January 19, 2009

Clowning Around…the World

Last summer (Tzedakah Diary June 16, July 1, 2008) we shared the work of Dr. Neal Goldberg and his troupe of medical clowns, Lev Leytzan (heart of a clown) – Compassionate Clown Alley. In addition to the many, many adults and children in the greater New York City area who have been cheered by these professionally trained teens and young adults, several clowns had an unforgettable experience last month when they made a slight detour on their annual trip to Israel. Several members of the troupe stopped in Munich to visit with elderly Shoah survivors living in that city. While still in Munich, Neal shared the following thoughts on the impact of visiting an area with such powerful significance:

Munich has been incredible. We’re blown away. We’ve been moving between hosting home visits, senior centers and community events with historical visits. Dachau was powerful – our debriefing consensus was that our clowning brings life to where tragedy and illness try to take it away!!

Once the full troupe assembled in Israel they spent ten days visiting hospitals, community centers, and other venues where the smile of a clown can transform anyone in need of some cheer.

Shortly after returning from their whirlwind tour, Neal shared the following link to a great article on the clowns which appeared in CNN. Check it out…

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/18/clown.joy.patients/