World

Back To Our Roots

Three generations support planting trees in Israel and bringing back JNF blue boxes.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior writer

W

hen 12-year-old Sam Sklar
learned that a mind-boggling
2 million trees were burned
by rockets fired into Northern Israel this
past summer, he knew what he had to do.
Sam made telling others about the
devastation and collecting funds to help
replace the trees a community service
project he delved into in connection with
his November 2007 bar mitzvah.
In addition to spreading the word
throughout his religious school at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, he also dis-
tributed 400 Jewish National Fund (JNF)
charity boxes.
Over the past century, JNF has planted
more than 240 million trees in Israel,
built 180 reservoirs and dams, developed
250,000 acres of land, created 1,000 parks,
provided the infrastructure for 1,000 com-
munities and educated students around
the world about Israel and the environ-
ment.
"It is so important that we rebuild
our Jewish homeland:' said Sam of West
Bloomfield, whose project idea stemmed
from a talk with Shaarey Zedek Rabbi
Joseph Krakoff.
"I had the idea that we have lost a gen-
eration of kids who are familiar with the
`blue box' program;' Rabbi Krakoff said of
the name given to the blue charity boxes
used by JNF since 1904.
"Sitting at a JNF board meeting a few
months ago, I bemoaned the fact that
many kids in this generation do not
know anything about the blue box and I
suggested we begin a campaign," Rabbi
Krakoff said. "JNF has the 'Million Tree
Project' and Shaarey Zedek has made our
version of that project, the 'Back to Our
Roots' campaign!'
In addition to connecting his own con-
gregation with JNF, Rabbi Krakoff also
invited Mesa Silver, JNF's regional cam-
paign executive, to spread the word among
other local rabbis.
"The idea was perfect for Sam," said his
mother, Valerie Hayman Sklar. "My mom,
Linda Hayman [of Bloomfield Hills], is on
the board of JNF. And coincidentally we
recently discovered that my great-grand-
mother, on my dad's side, Vera Hayman,
had also been involved."
Sam also heard firsthand about the
destruction of the trees. "My mother

1 2 3 4 5 6
17 18 19 20 21
13 34 35 36
'43 49 50 51
f3 64 65 66 6

, 4,

Valerie Hayman Sklar, Shaarey Zedek program director Tobye Bello, Sam Sklar,

Mia Berm, 9, of Novi and Christopher

Shaarey Zedek Rabbis Joseph Krakoff and Eric Yanoff and synagogue president

Beider, 11, of West Bloomfield participate

Gregg Orley, in front of Blue Box Bob.

in a game of bingo.

Harleigh Meyer, 5, of West

Sam Sklar and his sister Sophie, 10, blow out the

Bloomfield checks her bingo

candle on a cake celebrating Tu b'Shevat, while

card.

Rabbis Krakoff and Yanoff sing.

went to Israel for the first time last year','
said Sam's dad, Jim. "She saw where the
trees had burned and came home and told
us about it."

Blue Box Bob
As a way to teach classmates about the
campaign, Sam and Rabbi Krakoff visited
the synagogue's kindergarten through sev-
enth-grade religious school classes to talk
with students about the trees.
They also publicized a Jan. 30 fam-
ily bingo event at the synagogue's Irving
and Beverly Laker Education and Youth
Complex in West Bloomfield. The program
coincided with Tu b'Shevat, the new year
for trees, typically celebrated with contri-
butions to JNF, and was attended by 225

guests.
Before the event, chaired by Sam, Valerie
and Linda, the entire student body gath-
ered to hear about JNF and planting trees
from two Israeli visitors.
Sam and a special guest, named Blue
Box Bob, dressed as a giant JNF charity
box, distributed blue boxes, along with
printed material, to each of the religious
school students to take home. Boxes were
also placed in each classroom.
"It is important to get as many of the
boxes in as many of the congregant's
homes as possible, just like I remember
having when I was a kid,"Valerie said.
Sam's dad added, "They've been around
for so long. My parents had one; my
grandparents had one. My mom still has

one that her mother-in-law had many
years ago."
And now Sam and his 10-year-old sister
Sophie have one in their home. "Both have
been putting money in the box:' Valerie
said. "And Sam has given many family
members blue boxes also."
Added Sam, "The kids in school have
mentioned putting money in theirs.
They're really excited about it."
Just before Passover, the boxes will-be
collected from the students and from the
classrooms. "And we will give a pizza party
to the class that brought in the most total
tzedakah for JNF," Rabbi Krakoff said.
Then new boxes will be distributed to
replace the ones that are collected.
"It is so sad to think of the trees that
were destroyed:' Valerie said. "I planted
a tree in Israel in 1977. It was a sapling
that should have grown into a 30-year-old
tree that was bearing fruit. But I know it
may have been destroyed. Now is a chance
for my kids' generation to help plant new
trees." ri

For information on the Jewish
National Fund, to make a donation to
plant a tree in Israel or to obtain a
JNF blue box, call (888) 563-0099,
or access the Web site: www.jnf.org .
Blue boxes are also available from
Shaarey Zedek, (248) 357-5544.

February 15 a 2007

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