The Story Behind This Site
The laugh that became a tribute
Not long before, Heshy had made fun of something for being a bit over-the-top and juvenile. So one of his kids decided the only fitting response was to out-do it entirely, with a whole charity website all about him. "A Mitzvah For Heshy" was a gloriously ridiculous campaign begging the world to donate on his behalf, complete with a heroic bio ("the Mitzvah Maestro") and a "Mitzvah Hall of Fame" to match, all delivered with a completely straight face.
We had a close friend send him the link with three innocent words: "Is this you?" The reply was pure Heshy:
He first saw it at home and, just as his reply shows, immediately suspected one of his kids, though he couldn't be sure. We caught the whole bewildered, delighted moment on video. It wasn't until later, in the car on his way to a treatment, that he called to ask if we had really made it, and when we admitted it, he lost it, laughing for the entire ride.
That laugh is exactly why we could never let this site quietly disappear.
See the original site, exactly as he saw it
We've preserved the very first version of the site (donation form, straight face, and all), untouched.
View the original site