As the country reflects on the transition of power with Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday, Jan. 20, I found myself looking back into the Jewish Light archives. There, I came across a story that feels as relevant today as it did in 1962. It’s a timeless reminder that even in times of uncertainty or change, small acts of kindness can create connections that endure.
Meet Dora
In 1962, Dora Offchinicoff, a resident of the Jewish Center for Aged in St. Louis, decided to send a hand-knitted stole to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Offchinicoff wasn’t a public figure or a politician. She was someone who believed in the power of personal gestures. In an interview with the then-St. Louis Light that appeared in the paper on Jan. 26, Offchinicoff said the stole represented the spirit of community and connection.
To Offchinicoff’s surprise, a letter soon arrived from the White House.
Written by Letitia Baldrige, Jacqueline Kennedy’s social secretary, the note thanked Offchinicoff for her thoughtful gift. “Mrs. Kennedy is most grateful for your thoughtfulness in sending the beautifully hand-made stole,” it read. “She realizes the time and effort that went into its making and she is most appreciative.”
Offchinicoff’s photograph from that year, showing her knitting with a warm smile, is a day brightener some 63 years later.
Dora’s legacy continues
Offchinicoff’s story didn’t end there. Following the tragic assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, she once again reached out to the Kennedy family in her own heartfelt way. She created and sent a set of handmade rag dolls for Caroline and John Jr. as a gesture of comfort during their time of grief.
In the Dec. 25, 1963 issue of the Jewish Light, staff writer Richard Roberts wrote, “Dora, who has known poverty, hunger and personal loss as a young woman fleeing the horrors of the pogroms in Poland, is slightly under five feet tall, speaks with an accent and reads no English.
“‘Mr. Kennedy is now in Heaven, sitting in a golden chair at the right hand of God,’ Offchinicoff told Roberts. ‘God sometimes takes the young people and leaves us old people, but He knows best.'”
Offchinicoff’s last mention in the Light
By 1966, Offchinicoff was still bringing joy to those around her. She was seen in multiple photos in various issues of the Jewish Light, with the final picture coming during a celebration of her 83rd birthday, showing her enthusiastically enjoying a slice of watermelon at a community picnic.
We have no record of her passing, so let’s just remember Dora Offchinicoff enjoying her watermelon.
