Recording History

January 28, 2009

Recording History

Back on the November 14, 2008 Tzedakah Diary entry we shared the work of Alice Jonah and the residents of the old Diplomat Hotel in Jerusalem. The hotel is now home to hundreds of (mostly) Russian Elders who arrived in Israel hoping to live a life of freedom in the Holy Land. Alice has been their dedicated companion, providing for their social as well as physical welfare through both her volunteer and paid work there. Aside from a beautiful chorus, ulpan, field trips and many, many other meaningful activities, Alice has also facilitated a very special project that was the idea of a creative mitzvah-thinker we know. When our friend learned about Alice’s work with the Russians he realized almost immediately how important their past lives were and how their experiences were a mirror of history in Russia. Many of the residents took part in significant World War II events and other actions of equal historical significance, and as they pass on so does an irreplaceable part of history. The idea that grew out of this was to facilitate the recording of many of the residents’ memories so that a permanent record would be created.

Today, we received the following update from Alice which clearly shows how very important these interviews were. We are happy to report that our friend will send us funds so that even more recordings can be made and history will not be forgotten after all.

The interviews went very well, and for some of the people, it was the first time which they actually spoke in a structured manner of their very difficult experiences before, during and after the war years. Some have told their stories in the past, but not in this fashion. It was definitely therapeutic for most of the participants…

Luba, who conducted the interviews, was very moved by the experience. There are such incredible stories – and each one so different. She is prepared to carry on, though her situation is such that she worked very slowly. Altogether, twenty-five interviews were completed. The people she spoke with know her well, and have trust in her, and thus were able to speak volubly and openly.

One of our student population, Ruthie Yanovsky, transferred the taped material to computer, so we have both versions…

Teachable Moments

January 27, 2009

Teachable Moments

A few days ago, I sent an email to Ron Adams, a dynamic teacher at the Broad Meadows Middle School in Quincy, MA. to learn whether the Good People Fund might be able to help the important work he does there. We described Ron’s work with the students at Broad Meadows in this diary on April 22, 2008. Quite simply, students at the school who wish to change the world in exciting and meaningful ways can join Ron’s after-school club which is dedicated to improving the lives of kids around the world. Former students began the group more than ten years ago when they were privileged to meet Iqbal Masih, a young boy from Pakistan who had been sold by his parents to a carpet maker and remained chained to a loom creating beautiful carpets for long hours each day. When Iqbal escaped and traveled to America to receive an award from Reebok for his efforts to end child slavery, he visited the Quincy school and enthralled the students with his moving story. After returning to Pakistan, Iqbal was gunned down and so began the Quincy students’ quest to end child slavery wherever it may be. Inspired by Iqbal, they formed the Kid’s Campaign and began to accomplish amazing things around the world. Though the original students have long since graduated and are now adults (and, no doubt, profoundly changed by their experience), many students from subsequent classes have joined the campaign and continue the good work.

Ron’s response to my question about how we could help:

Dear Naomi,

I met with several of our newest student campaign leaders yesterday to show them the Wish List I emailed to you. They were stunned silent. They did not know that their kids’ campaign has a long distance angel providing their group with the tools of change. You should have seen their faces. Their facial expressions went from mouth open, heads back, to looking at each other confused, to heads slumping with smiles on each face. Then the questions came fast and furious. Who is this Naomi? Who are the Good People? It was the teachable moment, and I pulled out our photo archives to show the new leaders photos from past years including photos from the (Ziv Tzedakah Fund) New Jersey and Rhode Island Mitzvah Heroes Conferences. "What’s a Mitzvah?" asked one of the girls who has become a grade 6 leader named Amira, clothed in traditional Iraqi covering, a Muslim. After that teachable moment she said she has to meet Naomi to shake her hand and to show her the posters and poems she has made for the campaign using the tools sent last school year. She is young enough that stereotypes and prejudice have not yet been permanently formed. Her family moved to the U.S. to escape the sectarian violence in Baghdad three years ago. Amira is hoping to do some "mitzvahs" this year. Other grade 6 girls joined in: Renette, recently from Haiti and Biba from Morocco both promised to work with Amira. It was a moment of innocence and sweetness. Surrounding these girls were third, fourth and fifth generation Catholics, a Jewish boy, a Universalist eighth grader, a Buddhist and Baptist. Yet, united, everyone was looking at the photos and realizing on whose shoulders they were all standing. The connections to the people, who in the past worked to create a Kids’ Campaign for Iqbal Masih and children like Iqbal in any country, suddenly became visible and obvious. I jumped in. The lesson to be learned I told them was that there are teams of good people all over the world who quietly or loudly sacrifice and volunteer together to help make the world, anyone’s world, better. They are just like us, all races, all religions. They do it, I said, not because it gets you fame or free supplies, you volunteer together because it is the right thing to do. I congratulated the new leaders for joining for the right reason, and I hoped they would now understand that grade 6, 7 and 8 students can change the world a little, but only if we build bridges to other people. Those people might be the same age or old, the same religion or race or not. And finally, good people find each other, team and dream together about changing the world a little, then, remarkably they TAKE ACTION to turn those dreams into realities. That’s how people, any person really, can better the world. I told them that we are blessed in our Kids’ Campaign because good people found us! Imagine where we would be without their friendship and encouragement and support.

Gosh, I love working with this age group. They are still open minded and pure. I truly hope and wish and pray that they will (in these formative years) discover the good people are all from the same race…the human race.

Reading a note like this cannot help but make us want to do whatever we can to ensure that these young idealistic kids succeed. The list that Ron sent us included several items which we hope to provide for them, but the one thing that is always the most fun to do is to go online with the long shopping list for Staples and click away! In thirty minutes I had filled my "virtual" basket with markers, pens, poster board, ink cartridges, glue sticks…and, perhaps, most important of all, some Twizzlers and some pretzels for sustenance while they work long hours after school to change the world.

