Angel of Mercy: Mrs. Miriam Lubling

Mrs. Miriam Lubling was a pioneer. A builder. A dynamo. A heroine.

She was also barely five feet, an immigrant who spoke a highly accented and rapid-fire English. With her elegant jewelry and her high heels, she walked into operating rooms, intensive care units, and the offices of some of New York’s greatest medical specialists -- and when she walked out, she’d ensured that still another Jewish patient received the best medical care available.

As a founding member of one of the first Bikur Cholim initiatives in America, Mrs. Lubling learned early the many needs of Jewish hospital patients, and how to fill them. They needed visitors, kosher food, Shabbos and Yom Tov spirit, smiles and parties. Most important perhaps, she discovered they needed an advocate to lead them through the daunting world of medical care.

And through building relationships, creating a network of volunteers and donors, and incredible selflessness, Mrs. Lubling became that advocate.

In its countless stories – sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always inspiring – this absorbing biography shows us how one unlikely woman could achieve so much, through iron determination and endless compassion. More: it inspires us to go beyond what we consider possible. Just like the Angel of Mercy, Mrs. Miriam Lubling.