Part II
Not all that glitters is gold
Mrs. Miriam Shmuelevitz runs an old successful and well-known
business, selling jewelry from her home.
"I finished seminary with a diploma as a kindergarten teacher
and I began working as a substitute," says Mrs. Shmuelevitz.
"My temporary position was about to finish after my
forthcoming marriage and income was an issue. My search for a
job as a kindergarten teacher turned up nothing. A relative
who worked repairing watches heard about my efforts to find
work and enlisted me for the job. In the afternoons, I went
out according to his instructions to bring and return repairs
from stores, while I continued substituting in the mornings.
In the meantime, I got married and as a natural continuation
of my work with the watches, I started selling jewelry at
home. When someone in the area got engaged, I took advantage
of my connections with sellers and I offered gold watches at
a good price. I kept that job on a low burner. The choice was
pretty narrow because I didn't have money to invest in stock.
News of my low prices traveled the grapevine and my business
gradually grew.
"In those days, there wasn't an awareness of the possibility
of women working from home. I was a pioneer! There were those
who encouraged me to look for something stable and permanent
outside but I found there were advantages to working at home
and I preferred to perfectly fulfill my role of helpmate."
Selling jewelry sounds like a fantastic job, no? On the
living room table, an impressive display of gold jewelry and
two clients, one a young bride with a glowing face and the
second, an older woman, apparently the future mother-in-law,
surveying with interest the rich wares. They ask a few
questions, try things on, consider and then a good deal is
closed. Magic, no? According to Mrs. Shmuelevitz, the saying
"All that glitters is not gold" applies. In order to succeed,
you need vast resources, both physical and emotional.
"My work from home included maneuvering between clients and
diapering babies (in cloth diapers). I tried to give the
children what they deserved as well as the clients. Until the
client chose something, I would prepare meals, peel
vegetables or do the dishes. I didn't ask my husband for
help. He just sat and learned. Years went by until my girls
grew up and began helping me. They were born into the
business and knew how to serve clients but still, the burden
lay on my shoulders.
"One of the main difficulties was the irregular working
hours. People would come early in the morning, during the
afternoon rest hours, after a birth when I was only one foot
in the door. I put working hours on the door but people
didn't know how to read. It said, 'Don't knock on the door,'
so they walked in without knocking.
There were those who came from far and for them I had to give
up my nap. Besides this, because this was a business
connected to simchas, things worked in high gear:
Engagement, wedding. People were pressured and wanted to buy
jewelry quickly. I served clients all the time, almost
without a break.
"Baruch Hashem, the births were frequent and with
everything, I still had to give my children attention, to
make sure they didn't go to sleep without saying kriyas
Shema, that they said blessings before they ate, that the
little ones did their homework, got the best education and
not miss this vital part of life. The money wasn't as
important to me as their chinuch.
"Among the customers were the troublemakers who asked
questions as if they were doing research and in the end
didn't buy anything. I had spent precious minutes with them
from my busy schedule instead of doing other things that
every mother blessed with many children has to do.
"Inside, I was complaining that the day would slip through my
fingers without any profits but I hid my feelings from the
clients. With nerves of steel, I plastered a smile on my
face, and with a good word and encouragement, I gave them the
feeling that I appreciated the bride as well as whoever was
paying. With all the bother, I saw the hand of providence.
May times people `accidentally' came to me after asking about
another address. At the end, they left as satisfied customers
and recommended me to people they knew.
"As the business and the family grew, working from home
required an ongoing ability to cope in many areas. For
example, people would come to me and exactly then my brood
would begin to march in. Of course I had taught them that
when Ima was busy with people, they mustn't disturb, but the
calls of SOS would penetrate the living room and disturb the
peace. I would uncomfortably excuse myself and go fill the
role of Aharon HaCohen. Also cooking was often interrupted by
clients coming.
"In those years, I contented myself with standard fare; the
important thing was that no one would go hungry waiting for
food. There was also the task of cleaning the house when all
around were padding little feet. So I enlisted their help.
One cleaned the doors, someone else the chairs, the third the
walls, etc.
"The need to remain at home all day, to be ready at any time
to fill the needs of those from within and without, bothered
me sometimes. Today, after having married off children and
they are now taking my place in business, I go through
periods where I want to give myself personal attention.
Looking back, I conclude that had I not been strong, patient
and able to deal with the different trials, with Heavenly
assistance, of course, I wouldn't have survived and kept my
head on my shoulders."
Unexpected Clients
One of the difficult trials that Mrs. Shmuelevitz went
through was a robbery in her home. "It was many years ago;
everyone's forgotten but me," she recalls gloomily. "It all
started with a competition among jewelry sellers. Like all
the sellers, I hoped to sell unique eye-catching jewelry and
I gave the subject a lot of thought. I thought constantly
about how to be innovative and I sold desirable collections.
