H I N D A I N S T I T U T E

Rabbi Binyomin Scheiman, spiritual advisor 9401 N. Margail, Des Plaines, IL. 60016 📞 (847) 334-1770 📥 fax (847) 296-1823 🔿 chabad@chabadandfree.com 🌎 www.hindahelps.com

Fall 2019 / 5780

ב"ה

WISHING YOU A HAPPY

CHANUKAH!

J. came from a good Jewish fam-ily, but he was having difficulties at his Jewish school. Eventually, J. was thrown out of high school and went to an alternative school. The bus driver at the school shared heroin with the kids, and J. got addicted at 14. At 15, he was using Methadone. He started to get arrested for small stuff, then more serious stuff, but he couldn’t stop. During this time, he had a daughter with another per-son who was also a Jewish addict and also had been incarcerated.

In prison, J. met Rabbi Binyomin Scheiman. Through the support of the Hinda Institute and his own brave, daily, spiritual battles, J.

found the personal strength to re-gain his life.

J. explains, “The Rabbi was a rock during my incarceration. I could rely on him. I was the only Jewish person in the prison and far from home. It felt good to hear about my family from him. He helped me celebrate the Jewish holidays, put on tefillin, get kosher meals and connect with G-d.”

This story has a happy ending. J. has been clean for over 5 years.

“I got clean for a lot of reasons; for myself, but also mainly for my daughter. I wanted to give my daugh-ter a good life. I wanted to make my parents proud. It took me 20 years to

Rabbi Scheiman checks in at 4sq.com

@BinyominS binyomin.scheiman

www.HindaHelps.com

Do you need information about Chanukah or supplies to light up

your own corner of the world? Remember, Hinda is your re-

source for whatever Jewish arti-cles and information you need.

HINDA HEROFighting the Demons

Chanukah is about spreading light, even to the darkest places. There is no place darker than prison. Families are also dealing with extra stresses, both emotion-

al and financial, when a loved one is incarcerated and especially during the holidays. We want to help bring light into the darkness.

MENORAH Please let us know if there is a family member who needs menorahs and other Chanukah sup-plies to be sent to them in a correctional institute.

MENORAH A number of Chanukah parties are being organized. Of special note, Rabbi Chaim Scheiman is working on a large party for Cook County Jail.

MENORAH We will be hosting a joyful HINDA Chanukah party for our friends, sponsors and extended family. All are invited!

MENORAH Last year the Decalogue Society donated gifts for the children of parents who have been incar-cerated. This year we hope once again to distribute Chanukah gifts for children.

Special thanks go to those who recently donated books to the Hinda Institute Lending Library – the Kurtz-Lando family, Mr. Mark Winger and Lubavitch Chabad of Northbrook.

figure it all out. I am clean now for 5 years, found a good job, and my daughter is doing good; she is really congenial, despite it all.

“Hinda Institute tutors her on Aleph Beis and the Jewish holidays weekly. Recently she enrolled in a Jewish school.

“We also go sometimes for the Shabbat and holidays to the

Scheimans. Rabbi Scheiman still calls me every week. Hinda made a big dif-ference for me and my daughter.”

Hinda continues to help our cli-ents fight against the addiction “de-mons.” We remain in contact with all our clients every week and try to connect them with appropriate pro-grams. Most of our clients never go back, but those who are addicts do

have the highest recidivism rates. We are always looking for better ways to fight.

J. still says the SHEMA every day and connects. Like all of us, J. is fight-ing his challenges every day. That is, after all, the purpose of all of human beings in this world. And Hinda is here to help. STOPH

Remember, your year-end donation will go a

long way to keeping these programs running!

CHANUKAH: The Holiday of Light

NEWS— & —

SCHMOOZEMONEY-BILL-ALT Please also consider making a year-end donation this year. You are helping us make a difference. Thank G-d for people like you.

chair Our housewarming Sukkah Party was a big success - thanks to all who came. We had a “drop in” crowd of over 50 people! Everyone was awed at our really big sukkah - especially Rabbi Scheiman!

apple-alt Many of our friends and extended Hinda family joined us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We were so happy to celebrate with all of you.

Spa Our women’s class, chat, support and “just-friends” group is resuming. Call Abby for more information.

CHALKBOARD-TEACHER We are looking for tutors for our educational program in correctional institutes. We especially are looking for retired teachers. Please contact Abby.

One of the most important activ-ities the Hinda Institute does is pro-vide Jewish life and culture for our Jewish clients who are incarcerated.

Our team of four chaplains visits every Jewish client every month across all of Illinois and gives spiri-tual support, comfort, holiday tradi-tion and advocate in environments where there are not only no other Jews or family, but sometimes a lot of anti-Semitism. These Jews often feel isolated, ostracized and alone.

Rabbi Shneur Scheiman recently shared a story that touched us and emphasizes our circle of giving.

For over 6 years Rabbi Shneur Scheiman had been visiting a Jewish man M. at the prison hospital. During that time, M. was happy to put on tefillin (phylacteries) and reconnect with his Judaism and G-d. At some point due to his illness, his arm became too weak and the te-fillin bothered him. Rabbi Shneur Scheiman and M. decided to put te-fillin on his head only which contin-ued monthly, despite him being in a terrible mood most times due to pain.

Rabbi Shneur Scheiman contin-ues: “For the past few months, he was so moody and weak that he did not agree to put on any Tefillin, but we continued to visit him and tried to make him smile.

“On Monday, August 26th, I had my monthly visit to that prison. I considered skipping the visit to this man, figuring that he’d likely not be interested in even talking. I decided to go to him anyways.

“He was sitting up in a wheelchair (usually he’s in bed) and looked rela-tively good. I asked him if he would

like to put on Tefillin. He said, ‘Yes.’ “Seeing that it may be possible this

time, I asked if we can put Tefillin on his arm, something he hadn’t done in many, many months. He agreed.

“I carefully wrapped Tefillin on his shriveled arm, making sure not to cause him discomfort. Together we recited the Shema (Jewish prayer at-testing to belief in one G-d). His soul must have known that this was the last chance —ten days later, his soul returned to its Maker.”

Who knows what the mission of M.’s soul was in this world,

but in some way he did good and returned in holiness by doing teshuvah.

The circle of caring and story does not end here, however. We needed to give M a Jewish burial.

Mr. David Jacobsen of Chicago Funeral Homes once

again stepped up to the plate. Despite the fact that we have imposed on him time and again, he obviously has a tremendously kind Jewish heart and empathizes with human suffering.

We now just needed to transport the body. Another client of ours, L., who had been out of prison for 17 years, empathized with this other Jew who he did not even know and donated the $750 for the transport. This was a true example of communi-ty and “Chesed Shel Emet”; real chari-ty without recompense.

We want to thank the mysterious L. for his kindness, Mr. Jacobsen for his continual generous support which is above and beyond the call of duty, and finally our chaplains for never giving up hope. May G-d give you only blessings this year. STOPH

The Final Tefillin

Please accept my tax-deductible contribution to help Rabbi Scheiman continue his service to the isolated Jews in prison!

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The HINDA Institute9401 N MargailDes Plaines, IL 60016

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Make a difference!Due to budget cuts by the state of Illinois, Rabbi Scheiman’s chaplaincy is no longer reimbursed as it was in the past. Help us continue by making a tax-deductible donation securely on our website.

T H E H I N D A I N S T I T U T E