Leah David is hoping to beat dyslexia using one dreidel at a time.
The executive director of Ohr Halimud is crafting the four sided tops used during the Jewish holiday of Chanukah to help raise money for her organization, a not for profit group that helps kids with the developmental learning disorder learn to read.
David, along with parent volunteers, staff members and students, began the making the dreidel’s last year. “We set up a little Moishe’s workshop,” she said. The hope is that the sale of the dreidels, along with dreidel kits, can help the organization meet its $540,000 budget, money that covers overhead and community outreach.
For now, the dreidels can be purchased at Toyriffic, a new shop located at 2919 Avenue I. Store owner Yossi Gross said he’s not making a dime from the sales — but is hoping to help out a good cause, and maybe do a mitzvah in the process. “There aren’t many schools like this, and it’s something that the neighborhood we live in, the Orthodox community, needs,” Gross said.
So far, he said, the dreidels are flying off the shelves like hot potato pancakes. “There are really beautiful,” Gross noted. The dreidels cost $10 and the kits cost $5. The dreidels are all one of a kind, and crafted out of Venetian glass, giving each one a mosaic-like appearance. About 30 dozen have been made, and four dozen sold, David said.
Founded seven years ago, the Ohr Halimud, Hebrew for “the light of learning,” is located at 1681 42nd Street, on the border of Kensington and Borough Park. The group has grown to include a girl’s school, after school tutoring program and a teacher training program.
To reserve a dreidel or a kit, call Toyriffic at 718-377-8697.
