Boy ties sneakers to IDF and Jewish history

Posted

A Great Neck boy’s interest in sneakers forged a connection with his grandfather and led to a fundraising project that ties him to Israeli soldiers.

The family of 11-year-old Jared Puntus has been active in the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) since 2009. Since age seven, Jared has been drawn to “cool, interesting sneakers,” explained his father, Marc, an investment banker. “Most he wears, some he doesn’t wear as much,” Marc explained.

Jared’s grandfather — his mother Amy’s father, Herbert Weiner — was a shoe salesman who sold sneakers most of his life, a distributor of shoes and sneakers to small stores throughout the tristate region. Marc said that Weiner, who passed away last year, was a very religious man and a strong supporter of Israel, and that Jared was close to him. The sneaker interest, Marc said, “was something they had in common — he got a kick out of Jared and his interest in sneakers. It was a bonding experience. They used to like talking about sneakers.”

Liron Kreitman, director of Long Island FIDF, said that someone Jared’s age “being involved such a long time is very unusual.” She noted that other children get involved in FIDF as part of a mitzvah program around age 12 and 13. “He started younger. I think it’s incredible.

“It’s a difficult concept for teens raised in the U.S., that teens on the other side of the world are working so hard [as soldiers] to defend the Jewish people,” Kreitman said. “That he gets that is very impressive. It’s a very special story.”

She said that Jared raised $1,069 in 2009 for the young soldiers’ program, and that “I actually remember Jared bringing the money he raised to me in cash. You don’t see that ever.”

Page 1 / 2