Four decades ago, Shimi Pelman started volunteering for Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, a nonprofit that feeds the needy. Today, as president, he still helps deliver food.
“I used to just be a driver for Tomchei Shabbos,” Pelman told JNS. “In 1984, they asked me to serve on the board.”
“I love what I do,” he said.
Agudath Israel of America honored Pelman on Monday night at a Queens and Long Island legislative leadership reception at Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, a Modern Orthodox synagogue, which drew about 150 people.
Pelman said Tomchei Shabbos serves about 2,000 people each week, and it depends on volunteers to deliver food, handle its operations and raise money.
“It’s an all-volunteer organization,” he said. “No one gets paid.”
One of the most meaningful parts of the work for Pelman is seeing those who once received assistance become in a position to give back themselves. Children and grandchildren of longtime volunteers have also continued being involved, he said.
About 50 years ago, Pelman became involved in communal work. He saw the need for residents to engage more in local politics and to advocate for their neighborhoods. He later helped political candidates who he believed would support the community.
After decades of service, he hopes more young people help sustain the organization.
“Now we need the next generation to step up,” he told JNS.
Sam Berger, an Orthodox Jewish member of the New York State Assembly, told JNS that he attended the reception to “support him and for all he has done for the community over the past several decades.”
“There is nowhere else I would rather be,” the Assembly member said.
Berger praised Agudah’s role in connecting constituents with elected officials. The organization brings Jewish community members to meet with legislators, helping them better understand their constituents’ concerns, he said.
“When Agudath Israel humanizes these issues, it makes it a lot easier for these representatives to go out and advocate,” Berger told JNS.
The state lawmaker said that he values his ability to serve the community.
“I’ve always been a big believer in giving back,” he said. Being in a position to do so “is such a blessing” that he appreciates daily, he told JNS.
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) also praised Agudah’s advocacy. She recalled seeing Pelman and Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of New York government relations at Agudah, advocating in Albany when she served in the state Assembly.
Meng told attendees about congressional efforts to combat Jew-hatred, including bipartisan work to increase funding for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. She also spoke about legislation intended to make security funding more accessible to eligible organizations.
“Israel’s security is a precondition for peace,” Meng said.
She warned against conspiracy theories that blame Jews, Jewish communities and Israel for problems in the United States and around the world.
“We must stand together against it,” she said.
Meng pledged to continue working to combat Jew-hatred and to protect Jewish communities.
Melinda Katz, district attorney of Queens County, also spoke about Jew-hatred and public safety, including ensuring that residents can safely attend synagogues, send their children to school and go about their daily lives.
She lauded Pelman’s longstanding work with Tomchei Shabbos and the Queens Jewish Community Council.