12-Year-Old Funds Aid for Grieving Israeli Teen

At the center of a bittersweet Hanukkah celebration in a bomb shelter in Ofakim, Israel, was Ori Ohayon, age 13.

Ori’s father, Moshe, age 52, and his older brother, Eliad, age 23, were killed when they confronted militants storming their small town, located about 11 miles east of the Gaza Strip. 

After NBC News reported on the tragedy involving Ori’s family, Chayton Tecumseh, a 12-year-old from California, was inspired to take action and reached out to Ori.

Chayton told NBC News by text message on December 13, 2023, that ‘there was something about Ori’s dad that reminded me of my own dad.’

After learning that Ori was about to celebrate his bar mitzvah – a Jewish rite of passage that marks a boy’s 13th birthday – Chayton, who is not Jewish, donated $745 from his allowance money for Ori’s special event. 

Chayton then was determined to do more for other kids orphaned in the attacks, and he began a charity drive.  Working with Ori’s family, together they identified 32 Israil children and teens to help. Most of the designated children had lost parents and other family members during the Hamas attacks.

The total collected was $3,200  and was to be distributed as gifts of toys for younger children and cash for older teens.

Ori’s aunt referred to a Hebrew saying, ‘even a smallest light can defeat great darkness.’

The light from Chayton and his family and friends in California truly made things brighter for Ori and his family and friends in a small town in southern Israel.

The original story and the above photos of Ori (left) and Chayton are attributed to Tom Llamas, a national correspondent for NBC News. The story appeared December 13, 2023 on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.