Congregation Beth Israel Trains Clowns to do Good Deeds

Middle school students from Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains dressed up as clowns to entertain residents of Atria Assisted Living in Cranford on Sunday, November 3. The children had attended a half-day training workshop at the synagogue earlier that day to learn how to apply face makeup, create balloon figures, and engage an audience.  These “Mitzvah Clowns” (clowns who perform good deeds or “mitzvahs”) will provide entertainment throughout the year at sites such as nursing homes, hospitals, and centers for ill or special needs children.  Congregation Beth Israel has been training Mitzvah Clown troupes for more than a decade. 

Pictured are: Mitzvah Clown Chairs (back, l. to r.)  Joel "Big Daddy" Horowitz and Bruce "Professor Zee" Zakarin and Mitzvah Clowns (front, l. to r.) Matthew Sabony; Ben Fox; Alley Zakarin; Maya Kessler; Aaron Hecht; and David Feinman.