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It was Moussie's birthday and her bubby asked her what she would like as a gift; she could pick anything. Without delay, Moussie replied that she would like pennies. Why would an eighth grade student want pennies for her birthday when she could have requested anything, you ask?

Simple, that is all Moussie thinks about these days. Her eighth grade class in Beth Rivkah Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York, is frantically gathering pennies in conjunction with their studies of the Holocaust.

Why are Beth Rivkah girls collecting Pennies?

It was Moussie’s birthday and her bubby asked her what she would like as a gift; she could pick anything. Without delay, Moussie replied that she would like pennies. Why would an eighth grade student want pennies for her birthday when she could have requested anything, you ask?

Simple, that is all Moussie thinks about these days. Her eighth grade class in Beth Rivkah Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York, is frantically gathering pennies in conjunction with their studies of the Holocaust.

Six million, an infamous number we immediately connect with the Holocaust. But how many of us have truly thought about that number? How many of us think of it as not just a huge number but six million individuals. Each and every person that symbolizes the six million was a special individual created by G-d to fulfill a mission on this earth that no-one but that person was capable of accomplishing.

Those were the questions that Mrs. Sara Strauss, their eighth grade teacher, who has been teaching the Holocaust for many years, asked herself as the new school year was approaching. How do I make sure that the girls comprehend this, something most adults simply don’t comprehend?

On the first day of school in September, Mrs. Strauss was sure she had the answer.

Project “Kol Pruta Upruta Mitztarefes Ad Liminyan Gadol” (Baba Basra 9b: Each and every penny adds up creating a great sum) took flight and has been gathering momentum ever since. In June it will make a quick stop on graduation day when the girls will display the pennies they have collected, shaped to form the countries (Poland, Germany, Russia, etc.) where the six million were murdered. And then the final trip, Tzedokah Maivey Geulah Liolam, the pennies will be rolled and sent away to charity in loving memory of all the bubbies and zeidies, mothers and fathers, chasanim and kallot, and children whose future generations we would never see.

“The girls think and breathe pennies. The enormity of Klal Yisroel’s great loss has truly hit home. As each and every penny comes in and is tallied, the girls thrill at their accomplishments and immediately they are staggered by the sheer amount of pennies needed to reach their goal – six million pennies in honor of our six million kedoshim,” Mrs. Srauss says.

“Won’t you please help us with this incredible living memorial we have begun to create? Most of us don’t even notice the penny lying around. We do! Your pennies count.”

If you would like to help us reach our goal please mail your pennies to:
Beth Rivkah
c/o Mrs. Strauss
470 Lefferts Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225

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63 Comments

  • Impressed

    Dear Mrs. Strauss and the entire 8th Grade

    I am so proud and impressed of this outstanding project. It is inspiring and uplifting. They should write it up in the major newspapers to show the awareness and caring of these students of Bais Rivkah…. Keep up the Great Work. You make us all proud to be in the midst of these students of Bais Rivkah.

  • #1 Roomate

    Goldie good job keep up the gr8 work u look excelent in the picture

  • sdf

    is this like a copy of paperclips? did the class even see paper clips? i think its important that they see it…

  • Already done!!!

    Wasn’t this done by another grade school already…they collected paper clips as a living memorial and I think they collected like 29 million paper clips. They were able to get a German cattle car that was used to transport the Jews to the death camps to store the paper clips and serve a living memorial and museum to the Jewish men woman a children that were killed Al Kiddush Hashem.

  • Professor Penny

    Too little too late. This needed a lot more publicity a lot earlier. You’ll never collect 6 million pennies by June. But very nice idea, though. Maybe extend it a year and shoot for next June. The only thing is: 6 million pennies is $60,000. Where would you keep it? And what about security?

    Also, consider this:

    One penny is .1 ounce

    Meaning

    10 pennies is one ounce

    160 pennies is one pound

    6,000,000 pennies divided by 160

    equals

    37500 pounds

    37,500 divided by 2204.6 pounds, or one ton

    which equals

    17 tons

    of pennies.

    This could be on CNN!

  • Impressed!

    How many pennies do they have?

    I know a similar project was made a couple of years ago by a Chabad Organization but instead of pennies, they collected paperclips (I don’t think they made it to 6 000 000, but pretty close) .

    Kol Hakavod!!

  • ME

    congragulations 8th graide.
    how meny pennies did you collect so far???????????

  • BR graduate

    Wow! Mrs Strauss still teaches? She was my teacher 14 years ago! KAH. May she have many more teaching years ahead.

