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November 28, 2003
Students help an Israeli peer
Talmud Torah high schoolers raise money for teenage victim of
terror.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Students at Vancouver Talmud Torah high school have reacted with
determination and generosity to one of the sadder stories to come
out of Israel in recent months.
The students are raising money to help a teenage boy obtain an expensive
operation that is hoped will return his eyesight. The boy, Oren
Almog, was enjoying his lunch with his extended family at the Maxim
restaurant in Haifa Oct. 4 when the building was destroyed by a
suicide bomber. Nineteen people were killed and more than 65 injured
in the blast. Almog lost five members of his own family, including
his father, grandparents and an uncle. His mother was seriously
injured and Almog himself was blinded by the explosion.
Although Talmud Torah teacher Shoshana Burton starts each of her
Hebrew classes at with a review of what's happened in Israel that
week, this story in particular captured the students' attention.
Besides the fact that the age of the victim was close to that of
the students, the article explained that there was an expensive
surgical procedure that could allow Almog to see again. However,
his remaining family did not have the money to afford the surgery.
"When we read this article, we thought that it wasn't quite
the same as the others where we hear about people being killed,"
explained Uriah Meadan, a Grade 8 student. "We knew that this
could be fixed. That there was a surgery he could get that could
at least save his eyesight."
"He's close to our age, and we're here with all these privileges
so we wanted to do something about it," added Chloe Lerner,
Grade 10. "So we thought we would help get him the money for
the surgery."
Burton's students have shown an incredible commitment to help their
fellow Jews in Israel by already raising more than $1,200.
They raised some funds at the Talmud Torah elementary school by
negotiating a deal with the school whereby students who donated
money for the operation did not have to wear their traditional school
uniforms for the day.
Their biggest effort came in the form of a T-shirt with an appropriate
design.
"We made a shirt with an eye chart on it that read, 'I helped
open Oren's eyes, eyes for Oren, Vancouver Talmud Torah high school,
2003,' " Lerner explained. "We're selling the T-shirts
and all the money will go to Oren."
"We have some other ideas as well," said Ilana Carmeli,
who's in Grade 8. "We want to make bracelets and sell them
and also [sell] sports equipment that we don't need anymore."
Although they have no financial goal in mind, the students feel
that it is equally important that Almog knows he has friends in
Canada who care about him.
"We're planning on sending him a video of our class explaining
what we did for him and why," said Alan Schwebber, Grade 8.
Through this process, Burton's students feel they have gained a
better understanding of the need to help others who aren't as privileged
as Canadians.
"I was young when I lived in Israel, but when you get on a
bus in Vancouver you don't worry about if you are going to get off
alive." said Bar Laniado, Grade 9. "We have to realize
how lucky we are."
The experience has also brought Burton a lot of pride.
"It's very satisfying knowing the message that I am trying
to transfer to them is working," she said. "It's really
moving to me, as an Israeli, to know that they care so much.
"These are the future leaders of this community," she
continued, "and if they start to care about these types of
things now, hopefully [when they get older] they can do even more."
To make a donation to help save Almog's eyesight or to purchase
a T-shirt, call the Talmud Torah high school at 604-263-9700.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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