Calgary student Raphie Simantov: Mitzvah Project is close to his heart

by Maxine Fischbein

(AJNews) – It is impossible to say no to Raphael Simantov, so don’t even try!

When the 12-year-old B’nai Mitzvah student decided in October 2024 that he would Stand with the Brave by collecting funds to aid the rehabilitation of wounded Israeli veterans, he jumped into his mitzvah project with two feet and a heart that is bigger than he is.

Since then, Raphie has lapped his initial goal of $1,800 in support of Beit Halochem Canada, a charitable organization that helps some 60,000 injured Israeli soldiers in facilities throughout Israel.

It is personal for this energetic kid who had raised $3,600 and established a new target of $5,900 when AJNews sat down with him last month.

It all started as Raphie began preparing for his Bar Mitzvah at Calgary’s Temple B’nai Tikvah under the guidance of Morah Jessy Kuehne.

“I wanted something to do with Israel because it is very important …that we help our community out due to everything that’s happening,” said Raphie, referring to the tragic events of October 7, 2023 and the ensuing multi-front war in which many IDF soldiers have fallen or sustained life-altering injuries.

Initially, Raphie shortlisted Jewish organizations and charities that were important to him, among them Camp BB Riback, which Raphie attended for the first time last summer; The Calgary Jewish Academy, where he is a Grade 7 student; and UJA (the United Jewish Appeal).

In the end, Beit Halochem hit closest to home for Raphie, the son of an Israeli father.

“I have cousins that are in the army right now. They are all really young and nice and I wanted to help them. I didn’t want them to be injured for the rest of their lives,” Raphie told AJNews, adding, “Beit Halochem has facilities around Israel that take injured soldiers and help them recover and return back to normal life.”

A 12-year-old who thrives on team sports, Raphie worries about how frustrating it must be for young soldiers who find themselves incapacitated.

Throughout his Stand with the Brave Project, Raphie has been supported by Beit Halochem Canada Calgary Chair David Wallach. Another mentor is Harvey Cyngiser, founder and director of the Beth Tzedec Congregation Jewish Film Festival, who arranged space for Raphie to launch his fundraiser at the film festival last month and got him off to a good start with a generous first donation.

Raphie quickly became a magnet for film-goers over the three weekends of the festival and blew through his original fundraising goal. By closing night, he had doubled his goal and raised six times the amount his father had initially thought he would be able to raise over an entire year.

Wanting not just to “take” but to give back to his many donors, Raphie spent hours making exquisite origami Stars of David, F-35 fighter jets and doves—a heart-rending juxtaposition that captures the dreams and sorrows of Israeli life. Raphie gifted one of his creations to each donor who donated a minimum gift of $18.

Some made cash gifts on the spot with no expectation of a tax receipt. Those wanting to support Raphie’s project and receive a tax receipt were given a QR Code taking them directly to his dedicated page on the Beit Halochem website. Donors of $18 or more receive a tax receipt, and all funds collected in support of Raphie’s Stand With the Brave campaign go directly to Beit Halochem Canada which, in turn, allocates the dollars.

There are other ways to support Beit Halochem, says Raphie, who encourages people to visit the Beit Halochem website, become volunteers and attend the Beit Halochem concert set for this spring.

The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Raphie’s parents—Michael Simantov and Jun Mo—are avid volunteers within and beyond the Jewish community. Among other efforts, Michael has served for many years on the board of Calgary Jewish Federation and Jun is an active member of the Jewish Film Festival Committee. They are impressed with the energy and heart Raphie brings to his mitzvah project.

“Raphie takes it seriously. He knows that this is just something we do,” says Jun. “We didn’t need to convince him. It was something he really wanted to do.”

In that, he has been influenced not only by his parents but by his 17-year-old sister Rachel.

“Raphie looks to her in the same way he looks to us,” says Michael Simantov, expressing pride in the fact that Rachel was able to beautifully articulate to her brother how taking part in community increases one’s personal well-being and happiness.

Both Michael and Jun are grateful for the local Jewish organizations that have helped them raise children who want to give back to the community, not just because it is the “right thing” to do, but because, as they overheard Rachel telling her brother, “it makes you feel so good.”

Rachel also had plenty of practical tips for her younger brother on how to get traction for his fundraising at the Film Festival, encouraging him to mingle, make eye contact, and dress for success.

So Raphie showed up in a suit jacket (he had me at hello!), created a tri-fold display—with a little help from Rachel—and shared handouts about Beit Halochem Canada and his project.

“It was nice,” recalled Raphie. “I met a lot of people.”

Raphie has already devoted at least 85 hours to raising funds on behalf of Beit Halochem. His effort is just as important as the funds he has managed to raise, says his dad.

“Raphie is very, very warm…he is a very good son and a great friend. When he comes into the room, the light is on,” says Jun who also describes her son as keenly observant and an independent thinker.

A lover of team sports, Raphie is a proud CJA Hawk who plays volleyball, soccer and basketball. Perpetually in motion, he has a visceral reaction to the thought of Israeli vets sidelined by traumatic injuries.

“If you play sports and you get injured, you can’t really play, and it kind of sucks. But if you get injured and you can’t even participate in your own life anymore, that sucks even more. So I want to help those people,” Raphie told AJNews.

Jun Mo says that the whole family has found it helpful to imagine an injured vet sitting in a wheelchair and then visualize him rehabilitated and able to play basketball or take a walk with a friend.

Michael Simantov says that while passionate about his cause, Raphie was “realistic” in setting his initial goals.

While speaking with David Wallach, Raphie discovered that the most affordable piece of equipment Beit Halochem typically purchases is $5,900. He did not want to feel defeated by setting a goal that would be unrealizable.

But the generosity of community members—many of whom he had not met prior to Film Festival—has convinced Raphie to reach higher. He is now focused on helping Beit Halochem to buy a specialized wheelchair that will enable a wounded veteran to play basketball, his favourite sport.

“In Israel basketball is really popular, so a lot of people like it,” Raphie told AJNews, adding that gifts like the specialized wheelchair will “…help people rehabilitate and get over their past trauma.”

The Simantov family is planning a spring or summer trip to Israel in celebration of Raphie’s Bar Mitzvah, which will take place on October 4, 2025. Raphie says that David Wallach will be reaching out to the Beit Halochem Centre in Haifa to arrange a tour for them.

“If we actually go to the Haifa Centre, maybe we will see the wheelchair that I got,” says Raphie.

His father explains that just as he is not given the exact same dollar he originally deposited when he goes to the bank to make a withdrawal, Raphie should not count on seeing the exact wheelchair he is helping Beit Halochem to purchase.

“The important thing you are doing, Raphie, is helping them to meet that goal faster,” Michael Simantov told his son, adding, “Especially during the war… It’s important for people to know that a little Jewish boy is emotionally invested.”

Well, now you know, Jewish Alberta! If you have not yet extended a helping hand, please visit www.beithalochem.ca, and click on “WAYS TO DONATE” and then “STAND WITH THE BRAVE” or scan the QR Code. Usher in 2025 by making the life of a wounded Israeli vet a little brighter.

Maxine Fischbein is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter