Scroll donation will honor a Purim heroine

An East Windsor woman is honoring her late daughter with the donation of a megillah, a precious hand-written scroll of the story of Esther.

By:Michael Arges
   EAST WINDSOR — Marti Simoes was a courageous young woman who reached out to help others even when she was struggling terribly with the diabetes that eventually killed her a few years ago. Because Purim was Marti’s favorite holiday, her mother, East Windsor resident Rita Fandell, is honoring her with the donation of a megillah, a precious hand-written scroll of the story of Esther, the heroine of Purim.
   The megillah will be a treasured possession of the Chabad of the Windsors, an outreach ministry for nonobservant Jews, noted Rabbi Sholom Leverton, Chabad director. The cost for such a megillah is more than $1,000.
   "Marti spent her life as a diabetic, but always found ways of helping other people," her mother noted. "While she was on dialysis, she would pick up the phone and she would arrange for transportation to the dialysis centers for other people who were on dialysis. This was especially helpful during the holidays when there was no other transportation available."
   As a young dialysis patient, Ms. Simoes helped set up networks at the time of Purim so that other youngsters suffering from diabetes could hear the story of Queen Esther. Later, she and her husband, Glenn Simoes, worked together to sponsor many special events to help victims of juvenile diabetes.
   Ms. Simoes’ compassion for other diabetics was a response to her own long and terrible struggle with the disease.
   "My daughter Marti was diabetic for many, many years," Ms. Fandell noted. "In the course of her growing up and growing along with the diabetes, she had lost her sight and regained her sight.
   "When Rabbi Leverton told me that the Chabad of the Windsors needed a scroll called the megillah, the first thing that I wanted to do was to pay for the scroll and dedicate it for her memory."
   In her life, Ms. Simoes treasured the year she was chosen to portray Queen Esther, the heroine of Purim, at a Purim ball. In fact, a Purim ball was the last public event Ms. Simoes attended before her death. In her death, she is recognized as a Purim heroine in her own right.