It is not altogether common to see a 33-year-old man walking through the streets with large quantities of children’s toys, much less one wearing a military officer’s uniform. Yet when the IDF Website met with Major Maor Cohen, the officer was carrying boxes of Legos – those popular construction toys that epitomize childhood for millions all over the world. On his way to Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikvah, he paused to discuss his alter ego known to children throughout Israel’s hospitals: the Lego Man.

“I have always loved and collected Legos. They have accompanied me throughout my entire life – from adolescence to adulthood. They’re fun and they relax me,” Major Cohen said. “In the end, I’ll have so many Legos that I’ll have to open a museum,” he joked.

As a young man, Cohen searched for a unique way to combine his love for Legos with his desire to volunteer and serve the community. “My original plan was to donate my Legos for children to enjoy, but I wanted a more active role,” he said. “Through a friend, I became involved with Beit Oranit of Ezer Mizion [Israel’s largest health support organization], and they set me up with my first hospital visit a year and a half ago.”

Following his first visit, Cohen began holding weekly Lego lessons for children with cancer and their parents. In addition to being a fun way for children to get to know others facing similar circumstances, it has also become a way to bring the family together around a positive endeavor. “Both adults and children are actively involved in the lessons, and it provides for nice bonding moments between, say, a father and his son as they invest in building Legos together,” he explained.

Major Cohen added that the Lego sessions encourage the children to think creatively and take ownership over their own construction projects. “Every child is different and has different ideas. I let them run with their ideas and this is how they begin to create a series of their own. One kid has been doing a Batman series, while another enjoys building planes out of the Legos,” he said. “This way, they look forward to next week’s lesson where they expand on their chosen Lego series.”

Cohen’s altruistic journey has continued to progress since his first visit. Apart from holding weekly lessons at the Ezer Mizion Organization, Maj. Cohen pays private visits to children in hospitals around Tel Aviv and Petah Tikvah who may be too ill to attend the weekly lessons. “They even know me as ‘Lego Man’ – that’s what they call me,” Maj. Cohen said with pride. The “Lego Man” moniker reflects the children’s perception of him – as a superhero.

While he is proud to pay private visits to children who spend most of their days stuck in hospital beds attached to monitors, Maj. Cohen’s work has presented him with no small share of loss. “Unfortunately, four of the children I worked with have passed. However, many with whom I’ve worked from the beginning are still with me, and two have beaten cancer. The Legos remain a part of their lives, and I am in great touch with them as well,” he said.

Maj. Cohen is intent on continuing his volunteer project. “These kids need consistency and something to look forward to each week. I am proud to say that, for me, canceling even one lesson is not an option. Even during Operation Pillar of Defense, we continued to hold lessons and make private visits. Nothing has stopped me in trying to brighten these children’s days,” he stated.

Cohen sees the project, and reaching out to more and more sick children, as his life’s goal. “The project is only 19 months old. My mission is to expand this project across all of Israel and to make these children happy,” he said. “Knowing that I am doing that is all I need.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo IDF Spokesman)