Before my oldest daughter became engaged, I put together for
her a gold watch with a unique bracelet combination and
people were enchanted and wanted the same. Immediately
afterwards, combination gold jewelry hit the market, big
time. At that time, I would create designs, sketch my ideas
and give them to craftsmen to do the job. I made a name for
myself; clients came to the door in droves, were
enthusiastic, put in orders, bought and the business
flourished. And then came the blow.
"One morning, two men knocked on the door. I wasn't
suspicious. As usual, I served them patiently, I showed them
different designs and they wanted to see a different display.
As soon as I turned to get what they had asked for, they came
at me from behind, threatened me, injured me and when I was
in shock, they stole the expensive merchandise and ran off.
The big miracle was that my husband was then in Kollel and
the children in school and they weren't there for the
traumatic show. I alone absorbed the shock.
"I said hagomel afterwards and consoled myself that the
damage was in property and not in body. Of course I still
carry fears until today but I tried to cling to the belief
that it was all a decree from Heaven. Since then I say with
kavona the words from the prayer, " . . . as for all
those who design evil against me . . . nullify their
counsel." As for the merchandise, it was a kindness of Hashem
that they only took a part of it and I was able to continue
with what was left.
"One Friday, an entire family arrived, a grandmother,
children, grandchildren and a baby, to help a bride pick out
her jewelry. Over two hours they sat looking over the jewelry
with every bracelet and necklace going from hand to hand and
being analyzed. At that time, there were new chairs in the
living room that I had purchased in honor of Shabbos for a
lot of money. When I went to get merchandise, the baby threw
up on the new upholstery. Very uncomfortably, they wiped the
chair and beat a hasty retreat. When they left, I got angry.
They should have at least bought something small to make up
for the damage, the mess, the anguish. But I immediately
conquered my anger. I reminded myself that it's my job to
serve the customer at all times, not only when it suits me or
is profitable.
"This point of customer service was inculcated in me by my
father. I grew up in Haifa in a chareidi family among
secular Jews. My father had a felafel store and was always a
role model of customer service — the customer shouldn't
wait, he should always be served nicely, his portion should
be nicely wrapped, he should get a discount. Abba explained
to me that a satisfied customer would bring other clients and
that it's a long-term investment. Experience and time have
taught me that he was right."
Man was Born to Toil
Mrs. Shoshana, an educational coordinator in the seminary,
sheds light both as the mother of a multi-generational family
and as an exemplary educator. "Today, it is very difficult to
find work teaching or as a kindergarten teacher and whoever
gets a fraction of a position or substituting, does not earn
a big salary. Aside from this, work isn't pampering in any
area. The principle is: Don't refuse a job offer even if it's
for a quarter of a position.
"Not long ago, my daughter moved to a town and left a good
position in the city. In the new place, she was offered work
of four hours a week, every day an hour. She wondered what to
do with her children. It wasn't worth finding a babysitter
for one hour. When she asked me, I encouraged her to start
working. They'd get to know her, they'd benefit from her
talents and experience and in time, she'd be promoted.
"Many women and girls expect to find the best work with the
best conditions, near their homes and in the meantime refuse,
work that's offered to them. When one of my daughters
finished seminary, they offered her job teaching girls in an
institution in the afternoons. She wasn't happy because she
wanted a steady position. I encouraged her to be happy with
what she got. I wanted her to have a schedule each day, to
give of herself. Not much time went by and the work began to
interest her. At the same time, she found a position in the
morning while she got a lot out of working in the
institution."
According to Mrs. Shoshana, girls land from a heavy end of
seminary year to nothing. At the beginning, it's nice that
the eldest daughter is at home helping out, but eventually,
they get up to do nothing and this is the period of
shidduchim. Is it worth it for her to find a job far
away that involves tiring travel even to be a substitute
kindergarten teacher? According to Mrs. Shoshana, one
shouldn't be spoiled. It's harder to sit doing nothing at
home than to make a big effort and work.
"When I was young," she recalls, "every evening a few friends
from the area would get together. We got gold beads from a
factory and with tweezers, we would break our fingers
stringing necklaces. We got a few cents on the side. You have
to remember, nobody gets to the top rung without climbing the
ladder. I also worked hard for many years. I had little
children and worked nights counseling. After a few years,
they offered me to be a coordinator but only twice a week. I
still worked nights and that's how I advanced. If a woman
wants to be pampered and also wants her husband to learn, it
doesn't work.
"We're not looking for a career, but for a living. We're not
here to do only what's convenient and comfortable. I heard
about one of the principals of Yeshivas Chevron who once
participated with his students at a wedding until two a.m.
Some of the students didn't make it to shacharis the
next morning. The Rav asked them why they were late. They
told him it was hard for them to get up in the morning. The
Rav told them: `Show me where it's written it's supposed to
be easy. There are many blessings — the fruit of the land,
dew of the sky, fat of the land but there's no blessing that
it should be easy, because man was born to toil'."