  • Be a part of it

    hello???? everyone should really be a part of it. its a very nice poject that Mrs Struss did.
    Thnak you Mrs. Struss
    Weeeee love yA!!!!!!!!!!
    Hope we get the 6 million i no we willllll!!!!!!!!!!!11

  • Sara

    There was a initiative very much like this but with paper clips. That was done by a pubic school in Tennessee. I think what these girls are doing is very sweet. Do they still need pennies? How much longer will they be doing this? I remember reading about it in Hamodia about 4 months ago, but I completely forgot about it. If they still need I’d be glad to contribute some more pennies.

  • To Bais Rivka:

    Are you going to have 6 million pennies by the time graduation comes? Who are you going to donate to? In any case – I think you are doing great work and what an amazing mitzva that comes along with it!!!!! Thank You Mrs. Strauss for this wonderful idea of yours!!!!!

  • KC it an amazing idea!!!!! - SAMSF

    Why don’t you do this every eighth grade and send the money to different Shluchim each time? This way – people will give when they hear that the Shluchim are getting the money, and the you will realize what 6 million individual neshamas mean.

  • Seen it

    Yes, a school in Tennessee collected paper clips. They got a catlle car and turned it into a little memorial, and put their paper clips inside (about 11 million+). The documentary Paper Clips is about their project and what they did.

  • 409

    go 409!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    yes we still need pennies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    u may give as much as ur hart wants!!!!!
    if u give we can have it by the time graduation comes!
    thanx mrs. strauss!!!!!!!!

  • doesnt matter

    Wow-keep up the great work!
    do you by any chance get this idea from ‘paperclips’
    an elementary school in tennessee clollected like 30 million paperclips!
    good job-i hope you reach your #!

  • favorite cuzin

    GO GOLDIE !!!!!!!!! U R DA BOMB love ur favorite cuzin ME !!!!!!!!!!

  • SC from Crown Heights

    The paper clip collection was not made by Chabad but by a non Jewish high school. The collection of pennies is still important. At least the money will be given to tzedakah. Kol hakovod.

  • 8th grade gradete

    first of all stop commenting and give in pennies 2. we r not copping paperclips they made a memorial we r giving it to tzedoka thats the big diffrence .just imagine 1 penny is representing 1 person .so even if u give a dime that means u r honering 10 neshomes if u give a doller thats a 100 ppl. just think about it go bres 8th grade we rock………….

  • Itzik_s

    There have been other weddings posted here, and besides, Klein is not gezhe (don’t know who his wife is) and neither is Moshe Lazar or his wife :).

  • bais rivka girl

    There are a lot of comments about "Paper Clips" which was a really nice idea, but personally i think this shows the difference between a Yid and a goy. The goyim did it to show what the number six million is- to remind people, etc. but it had not actual purpose. Whereas Mrs. Strauss’s take on it is amazing- she’s teaching the girls a lesson and at the same time doing something incredible L’iluy Nihsmas the 6 million kedoshim. Brilliant!!!!!
    Mrs. Strauss, i’m proud to have been your student!! I’ll imy"H send in all the pennies i can find and i wish the whole 8th grade much hatzlacha!!!!!!

  • which coins?

    um does it hav to be only pennies of we send nicekls..dimes etc.. you’ll exchange them for pennies?

  • Mrs. Sora Strauss

    thanx former bais rivkah students and present ones for your kind support. YES, we are continuing the project next year and YES, you may send in nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars, checks etc. which we will exchange for pennies.
    we need massive help and by next june we would like to reach our goal of 6 million.
    love ya all
    mrs. strauss

  • teacher in bais rivka

    i know those girls they come to every class in the school and they always reminde everyone to bring in pennies theyre doing a relly good job!!!

  • Re which coins? wrote:

    i am a student from beis rivka and yes they will exchange it!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 406/08/09/10/11

    u can send pennies dimes nickles quarters dollers 100 100000 as much as u can please graduation is on sunday!!!! we really need we love ya mrs strause be proud THANKS A TON FOR ALL U DID THIS YEAR WE LUV YA

  • an 8th grader

    All this money is going to tzeddaka! please please bring in pennies or whatever you have. Remember every penny counts!

  • by the way

    send in any form of money, we spend all our time in the bank exchanging money for pennies and then counting each one. thankx for all your donations!!!!!

