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CHARLIE AND BERNADINE: A PEN PAL STORY

Charlie is a 10-year-old Temple Israel Religious School student who likes to play soccer and Monopoly and watch Marvel movies with his family. He loves sushi and ice cream sandwiches, and thinks he’d like to be an engineer when he grows up. At Religious School, he enjoys “learning cool traditions and singing fun songs.”

Charlie decided to get connected with a pen pal from TI because he felt like people “should have someone to talk to and write to.” Charlie was paired up with Bernadine who lives in Brookdale Senior Living. He “sent a letter to Bernadine and she wrote back, so we became pals.”

Bernadine just turned 98 years old in February and has lived such an interesting life. She grew up right outside of Boston, MA, served as a nurse in WWll, had a “beautiful marriage” to her husband Jack z”l, and has traveled all over the world. This lockdown has really been tough for her. She goes down to the lobby at Brookdale and chats with the other ladies, but the highlight of the past year has really been connecting with Charlie.

“Charlie wanted to hear all about my travels, and he tells me about all of the things he does. He’s involved in everything! We both love to take naps. I look forward to his letters so much. We’ve got something going here. I get so excited when I get that envelope from Charlie. When we get over this lockdown, Rabbi Amy is hosting a party for all the pen pals to meet. I can’t wait to meet Charlie and give him a hug, but don’t tell him that.”

Charlie also shared that “pen pals are really nice and have cool backstories. Bernadine served as a nurse in WWII. It is really cool! She said that they ran out of chloroform sometimes and that would really suck.” He said, “the best thing about having her as a friend is that he will “never feel lost.”

Join Temple Israel’s Pen Pal Program and make a new intergenerational friendship!
Temple Israel has older members who are going through this tough time alone, and who may not have access to a community online. We also know there are many families with school-aged kids that would love to brighten the day and foster some new relationships. If you and/or your child would like to write a letter or card to someone, or if you are a senior interested in a pen pal, please contact Rabbi Amy at afeder@ti-stl.org or 314-432-8050.