By Sruly Meyer – COLlive
Who would have thought that shoes could bring a community together?
An event at Chabad of West Boca in Boca Raton, Florida, had people of all ages participate in a group activity that isn’t likely seen in a shul—decorating Converse shoes on Sunday, May 5.
It started with Richie Cohen, a member of the Chabad who splits his time between New York and South Florida. “I was on social media and saw a viral trend where people made their shoelaces into the Star of David,” he told COLlive.com. “I went to the outlet stores and found the last Converse sneakers in my size.”
Once the laces were done, he brought the shoes to Rabbi Moshe Kramer, Director of Chabad’s West Boca Hebrew School. He loved the idea, and, together with his wife Shaina Kramer, organized an event to take this concept to a larger platform.
“My original idea was to send shoes to Israel, to kids who needed them,” Cohen says. “But we decided to expand it and create shoes here while also sending shoes to Israel. We wanted to bring the older generation together with the younger generation, learning how to make these shoes and laces in the shape of Magan David.”
For every shoe designed, one pair is donated to a child in Israel under the auspices of Rabbi Zalman Bukiet. Rabbi Yossel Raichek of Chabad of West Boynton also attended the event, which brought in over 700 people. Chazan Aryeh Hurwitz sang at the event.
“We would never have been able to do this event without Richie and his wife, Hope,” Rabbi Kramer said. “Richie came to us with so much excitement. The Jewish pride in the room during this event was electric. I really hope that kids who came from public schools will wear these shoes, showing their Jewish pride wherever they go.”
Participants used an airbrush to decorate their shoes with Am Yisrael Chai messages and the map of the Holy Land of Israel and then learned how to tie shoelaces in the shape of the Star of David. The charge for the entry was a minimal fee of $5.
“I donated the shoes,” Cohen said. “We coordinated with Converse to give us a bulk discount, but it wasn’t enough. For one event, it’s good, but we want to take this nationally. We are looking to raise funds to expand this program.”
Cohen said he is looking for more people to host local events and bring this to a national stage. “We hope that bringing awareness about this campaign will also help raise fundraising to cover the cost of these shoes,” he said.
One person who attended commented, “I have been to many pro-Israel events. However, something in the mix of hundreds of various people, the rabbi, the singer, and Richie speaking, broke me. I had tears in my eyes. When I tied my kids’ shoes on Yom Hashoah, knowing that 80 plus years ago, kids the same age as my kids had no shoes to walk with, had to hide, didn’t eat, and had to fight to stay alive, I was proud (again) to be a Jew!”
Rabbi Kramer expressed his desire for broader participation, saying, “I hope to see similar events hosted worldwide.”
To learn more about this initiative and how to organize a similar event for your community, email: rabbikramer@chabadboca.com