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.
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