Over a year ago, my husband and I moved into a lovely residential home in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood called Neve Shalem.
Living in Jerusalem has been my life-long dream. The charming neighborhood, combined with the attractive residence fulfills it. The daily program of lectures, physical activities and musical performances keeps me happily occupied.
One of the lecturers is Ruchama Hershkowitz, an attractive, observant woman whose talks on the weekly portion of the Torah and Jewish history I attend regularly.
Born in Jerusalem, one of Yisrael and Yaffa Weingarten’s seven children, she is the seventh generation of a family living in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter.
Today, Ruchama is a mother of 6 who lives in Old Katamon.
Her husband, Yaakov Hershkovitz, had served in the Parachutist division. After leaving the army, he became the director of a company in industry.
For 26 years, the couple has been members of an organization that helps cancer patients. Today they are the heads of an association called “Connected Plus” for cancer patients between the ages of 20-35. Every month patients are taken on a special activity. This month they took the patients to Italy for 6 days; another time they took them to the north of Israel for 2 days.
Ruchama’s children are all professionals. Some are teachers or principals, two are in politics: Itti is chief assistant to Minister Bennett in the Foreign Office and Ido is head assistant to Minister Elkin in Jerusalem Affairs.
All five of her sons served in the army and fought in the second Lebanon War, in Oferet Yetzuka and Tzuk Eitan.
Ruchama can be proud of the amazing accomplishments of her family members. Their service to the country and various voluntary offerings to the private sector are truly sources of admiration. Yet, her appearance exudes modesty. In attractive, colorful outfits she is a model of an Orthodox Jewish woman with understated elegance.
Rabbi Josef Soloveichik categorizes teachers as “king teachers” and “saint teachers.” My category for Ruchama Hershkowitz is “mother teacher.”
In my opinion that is top category.