On an icy Monday recently, nearly 100 of our community’s parents, faculty and students assembled in the auditorium of Magen David Yeshivah. This year the entire 6th grade of MDY was presented with an opportunity to exhibit their ideas about hesed thanks to a program founded by Mrs. Julie Dweck in memory of her beloved husband, Mr. Haim Dweck A”H. Along with her children and grandchildren, the family wanted to fund a program that would not only benefit the youth through education, but connect with others through acts of kindness as well.
“We had no idea what to expect from these kids. To our knowledge, no program like this exists. We knew there had to be a reward to get the students excited about participating,” said Mr. Hymie S. Dweck. The reward, as it turns out, was a $10,000 scholarship to be divided between the four finalists. By the end of November the projects were pouring in. The results were demonstrated in various scrapbooks, PowerPoint presentations and interactive fundraising programs.
The Award Ceremony was led by both Rabbi Baruch Hilsenrath, principal and Rabbi David Sultan, vice principal of the elementary school. “The essence of our community is based upon the power of hesed; there is no finer fashion for the children and grandchildren of Haim Dweck,” said Rabbi Hilsenrath.
After introductions, Jacqueline Balassiano, the first winner, was called to the stage. Her hesed, “Recess Hatzolah” explained the importance of including all children in collective games and activities during free time at school. In a thorough and very colorful scrapbook, Jacqueline wrote about the kids who had felt left out and possible remedies for those effected. “I am sure that if someone could explain to the kids how someone feels when they are left out, we can make a lot of children very happy,” she said.
Next, Helen Menashe was introduced to the crowd. Her project, inspired by a close family member, spiraled into many different kinds of hesed. Helen began sending out flyers to collect backpacks over Simchat Torah. The backpacks were to be filled with school supplies and donated to less fortunate students. The hesed then took a great twist. Helen was contacted by Bikur Holim. She was notified that they participate in a similar program, but were never able to collect enough backpacks. Fortunately, the task was easily handled by Helen. She collected 1,000 backpacks. Not only was she an angel for Bikur Holim, but for many of the children in Sloan Kettering who received bags filled with school supplies as well.
Third, Raquel Sitt and her family climbed the stairs to accept her award. Raquel’s project required the help of families travelling to Israel, which pushed the hesed even further. Her idea began with teddy bears and needy children, but it grew internationally. Raquel began collecting the stuffed dolls from various donors. “Every day, when I came home from school, the pile of dolls kept getting bigger and bigger,” said Raquel. Finally, she decided to hook up with “Bears from Bergenfield,” an organization that distributes the stuffed animals to underprivileged children all over Israel. After all this work, the project still was not complete. Next, she found families travelling to Israel who were willing to take the overflowing bags with them. After the task was accomplished, she took on a final act of kindness. Raquel delivered Shabbat flowers to the families who partook in transporting over 250 toys to Israel.
Finally, Victor Zeitoune created an evening filled with father-son bonding, which not only included Torah learning, but also raised money for charity. The evening spent in the Magen David gymnasium is a reflection of Victor’s organizational skills and outlined the importance of “healthy competition” and “time spent together” for today’s youth. The fathers and sons of the 6th grade participated in two-on-two basketball, relay races, and answered Torah trivia questions led by Rabbi Saban. “This event raised approximately $700. All proceeds went to MDY,” Victor said. The night was a complete success.
After all the photos were taken and the final award had been bestowed, classes at Magen David resumed as usual. Yet, one fact is irrefutable: all of the students who participated in the Haim Dweck A”H Hesed Competition had spread kindness in one way or another. All of the winners involved members of their families and community to complete the task at hand, and that is the effect of true hesed. Even if it only begins with a single effort, it is sure to spread like the roots of a tree. Perhaps the only people more proud than The Dweck family and the rabbis of MDY, are the parents of these extraordinary children.
We are looking forward to seeing what comes next!
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Randi Shomer is a community member, mother of four children and a freelance writer for IMAGE Magazine.
