When your nose is that red, it’s Purim all year

Lev Leytzan honors local volunteers who clown around for a good cause

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of March 6, 2009 / 10 Adar 5769

Who needs stodgy old awards like Guest of Honor and Parent of the Year when you can confer deserving honorees with a distinction known as the Golden Nose? 

While that might be a bit of a bold step for more traditional charities, it’s a perfect fit for the Woodmere-based medical clowning troupe called Lev Leytzan, the Compassionate Clown Alley, Inc.

Lev Leytzan is a not-for-profit organization that trains volunteers to visit hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities to perform, entertain and bring laughter to patients through therapeutic clowning.

The organization will hold its annual dinner on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Cong. Beth Sholom in Lawrence, honoring four local volunteers who have been active in the unique chesed organization since its launch in 2004. Other highlights of the evening will include a comedy performance featuring Chicago City Limits, refreshments, and a Chinese and silent auction.

“The dinner is our event where we try to be really different and the program is all about being mesame’ach people (making them happy) and allowing them to enjoy,” said Dr. Neal Goldberg, a psychologist and Lev Leytzan’s founder. “These boys are really the pillars of the program and we want to honor them for their tremendous dedication and the countless hours of time and effort that they have put into it.”

The “Clowns on Call” –– as the program is named –– act out improvisational skits while using various tools of the trade such as balloons and juggling balls to enhance the experience.

Lev Leytzan also has a “Clowns for Safety Squad,” a troupe that creates performances to teach safety education to younger audiences and has been adapted for children with disabilities.

“I joined the program when it was just starting, as a way to do something extra, and I haven’t looked back since,” recalled Aron Martin, who will receive the Golden Nose Award for Dedication and Leadership.

The 21-year-old from Far Rockaway has moved up the ranks over the years and now supervises the training sessions and performances of those just beginning their clowning careers at Lev Leytzan.

“It’s not a skill set I had before I joined,” Martin told The Jewish Star, describing his clowning experience. “Clowning is a very serious business, as Neal [Goldberg] likes to say. It takes a lot of focus and dedication to learn the skills and apply them.”

One aspect of clowning that he enjoys is the camaraderie between the volunteers.

“It is definitely a great bonding experience,” Martin says, “and we all respect each other for our skills. It’s also a very gratifying experience.”

Asher Mechanic, a fellow honoree, expressed similar feelings.

“It’s just a great environment to be in, the idea of making people happy,” said Mechanic, who will receive the Golden Nose award for Achievement in Clowning.

A senior at Queens College who lives in West Hempstead, Mechanic, like Martin, has been clowning since the organization began when he was 16 years old.

“I am going to continue clowning for as long as I can,” he pledged.

Two other honorees, Yosef Dov Kopelowitz and Meir Dovid Weinberg, seniors at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, will receive the Red Nose Award for Outstanding Community Service.

“These are boys who have used their unique skills and personalities to demonstrate their commitment to doing chesed,” commented Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, the menahel of Ateres Yaakov. “We support our students in this program because it facilitates their learning and teaches them how to think of others. Our yeshiva is extremely proud that two such fine future leaders have been selected to be honored and their honor is our honor as well.”

Dr. Goldberg noted that Lev Leytzan’s annual trip to Israel  with the Ossie Schonfeld Memorial Toy Fund, to deliver toys to sick children, is a highlight among the organization’s programs. It gives the clowns the opportunity to perform for “a multicultural audience...working with a lot of Jewish families and others, including victims of terror.”

“People often focus on the patients and the sick kids, but I’m in awe of our volunteers as clowns –– their growth and development in their creativity, and how they learn how to be more compassionate and sensitive in their interaction with the people they perform for,” Dr. Goldberg explained. “We have become like a family over the years. It is really an amazing thing and I take a tremendous amount of pride in what these kids have accomplished.”

The annual dinner is a major component of Lev Leytzan’s fund-raising. For more information about the event or to make a donation, please call (516) 612-3264 or e-mail     Purim Gala at LevLeytzan.com.