Who is Gertrude "Trudie" Nickel from A Complicated Kindness: A Novel and what is their importance?

Gertrude (Trudie) Nickel is Nomi and Tash's mother, and Ray's wife. She is also the sister of the man, Hans Rosenfeldt, who is the leader of their Mennonite church. Trudie's parents were some of the first people to move to East Village from Russia where they hoped to escape religious persecution.