Send in the Purim clowns
PURIM clowning and a nosh will bring some smiles to sick kids at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Centre this year, with the help of Australian funding and the centre’s chief medical clown David “DuSH” Barashi.
PURIM clowning and a nosh will bring some smiles to sick kids at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Centre this year, with the help of Australian funding and the centre’s chief medical clown David “DuSH” Barashi.
Hadassah Australia is launching a campaign to pay for the distribution of mishloach manot (gifts of food at Purim) to chronically ill children at the hospital.
School-aged children in Australia are being encouraged to buy the food baskets, which will be personally delivered to the sick youngsters by DuSH and his fellow funsters.
Hadassah Australia executive director Alissa Woolf said the community will be invited to purchase baskets valued from $36. The baskets will be prepared by AKIM, an Israeli not-for-profit organisation that operates sheltered workshops for handicapped adults.
“The baskets will include lollies, a red nose, and a blessing from Hadassah Australia and the medical clowns. These will be delivered by DuSH and his fellow clowns during Purim, and donors will have a chance to add a personal message to the young recipient,” she said.
“Money raised will also benefit the medical-clown program at Hadassah, which has made a significant difference to the wellbeing of the children,” said Woolf.
“Extensive research has also shown that clowns positively impact on a hospital’s bottom line. Unfortunately, no hospital in Israel can afford to pay for the program from its operating budget, hence the reason that we have agreed to campaign for it.”
Woolf encouraged families to post a photograph of themselves and their children dressed in their Purim outfits on their Facebook and/or Instagram timeline or Hadassah’s website or Facebook page using the hashtag #hadassahsendintheclowns by March 24.
A winner will be chosen in each of Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and will be announced on Hadassah Australia’s Facebook page on March 29. The winners will receive one night’s accommodation and breakfast for two at a hotel.
PETER KOHN
For more information, visit www.hadassahsendintheclowns.org.
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