  • pennies on floor send them in!!!!!!!!!!!

    first of alll..
    to sara- of course we need all the peenies u can find around.
    2nd of all
    to which coin? u could sned in what ever u want. we will exchange it for pennies.

    anyways send in as much pennies as you wish we realy wnat to make Mrs Struss happy
    right B.R.E.S.?????????????
    GO EIGHTH GRADE

  • Former Mrs. Strauss student (20 yrs ago)

    Great idea! where do we bring our pennies to? and how are you counting it?

  • The Penny Collector

    Any coins can’t be sent and then they will be changed for pennies. Mrs. Strauss you’re DA BOMB!!!!!!!!!!! We love you!!!! We’ll miss you next year!!!!!!

    Everyone:
    Be a part of it and send it in your pennies!!!!

    8th grade of ’06

    P.S. Thank you to all those who have already the effort to contribute to this orthy cause. Tizku L’Mitzvos!
    Those that didn’t, "Es iz nita kein farfalen!"

  • Bais Rivkah 8th grader

    PENNIES! PENNIES! PENNIES! PENNIES!

    Mrs. Strauss, you rock!

    Love 8th grade of 2006

    Yeah everyone, we know we’re amazing!!!!!

  • 8th graders

    We will display all we have already collected at this years 8th grade gradauation! So if you’re interested, stop by and see our display!

  • brhs-er

    vtw, they’ve been collecting the pennies for a while- not jsut wake up now. every few weeks i send in lots of pennies with my sis’s. i think that instead of giving them tons of nickels, dimes….it would be appreciated if you could make the little effort to switch them to pennies. great job and hatzlacha rabba to you guys.

  • brhs-er

    wow, they’ve been collecting the pennies for a while- not jsut wake up now. every few weeks i send in lots of pennies with my sis’s. i think that instead of giving them tons of nickels, dimes….it would be appreciated if you could make the little effort to switch them to pennies. great job and hatzlacha rabba to you guys.

  • 8th grade member of pennies project

    anyone who would like to take part in this project does not have to actually give pennies the main thing is the money we rais for tzdakka. every penny will add toward our goal which we will be able to attain as soon as possible. on the first day of school we were itroduced to this project. we weree all so excited into it we were sure we would be able to finish in just 9 school months. after collecting and collecting we were able to realize what a huge number 6 million pennies are.(one of the perposes of this project). the money is what counts! miss struass takes all the money she get for this project and exchanges it in the bank. mailing 5 dollars is much eiserer than collecting 100 penies and carring them to the school. this project is similaR TO THE ONE OF PAPERCLIPS ALTHOUGH WE WILL BE DONATING THE MONEY at the end when we finish collecting the massive sum to a tzadaka organization which will help rebuild Jewdiisim of the many we lost in the hualocost.

  • 8th grader

    if youre reading and commenting, send in money. remember, this project is to remember the 6,000,000 kedoshim that gave up their lives al kiddush hashem. every penny counts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    send in pennies.

  • Tova- The Penny Collector

    Well, graduation came and went, but we had a display of all the concentration camps in Europe and we had our pennies as the backround. We now have about 1/2 a million pennies and Mrs. Strauss puts her heart and soul into this project. We’ll continue it until we finally reach our goal of 6 million pennies! Even in High School we’ll send in our contributions!
    Mrs. Strauss we’ll miss you next year!!!!!!!!!!!
    Who’s going to go around the entire school for you- I’m not going to be there!!!!!!!!

  • sara strauss

    anyone wishing to donate pennies or any kind of money can email me at sstra12353@aol.com.
    dear tova maybe you have a sister who can go around collecting for me? i’ll miss you!!!! youll have to collect for me in high school next year. hope to be hearing from you every week!!!!
    dear 8th graders: i’ll miss you all next year. come around and visit and dont forget to bring pennies!!!!!
    love mrs. strauss

  • chaya k

    Hey!
    Tova, you said you wrote abot six comments, i see!!!
    How old is your ildest neice? maybe she can take over as the penny collector!
    Mrs Strouss, in the beginig of the year you promised to make our school famous, you did it!
    they should post a picture of our display before it pops open again, and if it does, you know who to call to help!!!
    Have a great summer!!
    Chaya

  • Tova- The Penny Collector

    Well, well, well, what else can i say except rush in those pennies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Chaya, my oldest niece just completed first grade- i dont think shes ready to address the school yet! lol. Mrs. Strauss it was said many times but i gotta say it again………..You Rock!!!!!!!!!!!! ill try to keep up my status of being The World’s Greates Penny Collector!