An amazing transformation came over the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus the very minute that 50 eleventh-graders from Boys Town Jerusalem came bearing five guitars, Purim costumes and bags of holiday treats.  Although it took a full seven hours, the Boys Town troubadours managed to visit every single ward in the hospital and put countless smiles on the faces of patients of all ages.

“It was clear that the patients could feel just how much our boys put their hearts and souls into this visit,” said Rabbi Moshe Linchner, Dean of Students. “We had originally planned to visit only the children’s ward, and the boys had made up grab-bags for the kids with treats and toys they had purchased by themselves. But when we arrived at the hospital, we were welcomed with great excitement and then told that Boys Town Jerusalem was the only school in quite some time to have come to cheer up patients. We instantly changed our plans and spent the entire day greeting patients from all wards, singing for them and raising their spirits.” 

There were many poignant moments during the visit, including a visit to a teenaged girl who shared her fears with them about her upcoming lung transplant surgery. “The students stayed with her for nearly half an hour, giving her all the encouragement that they could,” the Rabbi noted.

“The boys received a great deal in return,” Rabbi Linchner was quick to note. “I saw even the shiest of our students dancing and singing at the bedside of critically ill patients, the infirmed elderly, and others who were so grateful. I know from experience that the good will that our young students create within their volunteer projects will spark a lifetime of giving.”