Stories

Rush to the Hospital

Shawbridge, a country town in the Laurentiens was like a little Shtetl in the summer with lots of Jewish families enjoying a well earned break. Rabbi Hershel Ceitlin, well known Shochet and Mohel was there too with his wife Mrs. Riva Ceitlin and their young family. Mrs. Ceitlin was expecting their fourth child but she wasn’t worried to be hours away from the hospital in Montreal as she was not yet in her 9th month. However, while her husband was in Shule, she suddenly went into premature labour and quickly sent her oldest daughter to go fetch her husband urgently. However, there was very little Rabbi Ceitlin could do about getting her to the hospital. He didn’t have a car and in any case he was needed to stay in the country with the younger children. But clearly she needed to get to the hospital quickly! Luckily Rabbi Kramer was in the country too and he did have a car. Rabbi Kramer regularly offered rides to anyone requiring transport to and from the country, as he usually drove to and from the city daily in order to be with his family as much as possible during the summer months. Rabbi Kramer quickly drove Mrs. Ceitlin to the hospital where she soon gave birth to her daughter Zelda, now Mrs. Yarmush of Montreal, Canada.