Bears from Bergenfield

EL AL AIRLINES
EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES AND BEARS FROM BERGENFIELD BRING COMFORT TO CHILDREN IN NEED IN ISRAEL

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, EL AL Israel Airlines responds to Israeli children in need by providing continuous aid thanks to Bears from Bergenfield, a tzedakah (charity) project based at Congregation Beth Israel in Bergenfield, New Jersey. EL AL has carried close to 60,000 toys to Israel in the past three years, all of which have been donated to a variety of charities, shelters, day care centers, hospitals, Jewish Community Centers and orphanages.

About EL AL

EL AL, Israel’s national airline, offers the most nonstop flights between New York (JFK/Newark) and Israel and the only nonstop service from Miami and Los Angeles.
EL AL is the only airline with First Class service on nonstop flights between the U.S.A and Israel. EL AL flies to more than 40 destinations worldwide from Israel. Your Israel experience begins the moment you board EL AL.

EL AL embodies Israel’s values of innovation and caring and the promise of a genuine Israeli welcome. For updated daily departure and arrival flight information, travelers can call (800) EL AL-747, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For reservations, call EL AL at (800) 223-6700 or any travel agent or visit www.elal.com, where travelers now also have the option of convenient, time saving online check-in for flights departing EL AL gateway cities in North America.

With much gratitude, I thank Deborah Berger of Englewood, for planning
Dara’s, her daughter’s birthday party around our hesed theme of teddy bears. Not
only did Deborah have the children prepare the teddy bear kits, dress them, write
notes, and package them up for us, but she had her guests bring slightly used
stuffed toys as well. The children at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba will have a
brighter Chanukah thanks to Deborah and her family’s efforts. If anyone is
headed to Israel in the near future, please help us get these toys to my
partners, Betty and Ed Wolfe of Kfar Saba.
B’shalom,
Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
Bears from Bergenfield

Here is an example of a flyer for a Bears from Bergenfield toy drive. 

Teddy Bear &

Stuffed Animal Drive

Please donate new or gently used stuffed animals and/or teddy bears to benefit children in Israeli hospitals who need cheering up. 

In coordination with “Bears from Bergenfield” all donations will be sent to children in Israel. What a great way to get your children involved in helping other children. 

Bins will be located in the JCC main entrance and in the new wing of the nursery school from:

October 22^nd – November 26^th

We want to thank you and your children for all your help.

The Early Childhood Mitzvah and Chesed Committee

Co Chairs: Benay Taub, Sharon Nevins, Stacey Braff

Felicia Glantz – Early Childhood Director

“POTATERS”   
Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to
watch while others do the work.
They are called “Spec Taters “.
 
Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with
the way others do the work.
They are called “Comment Taters”.

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don’t
want to soil their own hands.
They are called “Dick Taters”. 
 
Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking
others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour
They are called “Agie Taters”.

There are those who say they will help, but somehow just never get around to
actually doing the promised help.
They are called “Hezzie Taters”.

Some people can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not .
They are called “Immy Taters”.

Then there are those who love others and do what they say they will.
They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping
hand. They bring real sunshine into the lives of others.They are called
“Sweet Po Taters”.

Hospitals- That we give to…so far….
*Hadassah in Jerusalem- www.hadassah.org.il
My friends, Yvette and Lou Tekel bring many toys to this hospital. They contribute much money to this hospital that they support.
*Shaarei Zedek in Jerusalem- www.szmc.org.il
This past April, 2006 my daughter Shira and I brought teddy bears to this hospital. We are so impressed with what is being done with the private donations in the hospital. Emunah Hassin showed us around after we donated the teddy bears.
*Bikur Holim in Jerusalem-www.doctor.co.il/Hospitals/bikur.html
I began to give to them because of their location and direction.
*Tel Hashomer in Tel Aviv- www.obgyn.net/meet.asp?page=/all_advisors/s_mashiach
My friend, Debby Gedal-Beer works in the midwifery department and I want to support the work that she does.
*Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petach Tikvah-www.schneider.org.il/Eng/Index.asp?CategoryID=97
They have bnai mitzvah programs to get involved with.
*Ichilov in Tel Aviv-www.doctor.co.il/hospitalslink.htm
*Dana Children’s Hospital in Tel Aviv-www.science.co.il/Hospitals.asp
*Rambam in Haifa- www.rambam.org.il/
I met Miriam Goldwasser who runs the Meir children’s department in the hospital and I am so impressed!
*Hillel in Hadera -info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/CasualtiesOfWar/2002_06_05.html
*Barzalai Hospital in Ashkelon-www.science.co.il/Hospitals.asp
*Meir in Kfar Saba-www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/776000.html
My partners, Betty and Ed Wolfe bring the toys to Debby Shkedi who runs at least 1/3 of the hospital single handedly.
*Western Galliee in Nahariya-www.jewishagency.org/jewishagency/english/israel/partnerships/regions/weste…

