Eliana Berenbom, a soon-to-be bat mitzvah, has been raising money for Israel by making and selling unique bracelets.
Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, Berenbom began assembling bracelets and has since raised more than $1,000 for the Israel Emergency Fund through the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.
“Supporting the victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack is really important to me,” she said. “One hundred percent of the money goes towards this important cause.”
Berenbom’s aunt sent her a beaded bracelet in the mail shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks; all the proceeds from the selling of the gifted bracelet went to support Israelis in the wake of the attacks and ensuing Israel-Hamas War. When she and her family went to order more, they found that the jeweler had sold out.
Upon learning this, Eliana Berenbom decided that she would make beaded bracelets herself and donate the proceeds as part of her mitzvah project for her upcoming bat mitzvah.
Since starting the endeavor, Berenbom has hosted multiple gatherings of her friends to help grow her inventory of bracelets to sell. The bracelets feature blue and white beads and messages such as “Shalom” and “Am Yisrael Chai.”
“I’m really grateful for all my friends' and family’s support in making and purchasing bracelets,” she said.
“We’ve been so touched to see her friends and family help her support a cause she’s passionate about,” Mollie Berenbom, Eliana's mother, said. “This really has become a community effort.”
As of publication, Eliana Berenbom and her friends have made more than 100 bracelets and plan to keep going.
“She’s still hard at work making more bracelets to sell,” Mollie Berenbom said. “I don’t see her slowing down anytime soon. She feels good to feel like she’s doing something to help the people of Israel.”
The bracelets cost $18 each. They are sold in the Congregation Beth Shalom gift shop (14200 Lamar Ave, Overland Park, KS 66223), which is open from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Sundays.