About a week after the Hamas attack of October 7, Avi Frier thought about what he could do to help.
“I didn’t have a huge amount of money I could contribute but because I have a large entertainment company, I have a large van, so I decided to help transport duffle bags with supplies to that people were taking to Israel to Miami International Airport, Frier told The Jewish Press in a phone call from Israel.
But he wanted to do more. He sent out a message on a WhatsApp group of frum magicians to see who would like to go on a mission to Israel to perform magic primarily for children, but also for adults. There were four responses, and he raised about $18,000 through the Chesed Fund, a crowdsourcing site similar to GoFundMe, to cover the costs of traveling, lodging and other expenses.
“It’s obvious that it’s a very hard time in Israel and at first we booked a few shows,” Frier said. “But then it became more and more. The sweet spot was 4-7 p.m. where children were out of school and before they went to sleep. We performed for displaced families. We performed in Efrat for a ladies’ night and we performed at schools. We performed some later shows for families with older teens and for reserve soldiers.”
Frier got choked up in speaking about the responses.
“I think most Jews want to show Israel that we are family and all one,” he said. “I never knew how much it would mean to them and how much it would mean to me. To help children forget the pain and the horrible things and feel a little normal for maybe an hour, it’s a wonderful feeling to see the children smile. To know that you’re raising their spirits, it’s gratifying.”
He said now there’s been a rush of requests and while they can’t get to everyone, they are doing as many shows as possible. The owner of crazyfunevents.com said one of the magicians, Sam Jacobs, is fluent in Hebrew so he has served as the emcee. For one trick Frier does called “the Vanishing Bandana,” a recording instructs the magician to tell people what to do and involves a banana but since both words are the same in Hebrew and in English, it works, and he had a recording made in Hebrew, especially for these shows.
“They love it,” Frier said, adding that there are many comedic elements to it.
Frier, who lives in Hollywood, Florida, said the group had never performed together until this trip, and the shows have worked well. He praised to Avi Hoffman, who is finishing up semicha at Yeshiva University, and said he is one of the best card trick magicians in the world.
Frier, who is also a DJ and runs events and simchas, said he was also pleased to perform for reserve soldiers.
Hoffman told The Jewish Press it was an honor to share his talents with those who could use a break from the stress.
“It is extremely meaningful to help if even in a small way,” he said. “I think people are looking to see what they can do and what are the best uses of their talents.”
Both Frier and Hoffman said they have given shiurim about magic and how it is not contrary to halacha as it does not presume any alternate power, and that it is similar to people coming to a show where they know the actors are pretending to be characters.
They also said performances of magicians have a broader appeal than people might realize.
An assistant rabbi in West Orange, New Jersey, Hoffman said he said he has gotten great feedback from Israelis.
“You can see they appreciate we’ve come to help in whatever small way we can,” Hoffman said. “It’s amazing when you see the eyes of children light up,” Hoffman said. “I once performed at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan for a child who had cancer, and the doctor was impressed that the child was doing so well. It’s partly about chesed and it also helps some children with their social skills.”
Hoffman, 29, said he first became involved in magic at a Shavuot all-night learning session where someone taught him a few tricks that could be performed for groups when he was 13. He said it was energizing to see the response of many they’ve performed for.
“The whole yeshiva at Mitzpeh was blown away,” he said.
He said it was beneficial to have a versatile team of magicians. Sam Jacobs does mentalism, Avi Frier is partially comedic, and Ben Cohen and Marc Levine do stage magic and sleight of hand magic, while Hoffman does card tricks.
“Part of being human is trying to make the best of any situation and be positive,” Hoffman said. “Things don’t always go according to a script. People were told to take whatever you can and leave quickly. Everyone, from children to adults to soldiers on reserve are trying to adjust the best way they can. It’s not easy. To entertain for a little while helps them feel relaxed and helps us feel like we are contributing.”
Frier said the mission has been a great success and is sorry he could not do more shows as they have more requests than they can accommodate. He said that somehow his Hebrew has been improving so he can do parts in Hebrew. He noted that while most adults in Israel now speak English, many children do not, so it was useful to have a fluent Hebrew speaker to be the emcee.
As for going back to Israel and doing other performances in America, he said those are possibilities, and he suggests anyone wanting to bring their talent to Israel at this time should take a flight. The group of five magicians has performed 16 shows in four days.
“I knew it would be emotional, but I didn’t expect it to be this emotional,” Frier said. “It’s been an amazing and unforgettable experience. At a time when our enemies have made our children cry, the least we can do is make them smile.”
