A response to terror

Lolita Harper

NEWPORT BEACH -- Defy darkness with light.

The message is simple and printed on the front of 10,000 boxes being

sent all over the city by the Chabad Jewish Center of Newport Beach.

Each small black box is illustrated with a lighted candle that

illuminates a picture of the Earth in the background.

“Do kindness beyond reason,” the box instructs.

At the top is a slot to put spare change in and on the back are

directions to put a coin in the “charity box” every day and convince

family members to do the same.

Rabbi Reuven Mintz said the concept for the charity boxes began after

the Sept. 11 tragedy.

The terrorist attacks made people feel helpless and afraid, he said.

It made Americans wonder how we could protect ourselves against those who

were willing to destroy their own lives to destroy ours.

If a small group of people could spread so much negativity, imagine

the positive effect an entire community could have in spreading kindness,

he continued.

The best defense is kindness and reason, Mintz said.

“We fight back with the ultimate weapon against darkness -- the giving

of light,” Mintz said. “Only then do we prove that the human soul is

indeed good, that our life does matter, and that our world is a place

worth saving.”

People are encouraged to drop in pennies, dimes, quarters -- even

dollar bills. Once the box is full, the idea is to donate the collected

money to a favorite charity. The simple act of dropping in a coin each

day, perpetuates goodness. Mintz said each time a nickel falls through

the slot, it pierces a hole in the darkness and allows more light to

shine on our friends, families and neighbors.

“When the box is full, you can give it to the families of the victims

of the terrorist attacks, to your local Jewish school or synagogue, or to

anyone in need,” Mintz wrote in a letter that accompanies the box.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .

FYI

Anyone interested in ordering a box can call the Chabad Jewish Center

of Newport Beach at (949) 721-9800.