in Efrat
three abused womens shelters in Jerusalem, Ramat/Beit Shemesh and Tel Aviv

victims of terror organizations-
Atzum contact Roberta Bernstein in Jerusalem
One Family Fund contact Yehuda Poch in Jerusalem
Navah.org.il
Yad Chazaka contacts on Long Island
All4Israel contact Zalman Indig
Kids4kids contact Yeshara Gold
One Heart contact Sarri Singer
Chesed for Israel contact David Cass
other places that we give to-
Beit Levenstein
JCC in Haifa- Neve Yosef
Bears without Borders
Save a life- Rabbi Meir Solomon

and this is just for starters……

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EL AL AND “BEARS FROM BERGENFIELD” BRING
COMFORT TO PEOPLE IN NEED IN ISRAEL
EL AL Makes a 7th Grade Classroom’s Great Act of Kindness Possible
New York, NY - October 5, 2006 - EL AL Israel Airlines responds to Israeli children in need by providing continuous aid to “Bears from Bergenfield,” a tzedakah (charity) project run out of the 7th grade religious school at Congregation Beth Israel in Bergenfield, New Jersey. So far, EL AL has carried more than 42,000 toys to Israel that have been delivered to a variety of charities including impoverished and orphaned children.
Claire Ginsburg Goldstein and her children, Sam and Shira, founded “Bears from Bergenfield” in 2002. Sam, eleven years old at the time, came up with the idea of sending teddy bears to children in need in Israel. Claire,a religious  schoolteacher, mentioned the idea to her class, and within a week received their very first donation. The initial shipment of thirty bears, brought over by Sharon Evans, founder of Project Embrace, and organization for victims of terror, raised awareness at their school and various community organizations, and support for the project grew at a tremendous rate. To date, “Bears from Bergenfield” has collected over 42,000 new and slightly used stuffed animals and teddy bears, with donations continuing to pour in.
Upon arrival in Israel, the teddy bears are always greeted by a retired American couple, Betty and Ed Wolfe, from Monsey, New York who immigrated to Israel (Aliyah) forty years ago. The bears are then transported by the Wolfe’s from the EL AL terminal to their first drop off point,  Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba received by Debby Shkedi,  and then on to a variety of shelters, charities, hospitals, organizations, Jewish Community Centers, and orphanages, where they are distributed to young people of all ages.
“Without EL AL’s assistance and the enthusiasm of its employees, our mission to help Israel’s children in need would have never been possible,” stated Goldstein. “We are so proud to be working with EL AL and appreciative of its ongoing kindness and generosity, which has helped us continue to forge forward in bringing more and more toys to Israel.”

Shown Here:
Campers from Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY bound for Israel gather at New York’s JFK Airport before taking off on an EL AL flight to Tel Aviv to deliver the “Bears from Bergenfield” to children in need.
About EL AL
EL AL, Israel’s national airline, offers the most nonstop flights between New York (JFK/Newark) and Israel, the only nonstop service from Miami, the only nonstop service from Los Angeles (as of July 23, 2006) and the only direct service from Chicago (four times weekly, effective October 22, 2006). From the USA, EL AL codeshares with Delta Airlines and offers special fares from 48 additional cities. EL AL is the only airline with First Class service on nonstop flights between the U.S. and Israel. EL AL flies to more than 40 destinations worldwide from Israel. Your Israel experience begins the moment you board EL AL.
EL AL embodies Israel’s values of innovation and caring and the promise of a genuine Israeli welcome. EL AL is proud to bring tourism back to Israel. For updated daily departure and arrival flight information, travelers can call (800) EL AL-747, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For reservations, call (800) 223-6700 or in the New York area (212) 768-9200 or any travel agent or visit www.elal.com
EL AL. It’s not just an airline. It’s Israel.
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EL AL Israel Airlines LTD.
15 East 26th Street, New York, NY 10010 www.elal.com