I’d like to share an excerpt from a letter that crossed my desk this week. It was beautifully handwritten with the kind of penmanship that evokes a bygone era. It read:

“Please accept the enclosed check in the amount of $1,080 as my donation to UJA-Federation of New York in honor of the following.

(The names of 10 women follow.)

This group of wonderful women are my Jewish neighbors and friends who together have nursed this Roman Catholic Italian through a nine-month medical difficulty. Each in her own way provided practical physical assistance and much-needed emotional support.

Will you please include the names of these generous ladies in a written acknowledgement of my contribution so I may slip a copy under their apartment doors.”

The letter was signed “Gratefully.”

Curious to learn more, we called the woman (she had provided her phone number). She told us that she chose UJA-Federation because she “knows we help people in need” and we represent the public, organized version of what she experienced personally — a place that brings wonderful people together to care for others, including neighbors of all backgrounds.

We replied with heartfelt thanks, honored by her gift and inspired by the women who earned her gratitude.

In these days leading up to Yom Kippur, we’re instructed to focus on teshuvah, tefilla, and tzedekah — repentance, prayer, and charity. As we search for ways to integrate these ideals into our lives, here is one story — incredibly relatable to all of us — that encapsulates the power of community and the values that should guide us, always.

Shabbat shalom and g’mar tov