Like most American teenagers, Sydney Attman has plenty in her life to keep her quite busy.
A 13-year-old Potomac resident and eighth grade student at Herbert Hoover Middle School, she plays soccer, lacrosse and basketball, hangs out with friends a lot, listens to country and pop music, and enjoys strumming her guitar and occasionally pounding the drums.
But when Sydney, the middle of three children, was watching the TV news with her mom the day after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, she says she knew she had to do something to help Israel.
“I had heard about someone who was baking cookies and selling them to donate the money to Israel,” she says. “So I had an idea to make bracelets and sell them.”
Sydney learned how to make bracelets while attending the Iroquois Springs summer camp in Rock Hill, New York. She decided to make bracelets as a fund-raising effort for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces organization.
“My initial goal was to raise $500,” says Sydney, who became a bat mitzvah last June at Potomac’s Congregation B’nei Tzedek. “My mom and dad and I took pictures of the bracelets and put them on my Instagram account. Then, I went to play soccer for my team. About an hour-and-a-half later, we came back and saw that we had hundreds of orders. I just couldn’t believe it.
“It didn’t seem possible. I was just really happy. It taught me you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
Since then, Sydney has spread the word about the bracelets with the help of her grandparents, Pikesville residents Ron and Stephanie Attman, and other family members and friends. So far, she has reached Israel-loving customers in seven states and raised approximately $5,000, with 100% of proceeds going to Friends of the IDF.
“I’m really proud of myself. It makes me feel really good to contribute to the community,” says Sydney, who was scheduled to visit Israel for the first time on a family trip in December that was postponed. “I’ve been very concerned about Israel. One of my camp friends lives 20 minutes from Tel Aviv. We’ve been in contact and she’s OK. I just want to help Israel at this time.”
Sydney says she learned from her grandfather Ron, who is CEO of the Acme Paper & Supply Co., that “whatever you do revolves around your customers or the people you’re working with.” While making the bracelets, she says she’s had to problem-solve on numerous occasions for her customers’ requests and needs.
As a full-time student athlete, Sydney also had to sacrifice going to soccer practice every now and then to work on the bracelets project. Since all of the bracelets are handmade, the process is time-consuming.
One of her soccer teammates and camp friends, Sofia Snyder, recently co-hosted a fundraising event with her parents, so Sydney seized the opportunity to promote her bracelets there rather than going to practice. She hopes her bracelets project inspires her peers to coordinate projects and efforts to make the world a better place.
Sydney says she feels strongly that Israel must respond to the Hamas attacks, which killed approximately 1,400 people and included the abductions of more than 230 people.
“I feel that we’re just trying to defend ourselves,” she says. “I have some Muslim friends and they’re upset about it all, too. It’s a very sad and emotional situation.”
Sydney says she still plans to visit Israel someday soon.
“Israel is the home of Judaism,” she says. “If I go there, I can learn a lot more about my religion. … In particular, I want to see the Dead Sea. It just seems like it’s a very fun and interesting place.”
To purchase one of Sydney’s bracelets, go to her Instagram account at @SydneyAttman.
Editorial Intern Isabel Reed contributed to this report.
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