If you want to learn more about the "Quincy kids" and their work, we suggest you follow this link which will take you to information about a newly released DVD which features their story (as well as nine other stories about truly good people) https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/Mitzvah_Movies

Clowning Around…the World

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/

A Dog Tale

January 15, 2009

A Dog Tale

When the school year began last Fall we were in touch with Tamara Ruben, principal of the Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim Religious School in Cranford, NJ. Tamara wanted the kids in her school to become truly involved in a tzedakah project. Putting coins in the school tzedakah box was fine, but she wanted something more than that-something truly "hands-on".

Tamara was impressed with Avshalom Beni and his Israeli program, Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance-HAMA Israel, and wanted her students to learn more about this unique organization which uses (mostly) rescued animals (dog and cats) as co-therapists in treating both kids and adults who experience many different types of emotional and physical disabilities. After introducing her school to HAMA through a video produced by the now-closed Ziv Tzedakah Fund, students and teacher alike embarked upon a multi-faceted effort to help HAMA.

What follows is a note that Tamara sent to her congregation and shared with us. We think it is a beautiful description of not only her school’s efforts, but also her encounter with Avshalom, his co-therapists, and some of his most vulnerable clients. Kol Hakavod to everyone who took part in this special mitzvah.

… I would like to share with you a story of great inspiration and hope that has to do with a connection with HAMA (http://www.hama-israel.org.il/) an Israeli organization and TBEMC’s Religious School. I am sharing this with you so that you too will be proud of our special school and its wonderful values.

As you can read in their website, HAMA is rooted in the unique and mutual bonding and welfare between humans and animals. Its organizers work closely with various public social welfare agencies, hospitals and educational institutions in establishing a "bridge" consisting of mutual healing. It is for these elements that we decided to interest our students at TBEMC Religious School.

During the last few months, our students have been able to raise money in time for my visit here at HAMA. In keeping with our school philosophy that the best gift one can receive is by giving of ourselves, as Hanukkah was approaching last Sunday, the entire school was busy baking healthy dog biscuits and decorating beautiful bandannas for the animals of HAMA. (I will tell you what happened at the airport at another time…:)

While the nights are now cold in Israel and the days are shorter, my encounter with the founders of HAMA, Avshalom and his wife Pam, their dedicated staff. and their many animals who themselves have suffered devastating injuries, brought so much light, warmth and an example of human/animal kindness that transcends any written word. My visit to The Lev Hasharon Hostels for Holocaust Survivors, one of the many projects that HAMA has established, truly made me feel that this was a holy place; a place where humans understand the meaning of being "B”tzelem Elohim" in God”s image.

Equipped with the delicious dog biscuits and the beautiful bandannas from our Religious School, my daughter and I drove to the center, about 30 minute drive north of Tel Aviv. The center is nestled in the midst of the luscious Sharon region where golden oranges are still visible in the surrounding orchards and old Eucalyptus trees are seen everywhere. It was Friday afternoon and as the cheerful dogs of all sizes and kinds leaped out from Avshaom’s van, it was a love at first site.You could feel a sense of gratitude in these animals who knew neglect, abuse and injuries and are now determined to be "healers" themselves. Their spirit was so uplifting, with an abundance of an unconditional and infectious love adorned by endless "kisses". … the dogs devoured the biscuits and proudly wore the bandannas that were lovingly made by our students at TBEMC.

When the Holocaust survivors joined us, one could sense that this encounter brought a relief, a spark of love, a smile and touch, consoling their broken souls. There was very little that was needed to be said amidst the dogs’ excitement. In fact, words would have interfered in this stunning encounter.

HAMA: Tormented human beings and animals who were able to build a sacred bridge that will stay etched in my heart forever.

Gifts of Light

January 14, 2009

Gifts of Light

Oops! We almost forgot to share this little holiday story with all of you. Last month we had a chance to speak with PK Beville, founder of Second Wind Dreams (Tzedakah Diary, April 28, 2008, http://www.secondwind.org/), a special organization which makes dreams come true for elders living in closed-care institutions. When you live in a nursing home, the holidays can be particularly difficult. So many of the elders that Second Wind works with are not only isolated because of their confinement to a nursing facility, but many do not even have family who can bring some holiday joy into their lives.

For many years, PK and her volunteers have organized Gifts of Light…a gift extravaganza delivered to elders who might otherwise have a very quiet and sad holiday celebration. This year, the Gifts of Light program was in peril as the economy plummeted and donations dwindled. Could we help? PK was thrilled. With the Good People Fund donation, her volunteer elves hit the stores. Here is what they came up with! A wise investment on our part….

A True Birthday ANGEL

January 9, 2009

A True Birthday ANGEL

It is only 6:52AM as I write this and my day has already been "made"! With Israel seven hours ahead on the clock there are always early emails waiting in the dark, cold morning of winter in New Jersey.

This morning’s email actually brought two "gifts" but we will save the story of the second one for another day. The message I received that truly made my day was from Ruthie Sobel Luttenberg, the creative founder of Birthday Angels who we have written about before. (Tzedakah Diary, April 29, 2008 and December 10, 2008) Earlier this week, Ruthie shared that she was going to help some of the kids from the south of Israel cope with the trauma of living in a place where rockets fall indiscriminately from the sky. This was nothing new for Ruthie. In the summer of 2006 she could be found in the shelters in the North of Israel trying to distract and cheer those kids who spent so many hours each day confined to the shelter.

With her usual warm and caring personality, it was no surprise to find the following story on my screen. Click through this link and see how one person is making life better for kids who could use some joy in their lives right now. You won’t be disappointed. http://www.birthday-angels.org/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=1210387&depart_id=70698