning of chesed is rich, multifaceted, and encompasses everything from an attribute of Hashem to a call to action for Klal Yisrael. From everyday kindness, to extraordinary acts of giving, to truly feeling the pain of another.

We are extraordinarily lucky the Five Towns/Far Rockaway community is deeply rooted in chesed, with many examples of kindness, compassion, supporting citadels of Torah, and providing emotional and financial support to anyone in the Jewish community who is in need. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael: we are truly a band of brothers and sisters looking out for each other, a nation of caring, giving people.

And now, with Hashem’s help, we have the chance to save the life of an extraordinary talmid chachamnamed Zelig Nirenberg who truly exemplifies a devoted Torah scholar and loving father whose life has taken a terrible turn. Blessed with a brilliant mind and a heart of gold, Zelig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to the shock of his loving wife Aviva, their children, friends, and the entire Jewish community.

A true “Renaissance man,” Zelig discovered his “Pintele Yid” that was lying dormant in his soul and embarked on a spiritual journey together with Aviva and their three children. After making aliyah, they settled in a community of Slonimer Chassidim where he was known as a “hidden tzaddik.” Drawing on his expertise in the field of computers, Zelig worked for several startup companies while also learning Torah. After returning to the United States with his family, he worked at the Pentagon in a high-security capacity in the field of cybersecurity. Yet, of all of Zelig’s accomplishments, he is most proud of his limud Torah, which inspired him to take the Dirshu exams each month, scoring very high each time. Adhering to the Torah’s directive to guard one’s health, Zelig kept fit by maintaining a daily exercise routine, which included jogging. By all indications, Zelig Nirenberg was in the best of health. That is, until March of 2022, when he was diagnosed with ALS.

For the first nine months following his diagnosis, Zelig was confined to a nursing home, which was ill-equipped to provide the specialized care he needed, especially to address the emergencies that arose with increasing and alarming frequency. Moreover, the facility was situated at a considerable distance from his neighborhood and offered limited visiting opportunities. With such a great distance, visiting Zelig on Shabbos was simply not possible.

Deprived of his family and community, his health and spirits declined rapidly and his condition deteriorated. With their children living in Israel, Baltimore, and San Diego, and no relatives living nearby, Aviva rushed to be at his side after working a full day, but now the situation has become untenable, leaving no other option but to bring Zelig home. And so, in January 2023, the couple’s friends, neighbors, and community rose to the challenge and helped to set up a virtual hospital in their home.

Caring for Zelig at home is truly the only option for his care. Rabbi Chaim Shabbes, marah d’asra of Knesses Yisroel in Monsey, is a renowned posek who ruled that keeping Zelig at home is a matter of pikuach nefesh and sending him back to a nursing facility would mean certain death, rachmana litzlan. 

Rabbi Joshua Fruchter, a former neighbor, is a talmid chacham and an attorney, visits Zelig often on Shabbos. “For me, reading the Haftorah with Zelig, sharing divrei Torah, and singing zemiros with him during shalosh seudos and seeing Zelig beaming with happiness, is truly a joy to behold and extremely rewarding,” shares Rabbi Fruchter.

To ensure that these Shabbos visits continue, Josh coordinated ad campaigns to help the family raise funds to cover the uninsured medical cost to care for Zelig at home, which can reach $30,000 each month. Josh also shared that caring for Zelig at home has brought about a weekly Kabbalas Shabbos Minyan in Zelig’s home, organized by his neighbors. On Simchas Torah, Zelig was taken by wheelchair to the local Chabad shul to experience the spirited singing and dancing, none of which would have been possible if he were confined to a nursing home.

“Shloime Markstein is like a brother to Zelig,” said Aviva. “They shared office space for several years and became closer than brothers. Since Zelig’s diagnosis, Shloime’s been taking care of everything. He’s like a CEO of a corporation, overseeing every detail to ensure the entire operation runs seamlessly.”

“Zelig is a brilliant talmid chacham who loves to learn,” shared Shloime. “I got to know him really well while we shared office space. He is truly an ehrliche Yid with sterling middos, menschlichkeit, and a heart of gold. Zelig is an extraordinary person and I would do anything for him.”

In addition to running his own successful business, Shloime has tasked himself with running the Nirenberg household, doing so efficiently, painstakingly, and with precision. He oversees the nursing staff, orders supplies and medications, schedules therapies, and often runs over to the Nirenberg house in the middle of the night in case of an emergency. 

“With Hashem’s help, it’s possible for Zelig to have a complete recovery, but we need ongoing, monthly support to keep him home and alive. The cost of doctors, nurses, lifesaving therapists, testing, medicines, and other weekly and medical expenses that are not covered by insurance are astronomical. We are reaching out, imploring all of Klal Yisrael to commit to donating a monthly amount. We have to make a concerted effort to appoint a board and dedicate our efforts on behalf of this very special tzaddik and talmid chacham and his wife and family.”

Aviva shared: “This experience has opened my eyes to the deep connectedness of Klal Yisrael, how we are all bound together, heart and soul. In every circumstance, there is someone available to help and assist us. We are never truly alone. I am in awe of the number of chesed organizations within Klal Yisrael and inspired by the extraordinary kindness and mesiras nefesh of those who volunteer and support organizations like Hatzalah, Chaverim, Project Hope, etc. These are just a few of the amazing organizations that have stepped in to help us. My husband’s diagnosis has taken us down an unfamiliar path, one filled with enormous uncertainty and challenges. There have been moments of deep despair, loneliness, and a feeling of being lost in a system that doesn’t quite know where we belong. Yet, even with all the hardships, this also has been a journey of unexpected growth. I’ve discovered wells of inner strength that I didn’t know I had. I’ve learned to lean into my emunah and trust that Hashem is with me, even during the darkest days. There is a kind of closeness to Hashem that only comes when everything else is stripped away, and all that remains is the quiet, steady knowledge that I am being cared for. I’ve also come to notice and appreciate the many blessings that still surround us: a kind word, a helping hand, a moment of peace. These, too, are gifts, and they sustain me. Even in struggle there is meaning. Even in darkness there is light. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael. May we find strength from our emunah, light in our darkness, and connection in one another.”

Please consider becoming a monthly partner in facilitating a refuah sheleimah for Zelig Nirenberg. For further information, please see the ad in this issue of the 5TJT. Tizku l’mitzvos! n

Rochelle Maruch Miller is a contributing editor for the Five Towns Jewish Times. She is a journalist, creative media strategist, lecturer, educator, and writes for magazines, newspapers, websites, and private clients. She welcomes your comments at [email protected]. Read more of Rochelle Maruch Miller’s articles at 5TJT.com.