Lior Levy assists homeless man
Photo: Yonatan Tzur
'Sweater Festival' to help Tel Aviv's homeless
Tel Aviv resident plans concert by leading singers to which entrance fee is warm clothing or blanket
Lior Levy, a 31-year old resident of Tel Aviv, has dedicated the past five years of his life to helping the city's homeless population, ever since he came across the body of a homeless man in the street.
Now Levy plans to help the homeless in another way, with a festival including some of Israel's leading singers. It is aptly named 'Sweater Festival' for the entrance fee: A sweater, blanket, or sleeping bag in donation to the homeless.
Helping the homeless (Photo: Yonatan Tzur)
Levy was featured on Ynet's Hebrew website a few weeks ago, and says that on the day the article was published he received around 700 emails from people who wanted to help.
"I answered all of them, and sacks of clothing started to arrive. My apartment became so full I could barely move around," he said, adding hastily that he was not complaining.
Then, Levy says, he got an anonymous phone call from a man who asked him what else he need. "I glanced at my apartment and said, 'A warehouse'. Two days later I had a warehouse on street next to mine," he recounts.
Now that he has storage space, Levy says, he can store the mounds of clothing he receives each day. "Since the press coverage I have been getting around eight garbage bags of clothing a day," he says.
Thus the 'Sweater Festival' idea was born, and with it Levy intends to raise awareness to the state of homelessness in Tel Aviv. In exchange for their entrance fee, festival-goers will be admitted to performances by Ninet Tayeb, Hemi Rodner, Amit Erez, Aya Korem, and more.
The performances will take place at Tel Aviv's Levontin Club this Friday. "I appealed to a number of artists who said yes right away," Levy says. "I didn't need to convince them. They were happy they could help."
According to the Health Ministry, 4,528 homeless people are currently living on the streets of Israel. Around 40% of them live in Tel Aviv.
In the winter of 2008 around 50 homeless people died of cold, diseases, violence, and neglect. The number grows each year.
"In addition to all of the charity work done by organizations and associations, every one of us 'neighbors' can help if we only remember the basic human compassion that exists in us all," Levy says. He added that he hopes the festival will become an annual event.
The "Sweater Festival" - Friday, December 11, 1 pm at the Levontin club (7 Levontin Street, Tel Aviv).
Entrance fee: Sweater or blanket that will be handed out to the homeless.
