North Hollywood : Students Spread Goodwill for Purim

Students from Milken Community High School of Stephen S. Wise Temple did not let the recent bloodshed in Israel dampen the spirit of their Purim holiday.

To celebrate the spring festival--which commemorates the deliverance of Jews from a plot by the Persian prime minister to destroy them in the 5th century before Christ--450 students brought goodwill Tuesday to 15 senior, drug rehabilitation and special education facilities, including Lowman Special Education Center in North Hollywood.

Purim is a time of celebration that also encourages giving to those less fortunate, said Rabbi Leah Kroll, a spokeswoman for the temple.

In keeping with that holiday tradition, the teenagers brought baskets of fruit to the residents of the centers.

“It’s an opportunity to give back to the community,” said 16-year-old junior Sarah Blitz. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life.”

At Lowman, about 40 of the high school students went in groups of three to visit with about 250 3- to 22-year-old mentally disabled residents there.

After delivering the gifts, the students helped the special education teachers, playing with the residents, pushing their wheelchairs to the restrooms or washing kids’ hands.

The visit was a chance for the disabled school’s residents and the Milken students to learn from one another, Lowman’s Principal Helen Hartel said.

“Our children have the opportunity to interact with children without disabilities,” she said. And “it also has an impact on [the able-bodied teens].”

The days preceding Purim have been somber at Milken High as a result of the bombings in Israel, Kroll said. Many of the students have friends and relatives there, she said, and a few of them knew people who died in the violence.

School officials have held assemblies to talk about the events and cheer up students during the holiday season, Kroll said.

“We try to respond promptly,” she said.

Some students said Purim gave them a chance to feel victorious despite the instability in the Middle East.

“We’re celebrating Jews overcoming their enemies,” said freshman Anna Katz, 14. “Hopefully it can happen again.”