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Very Special Delivery

A

Akiva student travels to Israel with letters for soldiers and families of terror victims.

kiva Hebrew Day School senior Avi
Greenbaum seized an opportunity
to turn a late November family trip
to Israel into a mission to hand-deliver two
sets of letters filled with heartfelt sentiments
of solidarity.
"I traveled with words of encouragement
and support from high school classmates to
the soldiers fighting to defend Israel in dif-
ficult times such as these," said Greenbaum,
17, of Southfield. "I also took with me pack-
ets of letters created through an Akiva mid-
dle school project for Israeli families affected
by recent terror attacks"
The high school students' correspondence
is a component of the Southfield-based day
school's project to "adopt" the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) unit where 2013 Akiva graduate
Yoni Nadel is currently serving in the para-
trooper brigade.
"We are working to raise $2,000 to sponsor
packages for Chanukah and for Purim with
food and necessities for the approximately
100 soldiers in his unit" Greenbaum said.
Fundraising includes sales of bracelets
that read in Hebrew and English, "Our sol-
diers. Our heart" It also includes the 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 10, screening at Akiva of the
2014 documentary film Beneath the Helmet:
From High School to the Home Front, which
explores the experiences of five Israeli high
school graduates recruited to serve in the
army paratrooper brigade (see details box on
this page).
Greenbaum was asked to oversee the proj-
ect by Akiva's high school principal Rabbi
Noam Stein this past October.
"He found out about the adopt-a-unit pro-
gram through a newsletter by Connections
Israel," Greenbaum said of the Jerusalem-
based organization whose work includes
providing IDF soldiers with much-needed
equipment and supplies, like special winter
coats and gifts to raise morale as well as fos-
tering and strengthening personal relation-
ships between soldiers and the diaspora.
"Because I am a StandWithUs MZ Teen
Intern [a high school leadership program
preparing students for the challenges they
may face regarding Israel in college and in
their communities] and pro-Israel, Rabbi
Stein asked me to be the point person on the
project" Greenbaum said.
"Connections Israel will carry out the
delivering of our handwritten letters to the
soldiers and will use the money we raise to
purchase packages. For Chanukah, the treats
included sufganiyot [doughnuts] and neces-
sities for the army such as hand-warmers for
cold nights or maybe gloves"

Shelli Liebman Dorfman I Contributing Writer

details

To contribute to Akiva's

project to "adopt" an IDF unit
and provide care packages,
send a check made out to
Connections Israel to: Akiva
Hebrew Day School, 21100 W.
12 Mile Road, Southfield, MI
48076. For information, email
avi.greenbaum@akiva.org .

Beneath the Helmet: From High
School to the Home Front will

Connections Israel director Mordechai Cohen and Avi Greenbaum display letters written

to IDF soldiers.

be shown at 7 p.m., Sunday,
Jan. 10, at Akiva. Proceeds
will go to support the project.
Cost: $10/general admission;
$18 and $36/priority seating
(advance RSVP to avi.
greenbaum@akiva.org ). All
receive "Our soldiers. Our
heart." bracelets. Sponsored
by Akiva and StandWithUs.

Connections

Israel

Avi Greenbaum at the Connections Israel office in Jerusalem

Naomi Silow of Huntington Woods and Gabriella Jacobs of

Southfield, both 12, work on letters to families of terror victims.

PERSONAL CONNECTION
Along with delivery of the high school
group's letters to Mordechai Cohen, director
of Connections Israel, Greenbaum also met
with an individual who was able to deliver
those written to the families of victims of
terror.
About 50 Akiva middle school students
wrote to the family of Rabbi Nechemia Lavie,
who was killed in the Old City; the family
of 19-year-old IDF Sgt. Omri Levy, killed in
a terror attack at the Beersheva central bus

station; and the family of Eitam and Naama
Henkin, killed in their car in the West Bank
while traveling with their four young sons.
The project took place under the guid-
ance of Yosef Malca and Meir Zilberman,
shlichim (emissaries) of Bnei Akiva, a New
York-based organization providing religious
Zionist education and programs for Jewish
youth, families and communities worldwide;
and Coral Cohen and Reut Eliya, who are
b'not sherut, serving an optional second
year of Sherut Leumi (alternative voluntary

national service in Israel).
The four Israelis, who are at Akiva for the
school year, ran the letter-writing project,
along with Lizzy Doppelt, assistant principal
for grades 1-8, and the support of middle
school teachers Rabbi Asher Nemes, Rabbi
Yehuda Lowy, Elana Miodownick, Nora
Natan and Sara Fuchs.
Letter writers were given biographies
and photos of the victims. "This helped the
students gain a better understanding of the
victims' personal lives and helped facilitate

continued on page 10

8 December 24 2015

