Sometimes the kernel of a simple idea is all it takes to get the momentum started, and that is exactly how Bruriah senior Aliza Ochs claims she gathered over 150 teddy bears for sick children in Israel.

“I wanted to start this campaign because I felt that it was something easy enough for the whole school to get involved in,” she said. “And I felt that it was also thoughtful enough for the children to really appreciate and realize that we as Jews all love each other and are here for one another.”

The drive was run by the G.O.’s chesed committee, presided over by Ochs, and the bears will be distributed to children at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, Israel through the organization Bears from Bergenfield.

“We are so excited that the whole school got involved and brought their teddy bears to give to these children in Israel a teddy Bear present in time for Chanukah,” Ochs said.

The bears will be distributed in Israel this week as part of the Bears from Bergenfield Chanukah distribution.