Footy jumper gifted to bar mitzvah boy in Israel
Rabbi Glasman said, "This was very challenging for her nephew, and she wanted to do something special to cheer him up."
St Kilda Shule’s Rabbi Glasman was recently contacted by a woman who was travelling to Israel to celebrate the bar mitzvah of her nephew, whose family lived in Melbourne before making aliyah.
The nephew’s father is an IDF reservist currently serving in Gaza as part of Israel’s fight against Hamas. It was not known whether his father would be allowed back to Israel to celebrate his bar mitzvah.
Rabbi Glasman said, “This was very challenging for her nephew, and she wanted to do something special to cheer him up.”
When he and his family lived in Melbourne he was an avid Collingwood supporter.
“I think she suspected our shule had some Collingwood supporters in the congregation when she asked me if there was something I could do,” Rabbi Glasman said with a smile.
“I immediately contacted one of our members who is well connected in the Collingwood Football Club to see if he could help. He asked me to find out the boy’s favourite player, which I did.”
The man bought an official Collingwood guernsey and the boy’s favourite player signed it.
Rabbi Glasman was able to deliver it to the woman before she travelled to Israel.
Thankfully the boy’s father was given three days’ leave to return home and celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah. He had not seen his family for three-and-a-half months, so it was an extremely emotional time for the family. And then as a bonus, his son received his signed Collingwood jumper.
Rabbi Glasman said, “This member of our shule, who helped make this happen and prefers anonymity is one of the kindest people I know. He just wanted to help and used his connections to do so. How blessed are we as a community to have people who care about people? Am Yisrael chai.”
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