schools

Donating hair in West Hempstead

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More than a dozen students, teachers and mothers from Yeshiva Har Torah in Little Neck participated in a group hair donation in West Hempstead on Monday.

They each contributed at least eight inches of hair, which will  be delivered to Zichron Menachem to make wigs for children with cancer. Twenty-two ponytails were donated, including six from students and parents who had previously cut their hair and saved it for donation. In addition, the entire school is collecting money for Zichron Menachem, culminating with a school-wide celebration next week on Yom Yerushalayim.

Second-grader Maya, who now sports a summer-friendly bob, said that she was inspired by seeing her older sister donate and a desire to “help sick kids look normal until they are strong and healthy enough to grow back their own hair and feel pretty again.” 

Orit Lax said that for her and her daughter, Adina, donating is “very personal as my husband is a cancer survivor. Doing this together is a bonding experience we are glad to be repeating two years after our last donation.”

Yael, manager of Fun Salon on Hempstead Avenue, which contributed the haircuts, said that the salon’s “family-friendly environment” made it a great fit for this kind of initiative. She wished the participants “continued growth in acts of kindness.”

Rabbi Gary Menchel, YHT’s principal, expressed pride in everyone at the school who “embraced this extraordinary act of kindness and compassion, which reflects the core of our school’s mission.”

Participants were treated to lunch donated by Hunki’s, Slurpees donated by 7-Eleven, and gift bags courtesy of Sarit Ebrani and Talia Levy of Manot4Chai and the school’s PTA.