Ruth Mermelstein
Ruth Mermelstein is everyone’s special volunteer at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, where she visits up to 80 patients a day on Mondays and Thursdays, helping to accommodate requests, facilitate communications, and put smiles on patients’ faces.
On one occasion, Ruth noticed that a patient had not touched her lunch. When she learned that the patient was unable to cut her chicken, Ruth did it for her and sat by her side while she ate. On another occasion, a patient asked for a Bible and another asked for a Hebrew prayer book with English translation. Ruth went directly to the hospital chaplain to obtain both.
Patients appreciate Ruth’s warm and compassionate nature, according to Maia Makharadze, Coordinator, Department of Volunteer Services, who says, Ruth’s “enthusiasm is inspirational.”
Last spring, Ruth was honored with the hospital’s 2018 Best in Brooklyn Volunteer Award—the latest in a series of awards she has received from Mount Sinai Brooklyn since she began volunteering there in 2009. “After my husband passed away, I decided to volunteer at Mount Sinai Brooklyn because this is my hospital,” Ruth says. “This is where my family has always gone for our medical needs.”
Ruth and her husband Ernest, both Holocaust survivors, were married for more than 60 years and raised three children in the United States. She has 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. As a child, Ruth says, she wanted to become a nurse, but her plans were derailed because of the war. Her parents and six siblings were murdered during the Holocaust.
“I can honestly say Mrs. Ruth Mermelstein is a grandmother to everyone in the Mount Sinai Brooklyn community, where she is loved and admired by all,” says Maia. “We are fortunate to have been chosen as the place where she continues to devote many hours in service to others. Her sensitivity, talent, dedication, and hard work have immensely benefited our patients and staff.”