BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
CRESSKILL, N.J.—The Cresskill Community Center was a place to create and celebrate on Sunday, March 10. The Englewood Tikvah Chaverut chapter of Hadassah hosted “Passover Pals,” a fun-filled afternoon in which children made clay figures and stick puppets for their family’s Passover Seder tables.
Fifteen parents and grandparents joined in fun alongside the youngsters, aged 22 months to 7 years. By 1:30 p.m., the room was filled with colorful clay creations depicting scenes from the story of the Exodus in the Bible—frogs, dancing matzahs, locusts, princesses, pharaohs, kings and a baby Moses in a cradle.
In between the creative surge, everyone enjoyed cupcakes, cookies and beverages.
The project was conducted by Kathy Eisler, an art teacher at the Art School at Old Church in Demarest. She explained that this event hosted by the Englewood Tikvah Chaverut chapter of Hadassah, the international Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was held to attract young families to the organization. Currently the chapter, which has 800 members from all over Bergen County, is comprised of older adults.
Helayne Simon, the chapter’s co- president chatted with the parents and grandparents.
“This is the very first event of this kind for us. We wanted an educational and fun experience. We also want people to know that Hadassah welcomes young people.”
Judging by the joyful faces of the children and their parents, “Passover Pals” was a very successful foray into that demographic.
Hadassah, a volunteer Jewish organization that began in 1912 as a small mission to provide emergency care to infants and mothers in pre-state Israel, has grown into a huge international organization with two world-class medical and research centers in Jerusalem.
Through education, advocacy, and youth development and its support of medical care and research at Hadassah Medical Organization, Hadassah enhances the health and lives of people in Israel, the United States and worldwide.
Bringing advanced medical care to all, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality, earned Hadassah a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Hadassah also contributes its medical and social expertise as a member of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as a non-governmental organization.
