“This is the first moment of light I had since everything happened.”
As Tzuf, a 19-year-old teenager with Autism, was displaced from his home after the October 7th terror attack, his daily Lego building routine was disrupted. For people with Autism, any break in routine is very difficult to handle. For Tzuf, torn apart from his home and Lego collection, it was - and is - devastating.
So, here’s a demand.
Under Project24, we prompted a collaboration with Jared, owner of Funky Monkey, a local New York toy store. This was the beginning of a chain of good-doing. It started by having Tzuf choose a new Lego set directly from the store, via zoom, which was heartwarming and generous on behalf of Jared, who immediately suggested sending Hanukkah gifts to all the children of Tzuf’s kibbutz. But, we wanted to extend the involvement further by having the Scarsdale Jewish community engaged.
We sent a letter to the Scarsdale Jewish community, telling them about Jerad actions and inviting them to take part. Parents came with their young kids, and each one purchased, wrapped, and wrote a personal Hanukkah greeting. Each family wrapped a gift for a different child.
But, we weren’t done.These Hanukkah gifts were sent on behalf of Tzuf, empowering him when he got to deliver them to the kibbutz kids. By this involvement, we helped support Tzuf and his family, while giving meaning to Jared of Funky Monkey’s generosity (alongside local publicity, and lots of business that day), bringing joy to the 45 children of the kibbutz, and empowering the entire Scarsdale community that worked together on this project, Zohar, Tzuf’s mother said, “This is the first moment of light I had since everything happend.“
