BY SERGIO CARMONA

Twelve or Eleven-year-old Ayel Morgenstern of Boca Raton, FL is connecting with others by spreading kindness and love through mitzvah projects.

For years, Ayel – a sixth grade student at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, FL – has used her artistic talent and what she considers are strong Jewish values for these projects. 

Ayel’s story first went viral when she was six years old as she painted hundreds of rocks to adorn tombstones that were vandalized in Jewish cemeteries in different parts of the United States. She has worked on several other kindness projects since then.  

“I want to do mitzvahs and I want to inspire others,” Ayel said enthusiastically. “I have done many projects to help the whole world.”

Following Hurricane Ian’s recent devastation in Southwest Florida, Ayel has once again been showcasing her artistic talent to connect with others through kindness and love. 

“I really wanted to connect with people, and I also really wanted to help other people who went through this [Hurricane Ian],” Ayel said.

For her recent project, Ayel painted “Kvelling Hearts,” which are colorful, whimsical hearts. Kvelling means happy in Yiddish. Proceeds from her artwork have been donated to the organization, All Hands Volunteers and Happy Hearts Fund, to help heal and console the people of Southwest Florida, specifically by rebuilding homes. Ayel has so far surpassed her goal of raising $1,000.

 “Each heart is different in their own special way, just like us,” Ayel said. “I have strong strong Jewish values.”

Ayel said it’s very important for her to incorporate Jewish values through these projects.

Ayel’s mother, Lauren Morgenstern, said, “We have strong Jewish values and roots.”

“We always try to incorporate that into our daily lives, and we hope that our children pass it on to their children,” Lauren Morgenstern continued.

Ayel’s also working on “Sunny Side Up,” an art project in which she’s collaborating with the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County and The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach, FL to beautify the Soup Kitchen.

Ayel loves connecting with others on these projects because it’s “powerful and impactful” to her.

In early 2021, Ayel wrote a letter and poem to U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris telling them about the projects she has worked one. She recently received a signed letter from the White House recognizing her and her projects. 

“It made me feel very excited,” Ayel said in response to receiving the letter.

Among Ayel’s projects that can be considered impactful is “Sunny Seats,” which consists of wooden chairs and benches that she painted in memory of the 17 victims who died during the shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL on Feb, 14, 2018. It’s a personal project for her as she lived in Parkland at the time of the shooting. 

 “Ayel was only in first grade at the time and her elementary school was literally within walking distance from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” Lauren Morgenstern said. “She saw everything, and she wanted to paint 17 chairs for the 17 lives that were lost. They have been distributed all across the city of Parkland, and since then, I’ve lost count on how many chairs and benches she has painted, as they’re all across the country now, including in schools and libraries. She continues to paint as she loves to paint and loves to connect with others through art. “

 Lauren Morgenstern explained if there was anything that influenced her daughter to work on the projects.

 “From when she was at a very early age, I have always had art supplies in the house,” she said. “Ayel’s always been an artistic child. She’s always been a dancer. I had her in dance at 18 months, so she’s musically very gifted and she’s obviously gifted in art. She was also painting when she was just 18 months and she was painting on canvases. I always say that  my house is Michaels on steroids as I have everything, and  I do believe that had some type of influence on how connected she is with art.”Visit instagram.com/ayel_rocks_kindness/  or twitter.com/ayel4kindness for more information on Ayel and her projects, including the fundraiser to help Hurricane Ian victims.