Walking with G-d; Bears from Bergenfield stories
Bears from Bergenfield heads to the public arena
*1)Ashley from Ridgewood came up to me a few weeks ago and told me that she wanted to make Bears from Bergenfield happen at her school. I knew that last year the administration had told her, “No, if they say “yes” to her, then they have to say “yes” to everyone who asks for support for their favorite charity.” But something must have changed their minds this year. Ashley’s mother, Debby, went to bat for Ashley as well. She approached the administration and urged them to make this happen. This year the answer was “yes”.
There has been some distrust among some of the students, claiming that Ashley is collecting for herself, therefore the “haul” hasn’t been what Ashley expected. But nevertheless, Ashley has been able to bring in several bags of toys. Ashley is bursting with pride because she has been able to pull this project off and she is 10 years old.
*2) Joseph, aged 9, from Harrington Park, had joined the Cub Scouts in his town. He and his den mom, who happens to be his mom, looked at the medals that he could work towards this year. They decided to work towards fulfilling the community service requirement and earning that badge. Joseph and his mom, Joann told me that this is the first time that his troop has done anything for the Jewish community and Israel. They are so proud that their troop is willing to do something for Joseph and for Israel.
*3) Last year the girl scouts of Harrington Park collected stuffed toys for us. We hope that they will continue to collect for us annually.
*4) Last Spring, Susan from Maywood, organized her town to collect for us. The drop off/pick up site was located at the Maywood Library. Susan was able to collect over 500 stuffed toys for us in two weeks time.
*5) Last year, the girl scouts from Demarest collected stuffed toys for us. We appreciate their efforts and hope that they will collect for us in the future.
*6) Sue Ellen from South Hackensack runs a day care and moms club. She collects stuffed toys for us whenever she can.
*7) Marsha from Emerson opened up her synagogue’s collection (from Bnai Israel) to the town of Emerson. Marsha was able to collect several duffles worth of toys from our Bears from Bergenfield presentation and her organizing efforts at Pasta Factory in Teaneck last year.
Bears from Bergenfield joins forces with AreyvutBears from Bergenfield was invited to participate with Daniel Rothner’s Areyvut Kaplen JCC Mitzvah Mall on Sept. 23, 2007. The 4th-5th graders from Cong. Beth Sholom’s of Teaneck, new Hebrew school were invited to present. Each student chose a way to present the organization in their own unique style. Our signature, animal crackers, were handed out to anyone who stopped by our booth to listen to our presentation.
Synagogues and Schools/Yeshivas step to the plateOctober is not even half over and Bears from Bergenfield already has been the recipients of Temple Israel of Ridgewood and Cong. Beth Sholom of Teaneck ongoing collections.The growing list includes:Academy of Jewish Religion, located in Riverdale, where I am a student, Ben Porat, Frisch High School, JCC on the Palisades Nursery Program, Lubavitch on the Palisades Hebrew school, Moriah, SAR, and Yavneh. These schools and yeshivas have all offered to organize stuffed toy drives for us
Goals for this year.I want to keep, my partners, Betty and Ed Wolfe of Kfar Saba busy. This elderly couple have energy resources that astound me. They do hesed, daily, and all day long, from early morning until dinnertime, if not longer. They are at the airport at the drop of a hat. When I send them an email telling them that someone has offered to take a duffle to Israel for us, they arrive, on time to meet the schleppers. Who are these “schleppers”? Individuals and school groups offer to schlepp for us.Commuters offers to schlepp for us as well. We even see that there are “repeaters”-those that travel every year or every few years that offer to schlepp for us as well.
Look at how many ways and paths, our collections of toys have found their way to new children’s hearts in Israel.
I also want to keep the flow of toys flowing to Israel. The need in Israel for toys that are used in play therapy is Overwhelming. We work with many children populations that need to learn reparenting skills and social contact and group skills that will assist them in making better socially acceptable choices of behavior and conduct.
1) Presently, we are trying to keep Meir Medical Center fully covered with their toy needs in the emergency room and other wards. Debby Shkedi, the Wolfe’s daughter, and head nurse, is in charge of making that happen. We also need a steady supply of toys for Hadassah and Shaarei Tzedek hospitals in Jerusalem.
2)Rabbi Maier Solomon, of Neve Yaacov, collects from us, and sends in students who are on Hachsharah in Jerusalem to Jerusalem hospitals, to do medical clowning accompanied with a stuffed toy giveaway.
3) We also need toys for Jim Kleinburd of Shaalvim and Cherry Hill, NJ. He brings the toys to his neighbor Leah, who distributes toys to over 70 day care centers in Israel.
4)We also need toys for Chani Sacharen, who drives up to Haifa, twice a week, to deliver toys to domestic violence shelters, Matnasses for the poor and culturally deprived, and Rambam and Carmel hospitals.
5) We also try to get toys to Or Hadash Reform Temple of Haifa because their youth group distributes toys to their adopted Ethiopian youth community.
6)We need to keep our commuters busy as well. We need to supply Ira Gidon, Charlie Gold, Menashe Hochsted, Jonathan Feldstein, and Jim Kleinburd with duffles on their time tables. We also need to keep Avi Hirsch of Woodmere and Susie Openden of Cedarhurst involved and active. I drop off the toys at Avi’s office and he brings them to Woodmere. Susie fiinds people flying to Israel that will schlepp for us. We also depend on Rich Starachefsky to transport our bags of toys to Menashe Hochsted so that Menashe can bring them on the El Al plane for us.
7)We also have a shipment of toys designated for Sederot. We thank the Gidons of Hashmonayim, David and Miriam Eri and David and Miriam Gantshar oleh families of Ramat/Beit Shemesh who brought the toys on their lifts and El Al planes for us to enable us to get the toys to Sederot and other locations in Israel in need.
8)We also thank Ellen Friedman of Teaneck for making her second trip with Bears from Bergenfield duffle bags. This time she is taking 3 duffles to Sederot.
BUT WE COULDN’T ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS IF IT HADN’T BEEN FOR AN EL AL PILOT, SANDY KISSIL (presently living in Fair Lawn), WHO FLEW THE PRESIDENT OF EL AL TO NEW YORK IN 2006, AND TOLD HIM OUR STORY..HAIM ROMANO, THE PRESIDENT OF EL AL, SAID, “LET’S DO IT.” EL AL HAS BEEN ALLOWING US TO SEND OUR TOYS FOR FREE EVER SINCE.We also need to thank Sheryl Stein for her publicity of El Al and Bears from Bergenfield. We also need to thank Moshe Mishol and Donna Goldberg for their attention and allowing us to send the toys from the New York areas. We also thank security for making our toys’ journey and easy one. El Al, we thank you all.
We also thank Steve Schwarzman of JTS rabbinical school student and of Teaneck, for setting up this website so that we can get our message out to you. Please join us in this very important mitzvah. Our continuation and success depend upon you.
G-d’s messengers/angels have helped to keep Bears from Bergenfield doing G-d’s work, by staying on THE path. We thank you.
Please continue to support us financially, with toys, with duffle bags, with scheduled trips to Israel, and with your love and kindness.
B’shalom,
Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
Bears from Bergenfield
86 Deerfield St Bergenfield, NJ 07621
551-804-8749
Mean it with mitzvah!
