Rabbi Richard Backer, part of the Island Clergy Circle, has begun a prayer shawl ministry project. These handmade shawls have been given out by churches, synagogues, hospices, and hospitals across the country. They are created for anyone undergoing a medical procedure, healing from surgery, experiencing bereavement, diagnosed with an illness or a terminal illness, or undergoing emotional or spiritual turmoil.
“This is something that I managed while I was a chaplain at Beth Israel and at mainland hospices prior to my retirement,” Rabbi Backer says. “The project seeks Island knitters and crocheters to support our effort to generate an inventory of shawls and lap blankets that will be distributed to our Island hospices, and churches and synagogues, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and other Island organizations that support Island seniors. The shawls are a comforting gift to patients in hospice, who are recovering from an illness, and for those seniors who benefit from such warm and tactile crafts.”
The beneficiaries of the shawls will be Island hospices, the Island hospital, Navigator Homes, Island facilities that serve the elderly, and all Island religious organizations that serve their congregants.
For more information, reach out to Richard Backer: inmass1@aol.com.
