On my recent trip to Israel with the JWRP (Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project), in addition to my own luggage I carried a 40-inch, 50-lb. duffel bag filled to the breaking point with stuffed animals and teddy bears. I had volunteered to help Claire Ginsburg Goldstein with her Bears from Bergenfield charity mission.
Rabbi Claire, as she is called, from Bergenfield, collects bears here in New Jersey, sends them to Israel with local groups and individuals who are traveling there, and has them distributed to children in hospitals and orphanages. To date, she has donated 165,000 toys in her 13 years of collecting.
It started as a project of her son Sam, when he was 10 years old and sick in the hospital. Knowing how lonely it can be when you are ill and hospitalized, he thought it would be meaningful to send gifts to the sick children in Israel.
When he recovered, he presented his mitzvah inspiration to everyone at his Hebrew school at Congregation Beth Israel in Bergenfield. Sam expected his classmates and teachers to donate fifty toys and stuffed animals. The idea caught on and Rabbi Claire has kept the momentum going for the last thirteen years.
Bears for Bergenfield adopted Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. They need 100 toys per day. So far the organization is able to send 500 toys per month. This past November was especially rewarding as they were able to send fifteen duffels to Israel in one week.
Bears from Bergenfield is in need of donors to contribute toys and duffels. They also need “bag schleppers,” which are individuals or groups who are traveling to Israel. They accept cash donations to pay for the extra shipping (El Al charges the charity a special rate of $100 extra per bag).
Many North Jersey children hold fundraisers and toy drives for their mitzvah projects in preparation for their bar or bat mitzvahs. Organized tours and families taking trips to Israel can also help by volunteering to check an extra bag which will be stuffed with bears. The organization pays the airline fee.
The local Bergen County chapter of JWRP (Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project), an organization that sends mothers on spiritual tours of Israel, has been taking the toys since 2011. They started with their first trip and have been providing “schleppers” ever since.
To learn more about how to help Bears for Bergenfield, contact Claire at [email protected] or www.bearsfrombergenfield.com.
By Janet Freitag
