Seeking “The Smile,” Ossie’s Toy Fund launches 2008 campaign

By Jewish Star Staff

Issue of Nov. 28, 2008 / 1 Kislev 5769

Chanukah’s coming, which must mean the clowns are packing for Israel again.

In a few weeks the mostly teenaged medical clowns of Lev Leytzan — nine from the Five Towns will meet up with another 10 who are studying there for the year — will begin a grueling, nearly round-the-clock schedule to deliver hundreds of toys for the Ossie Schonfeld Memorial Chanukah Toy Fund. The clowns pay their own way and give of their own time to visit hundreds of sick children and their siblings as well as orphans across the length and breadth of Israel. The toys they distribute, however, are actually your gift to those children –– if you contribute to the Ossie Schonfeld fund.

On the last day of Chanukah in 2007 Robbie Schonfeld, Ossie’s son, received a call from Zvi Weingarten, a social worker in Yerushalayim. It was an urgent request: “Robbie, you got more gifts? Is there any way that you guys can stop at two more families?” It was supposed to be the clowns’ day off, and they were exhausted, Robbie knew, but when he asked if they had another two performances left in them, their response was, “Yes, let’s go for it!”

The clowns gave it their all. A little boy and his brothers and sisters cheered and sang as the clowns did their spinning, dancing, juggling, jokes, and singing and, of course, the toy distribution. And where he could manage, the boy danced along. His parents joined in, with tears streaming down their faces.

While the clowns were carrying on, Zvi, the social worker, received a call on his cell phone.

“Tell him yourself,” he said. “The guy who brings all the toys is standing right next to me.” Robbie took the phone and heard a man calling out in Hebrew, “You have no idea what you all have done for my family...” And then, for a full half minute he just sobbed. He gathered himself and continued, “Last night when you came with the clowns and the toys, I was still at work. As soon as you had left, my wife called and all she said was ‘come home right now!’ and then put down the phone. I feared the worst and rushed home.

“What do I see — all my children smiling, laughing and playing with their new toys. You might think to ask, ‘what’s the big deal? Isn’t that a normal thing on a Chanukah night in your home?’ Let me tell you. Since Sara was diagnosed with cancer six months ago, neither she nor any of my children have smiled or laughed. Our home has been like a living death.”

“Last night I came home to a normal family, just like it used to be. The kids could not stop laughing and smiling. They told me about the clowns, about the fun, and about the toys they received. For just one night we were normal like everyone else and for this I cannot thank you enough. You all have given us hope.”

Yosef “Ossie” Schonfeld, a”h, loved the kids who came into his Borough Park fish store. In his memory the annual toy drive seeks to transform the faces of sick children with radiant smiles, giggles and laughs. The fund has no overhead and every dime goes towards gifts –– from dolls to trains, to electronic games.

“It’s not a one time occasion for them. These gifts, and the warm memories of the funny clowns helping them play as children should keep them smiling for months, if not through the whole year,” said Dr. Neal Goldberg, the ‘senior’ clown in charge of Lev Leytzan. “Remember that a smile of a child can dispel so much gloom.”

All are cordially invited to an open melava malka on Dec. 6 at 8:30 p.m. at the home of the Schonfelds, 850 Broadway in Woodmere. Please come and enjoy Ossie’s famous sushi bar. For more information call (516) 791-2158 or email ossiefish@aol.com. Tax-deductible checks should be made payable to Zeroah Netuya.

The theme of this year’s drive is The Smile: “A smile is such a funny thing it wrinkles up your face. You smile at me, I smile at you, and so, one smile makes two.” (Sing to the tune of Auld Lang Syne and smile along.)