Israeli Second Grader Celebrates Birthday With Food Drive

Gali Yacoby didn't have the typical birthday party this year. Instead of presents, her second-grade classmates brought cans of tuna, sardines, oatmeal, tea, coffee, soup mixes and jelly. And the items weren't even for the birthday girl.

The foodstuffs went instead, by way of Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Yehuda Butman, to elderly Holocaust survivors in her hometown of Ramat Hasharon, Israel.

According to the girl's mother, Gali was inspired by her wish to honor her paternal grandparents, whose birthdays also fall out around the girl's. Holocaust survivors themselves, the couple live in the coastal city of Nahariya.

"She wanted to do something special for Holocaust survivors here" said Alicia Yacoby. "Since her grandfather is not in the best of health, she wanted to something to help other Holocaust survivors for whom [life] is difficult."

According to government statistics, a full third of Holocaust survivors living in Israel remain below the poverty line. Chabad Houses throughout the country routinely help out those living in their cities with home visits and food aid.

The Yacoby family sat down to figure out how best to help; Butman, a family friend and co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Ramat Hasharon, directed them to a local home for the elderly where many survivors live.

"I have already picked out the birthday presents I want," read Gali's party invitation to her 35 classmates. "There is one thing left that I really want and I need your help."

A list of suggested food items followed; each child was urged to bring whatever was easy for them.

"We didn't want to tell them how much to bring," said Yacoby. "We wanted to make it convenient."

Later, Gali and some of her friends joined her four older siblings in packing up the food, which Butman delivered.

"We thought it should be anonymous," said Yacoby.

According to the mother, the grandparents "were really excited" when they heard of the gift. And as for Gali: She "loved it."

Butman said that Gali seems to have begun a trend. A boy from her class now wants to do the same thing for his birthday in two weeks. Another girl wants to do something similar for her party next month.