NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 27

sion to prevent funeral costs 
from giving grieving parents 
even more pain.
“Financial stress shouldn’t 
be something that affects 
your grief,” he says. 

RAISING FUNDS
Pierced Forever Foundation 
held its first fundrais-
ing event last month, a 
squash tournament at the 
Birmingham Athletic Club 
that saw 60 players compete 
for a good cause. Out of the 
$25,000 raised over the last 
three months, $15,000 came 
from the event alone.
Now, Movitz hopes to do 
the BAC tournament annu-
ally. He’s also planning a 
second squash tournament 
fundraising event for 2022 
that will include a dinner as 
well. An online shop on the 
foundation’s website that sells 
clothing and other items also 
helps bring in donations.
Through the funds raised, 
Movitz plans to address each 
family’s needs that come to 
the foundation for help on an 
individual basis. Some fami-
lies, he says, may need assis-
tance with medical bills for a 

terminally ill or injured child, 
while others might need sup-
port with burial costs.
“
A proper burial can 
cost up to $10,000,” Movitz 
explains, “and the average is 
about $7,000.” These figures, 
he adds, don’t include med-
ical bills, which can create 
even more financial stress for 
grieving families.
As the Pierced Forever 
Foundation continues to 
grow, Movitz says he’ll keep 
looking for new ways to help 
parents who have lost babies 
or children. “There’s a lot of 
emotional support that I want 
to give to the parents,
” he says, 
“but I don’t want to go too fast. 
I want it to be personal.
”
Currently, the Pierced 
Forever Foundation aims to 
serve families in a 25-mile 
radius, but Movitz is open to 
helping any grieving parent 
or parents if the situation 
occurs. “You can’t control 
when and how often trage-
dies happen,” he says. “We’re 
ready to help when someone 
is in need.” 

For more information or to donate 

or shop, visit www.piercedforever.

com.

The first annual Pierce’s Cup squash tournament at the 
Birmingham Athletic Club.

‘Let There Be Light’ 
a Kristallnacht 
Memorial Nov. 9

On the night of Nov. 
9-10, 1938, the Nazis organized 
the murder of Jews and the 
burning of 1,400 synagogues 
and Jewish institutions in 
Germany and Austria as part 
of the Kristallnacht pogrom. It 
was a seminal moment that led 
to the Holocaust. 
To mark this historical event 
and to stand in protest against 
the rise of antisemitic events 
and hate crimes, International 
March of the Living 
announced the continuation of 
its “Let There Be Light” global 
initiative and invites individu-
als, institutions and houses of 
worship to leave the lights on 
during the night of Nov. 9, as 
a symbol of mutual responsi-
bility and the shared struggle 
against antisemitism, racism, 
hatred and intolerance.
 Last year, thousands 
of houses of prayer across 
the world took part in this 
initiative and left a symbolic 
light on during the night of 
Nov. 9. Messages of hope were 
projected onto the walls of 
Jerusalem’s Old City and onto 
Coventry Cathedral in Britain, 
which was destroyed by the 
Nazis during the Second World 
War. Through this unique 
virtual initiative, people around 
the world can once again join 
this important call to action. 
To leave your message of 
hope, visit kristallnacht.motl.
org. 

Art from last year’s memorial

