Mazel Toy!
Charity Games
A pre-bar mitzvah block party garners extra meaning.
,1 LINDA BACHRACK
Special to The Jewish News
hen 12-year-old Gabe
Neistein was faced with
an 18-hour community
mitzvot requirement from
his Temple Kol Ami bar mitzvah class,
his dilemma was not merely how to fill
the hours, but how best to spend the
time.
What could he do that was both
meaningful to the community and self-
fulfilling? He sat down and brain-
stormed with his parents, Amy and
Howard Neistein.
Remembering a neighborhood block
party last summer, Gabe thought it
would be fun to organize a similar
event, but to call it a tzedaka party and
make it part of his upcoming 13th
birthday celebration.
But first, Gabe needed a recipient for
the tzedaka, a real raison d'etre for the
celebration. He wrote a letter to the
neighborhood kids, explaining that there
are children who don't get tons of pre-
sents on their birthday and who might
not even have a birthday cake and can-
dles. He said, "That is why this year, as
part of my bar mitzvah tzedaka project,
I am having the Tzedaka Party '99. It
will be a
birthday
party for
the kids who aren't able to have one as
we know it."
After interviewing the folks at
Orchards Children's Services, Gabe
chose the agency to be the recipients
of his neighbors' goodwill. He asked
the party guests to bring a new toy,
unwrapped, to give to less fortunate
kids.
When visiting Orchards, Gabe met
Gerry Levin, the man who made the
community-based child welfare agency
what it is today. Levin died suddenly in
May, and Gabe dedicated the party in
his memory.
So the invitations and accompanying
letter were artfully printed up on the
computer, the date and time were set
and the beneficiary chosen. Now the
party needed some organization.
"Our West Bloomfield subdivision is
full of young families," says Gabes
mom, Amy, program assistant for the
Neighborhood Project. "The challenge
was to organize games for kids who
ranged in age
from 2 to
13. We
wanted
everyone
to partici-
pate," she
says.
Gabe, who attends Berkshire
Middle School in Beverly Hills,
came up with a team concept. He
Pizza and cupcakes followed the
game playing, and every guest left with a
homemade tzedaka box, another one of
Gabe's imaginative
concepts.
Once the party
was a pleasant memo-
ry, Gabe had the
honor of delivering
the toys to Orchards.
"My friends donated
great stuff," he says,
"art sets and board
games, lots of build-
ing sets, like K'nex
and Legos."
Although the tzedaka
The cupcakes spelled out: "Thanks. You Made A Difference." party was all fun and
games, the thought
decided to make all the 10-year-olds
behind it was one of pure generosity.
team leaders and he put four kids in
And Gabe donated his time and
each group. To get everyone loose
energy to other causes as well, help-
and comfortable, he started things
ing out with the Literacy Project and
off with an icebreaker — the "shoe
working at Yad Ezra's food bank.
relay." Then he consulted party
Gabe will spend the next month at
Camp Tamarack, then he'll celebrate
books for game ideas and, for over
his bar mitzvah on Aug. 21.
an hour, kids of every age ran and
tagged and jumped and spun. We
By the time his actual birthday rolls
around on Sept. 16, Gabe will have the
all had the best time," says Gabe.
satisfaction of knowing that his selfless
"I'm recommending the idea
sharing of gifts brought smiles to
to all my friends."
dozens of kids' faces. As he wrote in his
Tzedaka Party letter, "It is better to give
than it is to
receive." 7
Gabe Neistein, with some of the presents for Orchards.
7/9
199'
Detroit Jewish News
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