Parents are demanding answers after a kid was nearly trampled to death on a bimah today. Apparently there was an ufruf and the child lingered around after all the other kids had their share, grabbing all of the candy they had left behind. The child was found during the ‘mazel tov circle’ by the president of the shul when he stepped on his hand and couldn’t recall having given out candy bags for the ufruf.
FS –News caught up with the shul president He said, “I knew something was wrong, because our shul only gives peanut chews and those sesame things during ufrufs, what I stepped on was clearly larger than a peanut chew, so I looked down and saw a large bloodied child holding onto his candy for dear life as he sniffled and tried to hold back the tears.” The shul had trouble stopping the ‘mazel tov circle’ because many of those involved had been at a kiddush club before and simply didn’t want to stop.
With 3 cases this year of children being trampled while gathering candy on bimahs, some parents have called for a complete halt of candy throwing during shul. Many parents have already requested healthier snacks like fruit be thrown, instead of candies filled with high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals. Parents Against Candy Throwing (in shul), or PACT, has lobbied various Jewish agencies to no avail. Jewish traditions like candy throwing are so ingrained in the psyche that many congregations would prefer to have a child get hurt once in a while than mess with the holy mesorah.
PACT made headlines last year when they tried to get legislation passed that would require all stroller operators to take a breathalyzer prior to leaving shul. The attempt had failed miserably because most people wouldn’t attend shul if they couldn’t drink and retain the use of strollers.
On the flipside, limits on time and the amount of children allowed on the bimah seem more legitimate. FS–News spoke with Harvey Cohen, the father of a girl injured last year when, while reaching for some candy, her hand was severed by the bar mitzvah boys foot. Mr. Cohen still insists that it was all in good fun. “Children get injured all of the time, riding their bikes, playing guitar hero, or predators on webkinz. We can’t just take away their childhoods; let them live and learn.” Mr. Cohen has tried to be supportive of PACT but he says it is the type of organization that wants to ban activities like “color war” since it is comprised of two controversial words: “war” and “color”.
FS-News has learned that the child who was trampled was merely too slow because he was obese, and shocking statistics prove that most of those children that were trampled while reaching for candy at ufrufs were obese and therefore unable to leave as quickly as their skinny friends, and not because conditions were unsafe. The debate continues and we will bring you any breaking updates on this news story.