Jewish children in Indianapolis pray for Israel after attack

INDIANAPOLIS — The attack on Israel might be difficult to explain to some children, but a group Jewish children showed their support for the country with prayer and handwritten letters.

Chabad Lubavitch of Indiana hosted a child-focused prayer session concerning the attack Wednesday night. Rabbi Dovid Grossbaum organized the event to allow children to show their compassion to people affected overseas.

“Kids don’t complexify,” Grossbaum said. “They simply love, and that’s a lesson that everybody can learn.”

The service also became a place of refuge for Itamar Cohen, a native of Israel who immigrated to the United States as an adult.

“I couldn’t sleep for four days,” said Cohen, who holds dual citizenship between Israel and the United States. “I’ve got a son that’s in Israel right now. He’s 23-years-old. I couldn’t get ahold of him for a few hours after the attack.”

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Cohen’s older son survived the attack. He took his 8-year-old son to the Chabad event to help him understand it all.

“It is difficult because he’s asking why,” Cohen said. “Why are people killing us? Why are people doing these things?”

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The children used markers and crayons to write letters of support, which Grossbaum hopes to deliver to Israel as soon as possible.

“The children understand it better than we do, and they know what a heartfelt letter means. If they received one in the mail, how happy would a kid be?” Grossbaum said. “When someone does a good deed, even in Indianapolis, it ripples across the world.”