Hasidic Puppet Theater Operators: 'If Just One Child Finds Their Way Back Through Our Puppets – That Is Our Reward'

It happened on the eve of the last Rosh Hashanah. A rabbi working to bring people closer to tradition in one of the non-religious settlements in Israel contacted Alon Hakshur from the 'Hasidic Puppet Theater.' "I want to invite a puppet show," he said. "I want you to perform with the puppets for the parents and children in our community."

Alon was very surprised to hear the invitation. Though they travel across nearly all regions of Israel as part of the theater, invitations usually come from teachers or educators. Why was the community rabbi inviting him? But the rabbi continued, "I tried to gather the community for a discussion before Rosh Hashanah, but they weren't interested. I thought maybe you could convey some knowledge and messages through the puppets..."

Alon needed no more convincing. Despite it being the eve of Rosh Hashanah and the settlement being very distant, he and his wife decided to set out for the show. "Indeed," says Alon, "we arrived and performed for dozens of children and their parents. We have a special show about Rosh Hashanah and its symbols, and everyone sat captivated for an entire hour. It was amazing because these are people who generally have strong reactions against anything to do with religion, but the moment the 'puppets' 'spoke,' it became much less threatening. At the end of the show, the 'puppets' asked all the children to wish each other a good year, and we even recited Psalms together."

Two are Better Than One

This event on Rosh Hashanah is just one example from countless experiences that Alon and Iris Hakshur encounter. For ten years they have traveled the country, performing nearly everywhere, and even in places that seem less possible.

In the beginning, as Alon notes, it all started small. "We lived for years in the north, and my wife worked as a kindergarten teacher. When we moved to the central region, she looked for work but couldn't find any. So she tried a field she excelled in - theater, and that's how our puppet theater was born. In her first shows," he says, "Iris used puppets she got from acquaintance teachers and improvised a few shows, mainly for small kindergartens. But when she saw the children's enjoyment and the staff's enthusiasm, she decided to move forward."

In the next stage, Alon shares, his wife bought larger puppets and crafted particularly detailed shows. "Later, she required a sound system, so she asked me to join her and help. Thus, we found ourselves very quickly going out together to many events. Over time, my wife asked me to help animate some of the characters, because 'since you’re here anyway.' Suddenly, I became a full partner, not just a backstage member."

For the past ten years, this has been the main occupation of the Hakshurs. "The most important thing to us throughout the journey is that our shows carry a message. That's more important than anything else because it is indeed our mission," Alon emphasizes. "For example, we have shows with messages that emphasize heartfelt prayer that Hashem always hears, another show where the message is that everything Hashem does is for the good, shows about believing in the wise, and how salvation comes through believing in the righteous, and more. All our shows are based on stories from Sages or familiar Midrashim, but we dress them with narrative and drama."

Interestingly, despite the strong messages and educational values in their shows, the couple often finds themselves invited to perform in non-religious settings as well.

"Often, close to certain holidays or as part of Chabad House activities, we're invited to places with no relation to religion." Alon shares, "And then we feel our true mission. Because in such places, you see children who really don't know anything, but in most cases, they are so thirsty to hear and interested. We are thrilled to provide them with knowledge."

For instance, in Rishon LeZion, Iris and Alon presented at a non-religious kindergarten, and within the show, the struggle of a child with the evil inclination was mentioned. "After the show," Alon recounts, "my wife and I went to a nearby supermarket to shop, and suddenly we heard a child arguing with his mother demanding she buy him something. Initially, they argued loudly, but after a few minutes, we heard him say sweetly, 'Fine, I'll tell my evil inclination not to convince me anymore.' We realized it was a child who watched our show, and when we looked, we saw the mother seemed completely astonished."

In another instance, Alon tells of a show they performed in Be'er Sheva, at a religious school. "We performed, and everyone sat captivated. The show dealt with a dramatic story appropriate for schoolchildren, where a minister abducted a child and told him he must convert to Islam. The children followed the story with great suspense, but after the show, the principal approached me angrily and said, 'How could you speak this way about Muslims? Just so you know, in the audience there were two kids with mothers married to Muslim men, who knows how they will react?' I certainly apologized but expressed to the principal that the assumption was, given it was a religious school, the children there would surely be educated according to Jewish and not Islamic spirit."

The end of the story was more than surprising. "A year later, I was invited again to perform at the school," Alon recounts, "After the show, I asked the principal how those children are, whom he mentioned last year. To my surprise, he took me aside and told me that one of those kids no longer studies at the school. Because, following the show, the mother decided she wanted to leave her husband permanently. Indeed, a few days later, she disappeared with her son. An organization dealing with such situations took them to a safe apartment. I was deeply moved to hear this," says Alon, "I felt that through our show, we might have awakened another soul."

Reaching Every Place

The ambition of the Hakshurs seems boundless, and Alon notes they make sure to perform before any audience that invites them. This is what often leads them to perform for special needs children.

"We love performing in special education institutions," he explains, "because they challenge us anew each time. We use our usual scripts but speak slower and repeat each line several times. We believe children, in any state they're in, even if severely limited, can enjoy the shows, and there's no reason to deny them that."

As part of their commitment to performing for every Jewish person, Alon notes they have reached the most remote locations across Israel, even those in very distant or some considered unsafe areas. "We aim to instill in our shows the love of Israel, and we know that traveling to every place and meeting all audiences is part of our message," he explains. "True, it's not always simple, and not always profitable, but these are our principles."

Finally, Alon adds: "Thank Hashem, we’ve witnessed very touching moments following our performances, and each time I tell myself – I don't know where the children sitting before us will be in their future, but maybe thanks to what they saw here, they will put on tefillin, maybe they will take upon themselves something. Who knows? If just one child finds their way back through our theater, that will be our reward."