Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

(JNS) — Sometimes, kids just need a hug. 

That’s especially true of children who have endured the horrors of war. In 2006, Israeli psychologists invented a plush dog called Hibuki—Hebrew for “hug”—to help kids cope with trauma from the Second Lebanon War.

The stuffed toy, with its elongated arms and sad eyes, has expanded globally. Last year, it was introduced in Ukraine, and now Hibuki is comforting many Ukrainian refugee children who have made their way to New York, at a Brooklyn school that teaches Hebrew and Israeli culture.

At Hebrew Language Academy, educational interven...