Close-knit team helps spread warm feelings
Temple Beth Miriam Knitting Group members, from left, Marian Gross, Carole Maling, Harriet Herer, Sharon Silverman, and Susie Braiman, display their Whimsy-Jersey Shore Sunrise blanket in the temple lobby. Not pictured is group member Sarah Schwartz.
Photo by Jill Huber
The Knitting Group of Temple Beth Miriam in Elberon brings comfort to others through the warmth of the blankets and caps they have been knitting for the past four years.
The group is part of the temple's social action committee, and its members usually donate the blankets and caps they craft to area hospitals and hospices.
But on Sunday, Oct. 28, one of their handiworks became part of the community-wide Mitzvah Day (see related story). When a craft store that was sponsoring a competition closed, the group decided to raffle off Whimsy-Jersey Shore Sunrise, the blanket they had submitted for consideration. Sales of the raffles brought in more than $300. (Temple members Sue and Steve Peckman of Wall had the winning ticket and took home the blanket.)
The group will use the money to purchase yarn, knitting needles, and other supplies to create more items to give to those in need. Members have already completed 18 new baby blankets and are working on knitted squares for adult-sized blankets.
They plan to have a bunch of blankets ready to give to a group of temple members who will visit Israel in April to deliver to patients at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
The group came together in 2003 after Susie Braiman of Ocean knitted several hats for one of her son's teachers, who was battling cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy. Braiman contacted social action committee chair Melissa Peck and suggested the formation of a group to fashion caps and blankets for others coping with serious illnesses.
Peck, who resides in Ocean, and several other temple members who were interested in the project discussed the idea with medical staff representatives from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and Monmouth Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House, both in Long Branch. All three facilities enthusiastically approved the project, and a "labor of love" began in earnest, Peck said.
Before long, six temple members were busily knitting soft, acrylic caps and blanket squares sporting the colorful imprint of each knitter. Every month, the group meets to crochet the squares into lap-sized blankets that are a blend of colors, textures, and pictorial designs.
"That makes each blanket a group effort that is made with love," Braiman said. "As a group, we're bringing warmth and comfort to others, while knowing that we are practicing the spirit of tikun olam."
In 2006, the group began making blankets and caps for infants and children, while continuing its other projects.
"We are always looking for new ways to benefit others," said member Harriet Herer of Long Branch. "There are so many infants, children, and adults whom we can help and comfort. That's why we formed this group in the first place."
The group knits approximately 40 blankets and 200 caps per year. Each completed blanket bears a label that reads "From the knitting needles of Temple Beth Miriam, N.J."
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in August 2005, knitters worked with the temple's senior youth group and completed six blankets that were sent to victims of the cataclysmic storm.
"We believe so strongly in tikun olam," said member Sharon Silverman of Ocean. "We believe in trying to make the world a better place, and we hope the blankets that were sent to the Katrina victims provided some comfort."
"Continuing the group's projects is the most important thing to me," said Braiman. "We're bringing warmth and comfort to children and adults who are facing serious medical crises. I hope our blankets wrap them with love."
Additional information about Beth Miriam's knitting group is available from the temple office at 732-222-3754.
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