Mrs. Shani (Stefansky) Waldman, Founder of Samcheinu
“I felt like I lived on a different planet,” Mrs. Waldman says. “I may have been managing. Perhaps I went to the bus stop with my children, bought my children shoes and did my grocery shopping, just like every other mother. But living without a husband was living on a different planet.”
Her mother introduced her to some friends of hers that were also widows, but they were much older than she was, and she didn’t find it helpful to speak to them.
One evening she was invited to a get-together for like-minded widows. It was a warm gathering that took place around someone’s dining room table. Connecting to these women was so comforting. And so, Mrs. Waldman and a friend organized another gathering of this sort. Once and then again and again and again. Word spread, and each time the gatherings grew to include more women. What began around a dining-room table has since grown to become a huge organization known as Samcheinu.
As soon as she opens her mouth you will appreciate that Mrs. Waldman is a born orator and teacher. She explains the pain of widowhood and the goal of Samcheinu so clearly and articulately that I was really mesmerized. Let me know if you were similarly spellbound!
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