“When I see Belle Garfinkel at the Jewish Home, I truly know that love is ageless,” said Nita Corré, president of the Jewish Home and Care Center.
The same could be said of Eunice Safer and Della Bornstein. In fact, in a way, it recently was.
On Tuesday, the three were honored at a combined birthday luncheon at the JHCC in its Peck Family Hall. Some 40 volunteers attended the event.
Although Garfinkel recently celebrated her 100th birthday, Safer her 90th and Bornstein her 80th, they are not JHCC residents. Rather, they are long-time volunteers who have each donated thousands of hours of service over the decades.
Garfinkel lives independently on the east side. She said she began volunteering in 1969 because “I just like to do it.”
She has served as day hostess, has led the Men’s Club and now visits individual residents on Mondays. A member of the Honor Roll, she has given more than 2,500 hours of service.
“At an age when many would choose to sit and observe life, Belle continues to visit the Home and share her bright smile and gentle touch with everyone she sees,” said Corré. “Our Mondays are just a little brighter because of Belle Garfinkel.”
Garfinkel shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, longevity appears to run in her family, she said.
“I’ve never been on a diet. I’m just plain fortunate,” she said. “My brother died last August, he was 90. I had a sister who died at 91, despite having Parkinson’s. I still have three sisters, all younger. Everybody is younger than me!”
Garfinkel is not just satisfied volunteering at the Home. “I have been a volunteer for Hadassah in almost every capacity. I belong to just about every Jewish organization in Milwaukee, I think.”
When she’s not volunteering, Garfinkel enjoys spending time with her family and friends and going out to lunch. She also likes to bake, “but it’s a little too warm for that lately,” she said.
Planning to continue
For Eunice Safer, volunteering was a way to keep herself busy after she and her late husband retired from the grocery and dry cleaning businesses.
As she began spending more time volunteering, she said she found it to be “very gratifying. I was busy, I was doing something that helped somebody else.”
Safer has been a day hostess and also assisted in the JHCC’s Sheltered Workshop. Like Garfinkel, she is also listed on the Honor Roll for having donated more than 2,500 hours of service.
“Eunice Safer is truly a treasure,” said Corré. “No matter what adversity life has given her, her passion for our residents has continued.”
Safer is no stranger to adversity — or to overcoming it. In 1981, she survived a battle with cancer, but lost a leg. This, however, did not stop her from volunteering or living independently.
“I was about 78 by the time I got back to the Home,” she said, “thanks to the encouragement of Deb Comella,” the JHCC community relations coordinator.
“She was helpful in getting me things to do that didn’t require too much effort,” Safer said. “I was in a wheelchair of course. Now I have to take county [transportation] because I can’t drive.”
Safer, who comes to the Home on Tuesdays, is also known for leading discussions on current events, often regarding the situation in Israel, where some members of her family reside and where she still visits.
“People are very responsive,” she said. “They are well-informed. You can hold good discussions with them. We also discuss government. There is plenty in the papers to discuss.”
Safer said she has learned a lot from her years as a volunteer. “I’ve made a lot of friends. You can gain so much from other people, from what they have to say or what they have done in their lives.”
Bornstein, the youngest of the honorees, also began volunteering at the Home when it was still located on 50th St.
“My mother was in the home and so I went to volunteer,” she said. “My mother and I served tea to all the residents. I’ve been doing it ever since. Besides Na’amat, this is my baby.”
Corré described Bornstein as being “all heart.” “She has served the home with love and dedication … for over 30 years.”
Ever since the Home moved to its present location on Prospect Ave., Bornstein has taken a leadership role in the gift shop, which serves residents, their families and guests.
“Anything they ask for, I’ll get it for them,” she said. “I have an area for children’s toys because many residents have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
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