A BAR MITZVAH PROJECT
PUTS ITS BEST FACE FORWARD
JASON COHEN | JE STAFF
hildren born with facial deformities often face numer-
ous sociological and physical challenges throughout
life. In an attempt to brighten their lives and really get
to know these children, the Craniofacial Program at
the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) began
the Craniofacial Program Portrait Project in 2008, the first of its
kind in the United States.

Artists at Studio Incamminati, School for Contemporary Realist Art,
in partnership with the Craniofacial Program at CHOP and the Edwin
and Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance at the University
of Pennsylvania, paint portraits of children and adolescents with cran-
iofacial conditions to help them see themselves in a different light.

On. Jan. 31, Ethan Sarwer, 13, the son of Dr. David Sarwer, associate
dean for research of the College of Public Health at Temple University,
who helped start the project, displayed the spirit of chesed and tikkun
olam as he held his Bar Mitzvah project at Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue
Bell, where he raised money and awareness for the project.

“It really touched me and I thought it would be a really special
project to help these individuals,” Ethan said.

The first eight portraits were exhibited in 2010 in the Colket
Translational Research Building at CHOP, and in November 2013,
four additional ones were unveiled, along with a documentary video
about the project.

Hillary Waller, the program director at TBI, praised Ethan for
his efforts and said the shul always encourages young adults to think
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM outside the box when it comes to their Bar or Bat Mitzvah projects.

“I think Ethan is really an exceptional kid,” Waller said. “We just
feel lucky to be able to represent their work at TBI. This is such a
special program.”
The project was funded by a grant from the Edwin and Fannie
Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance at the University of Penn-
sylvania. It was developed by Linton Whitaker, founder of the Craniofacial
Program, professor of plastic surgery at the University of Pennsyl-
vania School of Medicine, and founder and director of the Center
for Human Appearance; Scott Bartlett, chief of the Division of Plastic
Surgery and director of CHOP’s Craniofacial Program; Canice
Crerand, former psychologist with the Division of Plastic and Re-
constructive Surgery at CHOP; and Sarwer.

Sarwer said their goals were to build on the friendship of Whitak-
er and Nelson Shanks, who started the Studio Incamminati School
in 2002, and bring the organizations together to help children.

“It took a very thoughtful approach to putting it together,” Dr.

Sarwer said.

He explained there are hundreds of patients with craniofacial
deformities, but they needed the kids to understand the project and
know the families could commit to it.

“We also wanted to make sure we weren’t doing any emotional
SIMCHAS See Project, Page 24
MARCH 31, 2016
23