Meet this Week’s JewishMOM: London’s Vicki Belovski
Vicki Belovski with her husband and children.
Where did you grow up? I was born and grew up in North West London.
Where do you live? Having lived in Gateshead in North East England while my husband was learning, and in North East London, where he had his first rabbinic positions, we have now returned to Golders Green, North West London.
How old are you? 45
What are the names and ages of your children? Michali is 16, Tehilloh is 13, our twins, Dovid Chaim and Tomor Chemdoh, are 11, Rochel Tif’eres is 8, Shmuel Yosef is 6 and our baby Moshe Simcha is 2.
As an only child, how do you think your childhood differed those of your children growing up in a big family, ka”h? Well, it’s swings and roundabouts – I had my parents’ undivided attention and we were able to travel fairly widely in both England and Europe, but I didn’t have built-in playmates, so I had to entertain myself much more.
When I was a child, and watched my friends fighting with their siblings, I loved being an only child, but now I see the fun my children have together, and I do feel that I missed out a bit.
If you are a WM, what do you do? I’m a writer, so I have the best of both worlds. I’m able to do something which I enjoy and which is worthwhile, but still stay at home. I am the community news editor for the UK edition of Hamodia. I’m also working on a biography of a local personality at the moment and I write other freelance pieces.
What’s it like being the rebbetzin of a shul? It’s fun – mostly it involves providing backup for my husband and being nice to people. We entertain community members quite a lot – both on Shabbos and in other formats such as barbecues, Sunday teas, etc. I also teach brides, which is a tremendous privilege and responsibility, but mostly my rebbetzin role is to treat the community as part of our extended family and share their simchos and when necessary, their tzoros.
The Belovski family at London's Royal Botanic Gardens
Outside of mothering, what do you most love to do?
Read, write, visit museums and galleries, walk in the countryside – we’re off to the Alps in the summer and I can’t wait! I’ve recently begun blogging again at http://mrsbelogski.posterous.com/ and tweeting as well (follow me @MrsBelogski.)
What school/university did you attend? I have a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, which is where I met my husband, who studied Maths there. Many of our contemporaries at Oxford or Cambridge are now trying to run the country, but I think that we are probably doing a more important task, bringing up our children and looking after our community, and I also think we are making a better job of it!
How do you define yourself hashkafically? We don’t fit in a box!
What’s your favorite part of being a mom? Spending time with my children, singing with them as Shabbos goes out, snuggling with the little ones – I’m typing this with the baby sleeping on my lap.
My best moment of the day – when they are all finally asleep, and I know they are there and wonderful, but I have some time without them.
What’s the toughest part, for you, of being a mom?
Laundry? Deciding what to make for supper? Balancing competing demands of husband, children and work with the possibility of some time to myself.
What’s the best advice for moms you’ve ever received?Well, a lot of our friends told us that going from 2 to 3 children was very hard, so we decided to skip that one out by going straight from 2 to 4 children.
Serious advice – say “yes” to your children as much as you can, so then, when you have to say “no” they will respect it – I think this comes from Rav S. R. Hirsch.
How did you hear about JewishMOM.com?I reread “Expecting Miracles” when I was expecting Moshe Simcha and the suggestions for verses etc. really made a difference to my labour. I knew it was likely to be the last child we had, and I wanted the labour to be a meaningful and spiritual experience, which it was. So after that, I tracked down the blog…
How long have you been reading JewishMOM.com?
1 – 2 years
What’s your favorite part of JewishMOM.com? I like the posts where Chana Jenny, or someone else, share their personal experiences the best.
Meet the previous JewishMOMs of the Week:
Jerusalem’s Yehudit Levy
Seattle’s Sara Gallor
Maaleh Michmas’ Rachael Masri
Baltimore’s Sheva Givre
Hevron’s Leah Hochbaum
These JewishMom posts have become my favorite part of the site!
me too, I am enjoying these immensely. Every mom is so inspiring in her own way!
Wow that photo was scary. Thought you must have a couple of helping girls or tenants in the picture or something until I realised those really were Michali and Tehilloh. It’s been too long Mrs Belogski 🙂