It was truly a team effort.
Several weeks ago, Harriette Wienner, chair of women’s engagement and philanthropy at The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, began handing out beaded bracelets at special community events. The bracelets — which spelled out the Hebrew words like chesed (compassion) and shalom (peace) — were designed to raise awareness about Jewish values.
But after the start of the war in Israel last weekend, Lindsay Klatsky, a local speech language pathologist who volunteers for The Associated, saw another use for the bracelets.
“I emailed Harriette on Monday and said, ‘You should really make bracelets saying Am Yisrael Chai [the people of Israel live] and sell them to raise money for The Associated’s emergency campaign,” recalls Klatsky, 45, who offered to coordinate the project.
A Baltimore native who lives in Pikesville, Klatsky spread word of the bracelets through a flyer designed by her 16-year-old son, Jordan, and posted on social media Monday night.
Klatsky, who belongs to Chizuk Amuno Congregation, says she could never have predicted what happened the next morning.
(Provided photo by Toby Angel Photography)
“I woke up to 600 orders,” she says. “I just got home from work, got online and pulled up my spreadsheet to sort through the orders. People are ordering between one and 40 bracelets.”
At last count, Klatsky says about 750 bracelets have been sold. Proceeds from sales of the bracelets — which sell for $10 each — will benefit The Associated’s emergency campaign to help victims of the war with humanitarian services and support measures
The bracelets are expected to be completed by early next week when they will be sent to Klatsky’s home for packing and distribution. Each order will come with a note of gratitude from The Associated.
Klatsky notes that orders have been placed by both Jews and non-Jews. Many bracelets were ordered by students at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, where Jordan and his 13-year-old sister, Madison, are students.
“At other schools, I know the kids have been wearing blue-and-white [to support Israel], but at McDonogh they don’t have as much choice about what they wear [due to the private school’s dress code],” Klatsky says. “So it’s been nice for my own kids to wear the bracelets proudly at school.”
Klatsky says she last visited Israel when she was an eighth grade student at Pikesville’s Krieger Schechter Day School. She says she was looking forward to returning this December when she and her husband, Matthew Klatsky, are scheduled to chair an Associated-sponsored family mission.
While abroad, the Klatsky family was planning to celebrate Madison’s bat mitzvah. Now, Klatsky says, it is not clear yet if that trip will happen.
“Even if we’re not going,” she says, “I hope Israel’s in a much better place by then.”
Anyone wishing to order a bracelet can send $10 per bracelet through Venmo to @LINDSAY-KLATSKY until Sunday, Oct. 22. You must include your name and cell phone number so Klatsky may contact you about pick-up.
For information about The Associated’s emergency fund for Israel, visit payments.associated.org/IsraelAttacked.
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