Tzedakah from the next generation

Starting with Ari Green, four cousins, Ari and Gisele Green, and Eva and Annika Smorgon (all pictured), have joined forces dedicating their bar and bat mitzvahs to completing a project in Israel’s Negev.

The project they chose is a Ninja playground because it provides a positive, fun experience for kids.

According to Eva: “For our bat mitzvahs my sister, cousins and I chose to donate money to build a Ninja warrior playground in Israel because we wanted to give kids a chance to experience things that we in our everyday life get to experience. We wanted kids just like us to have the opportunity to play and have fun, just like any kids want to do. We think that this was an amazing thing to do so that kids could have the time of their lives on the playground just like we all did.”

Zoe Smorgon, Eva’s mother, supported her daughter’s idea because they want the kids to have a connection to Israel.

Thanks to the generous donations in lieu of gifts, JNF will be able to build a Ninja playground in Ramat Herzl, a new community in the Negev.

The playground will serve the neighbouring communities in the Pitchat Nitzana area, which includes kibbutzim, moshavim (agricultural communities), religious, secular, and mixed communities. It will provide a much-needed fun attraction for children and teenagers.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of people requesting a donation in lieu of gifts for their milestone birthdays and lifecycle events,” said Justine Williams, NSW executive director. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to do good and help the environment at the same time by keeping unwanted gifts from landfill.”

For more information on how to set up a project in your name, contact JNF NSW at info@jnf.org.au or call (02) 9389 5466. Check out the website to see current projects: jnf.org.au/current-projects