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To Israel, With Love

T-shirts by local student help support
autism school in Israel.

Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor

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achel Prinstein of Farmington
Hills returned from A
Birthright Israel trip in May
and said she "realized how vital it is to
stay connected and support different
programs in Israel — even though I
have returned to the States."
Over the past few months, she turned
a class project from the University of
Michigan's School of Art and Design
into a fundraising campaign for the
Ofer School for Autistic Children in
Haifa.
The project called for an original
design that sparks an awareness or
represents a specific community in
some way. Prinstein's Ofer Love T-shirt
accomplishes that with its symbolic
multicolored ribbon intertwined with
an open heart.
"The symbolism of the ribbon and
the open heart is the complexity of
autism embraced with love," Prinstein
explained. Underneath the symbol are
the words "Ofer Love," with the Hebrew
word ahava, which means love.

Outside the Ofer School are Debby
Spinner of Hoshaya, Israel, Rachel
Prinstein and Boaz Avigdori, founder
and chairman of the Friends of Ofer
School in Haifa.

"There were many types of commu-
nities to pick from for the project, but I
wanted to pick one that connected me
to Israel," Prinstein said. "I also knew
that I wanted the awareness to involve
children with disorders. My cousin
Debby Spinner, a former Detroiter liv-
ing in Hoshaya in Israel, is involved
with many organizations in Israel but
the Ofer School stood out to me!'
The nonprofit school has a multicul-
tural mix and educates autistic children
starting at age 6, with only 60 students
total. The children learn through art,

Rachel Prinstein of Farmington Hills
models a T-shirt she designed to
benefit the Ofer School in Haifa.

music and other innovative therapies.
"The Ofer School is always in need of
funding;' said Prinstein, who toured the
school with her cousin and was moved
by the work, and the children. "The chil-
dren have special needs in time of war
because a child who is autistic cannot
wear a gas mask for any length of time.
Therefore, the school is a filtered bomb
shelter. However, because of rocket
attacks in Haifa, the students had to be .
moved to a safer location.
"My project has turned into a com-
mitment of giving. The situation in
Israel affects everyone, but now, I am
deeply concerned about the students.
Seeing the environment the school
provides for the children made me
realize how the simplest things in life
make these children happy. As I walked
around the small, yet effective school,
I realized the school's innovative pro-
gram gives hope to these children and
their families."
So far, through the sale of her colorful
tank tops and T-shirts, Prinstein has
been able to send more than $300 to
the school. She wants to send more and
hopes to return to Israel to volunteer at
the school.

To learn more about the Ofer
School, visit
hitechgiving.org.il/tribute.html.

For more information about buy-
ing a T-shirt, with profits going to
the 'Ofer School, contact Dayle
Prinstein at diwp4@aol.corn.

