Elizabeth—In a special ceremony last week, Bruriah junior Mikayla Elk, of Highland Park, presented three tzedaka organizations with checks of $5,000 each, reflecting the 1.5 million pennies that the school had helped raise in memory of the Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. The initiative was inspired in part by the renowned Paper Clips Project initiated more than a decade ago by the Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee; which collected six million paper clips to represent and commemorate the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis. Bruriah’s thought was to raise money instead of paper clips so that the funds would go directly to saving and improving the lives and opportunities for Jewish children.
In a surprise announcement, Bruriah revealed that it had met, and exceeded, the goal to raise 1.5 million pennies.
Elk, who managed this year’s campaign, sent personal letters to several organizations, shuls and individuals. On Purim, coinciding with Mishloach Manot deliveries, she campaigned in Monsey, Passaic, West Orange and East Brunswick, raising several thousand dollars in just one day. Her letters brought in about five thousand dollars from private donors. The big glass jar, set out by the school’s annual Holocaust Museum, raised about 2,000, as Bruriah students filled the coffer on a daily basis.
Students from the nearby Benedictine Catholic school, who came through the Holocaust Museum, were moved by the loss of so many children. Inspired by the Bruriah effort, they initiated a campaign of their own and presented a donation they collected from their students. GoFundMe also played a role in the success of the campaign. Elk describes her feelings in presenting each check personally to the three recipients as “incredible, and really makes you feel the benefit that these funds provide to the organization.”
Three charities were selected to receive equal parts of the 1.5 million pennies. The Bruriah High School scholarship fund was represented by Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro, executive vice president of JEC and Shlomis Peikes, associate principal of Bruriah. CRIB Efrat was represented by its founder and director since 1963, Dr. Eli Schussheim. CRIB Efrat is an Israel-based organization that helps pregnant Israeli women in desperate situations keep their babies and provides funding for their shelter, food and clothing during the first two years following birth. The third organization was Bet Elazraki, a home for at-risk youth in Netanya, Israel, represented by Kailah Kaner, who was joined by Ronnie Faber, development associate for Emunah of America, which helps run the home. Kaner spent her gap year as a volunteer in this organization and now works there as a staff member. Bet Elazraki accepts babies and young children from drug-plagued and abusive or dysfunctional homes. It provides them with a warm home environment, a religious education and a healthy community in which to grow and prosper—changing their lives forever.
She states that the children are “normal kids just like you, and their gratefulness abounds.” She was filled with emotion in expressing appreciation and describing how meaningful the Bruriah effort and donation was to her and to the children of Elazraki.
Elk also remarked about how powerful the experience of a determined mindset can be in driving the success of a project like raising 1.5 million pennies.
“It was exhilarating to see something we have all been working on all year come to fruition and happen,” Elk said following the presentations. “The speakers really connected with the students in a way that made everyone appreciate how important these funds are.”
Rabbi Shapiro succinctly summed up the Bruriah scholarship donation. “Each year we distribute over 1.5 million dollars in financial assistance,” he said. “You raised 1.5 million pennies. Can you imagine what that is? Your hard work will help students just like you get an incredible Bruriah education.”
If you would like to donate to one of these organizations in memory of the children, contact Bruriah High School at [email protected], 908-355-4850.
By Ellie Wolf
