Whizz-kid recreates Golders Green Road using LEGO

Kosher shops on Golders Green Road built out of LEGO - and the real ones (Photos: Jeremy Selwyn)[Missing Credit]

Paying close attention to the idiosyncrasies of the north-west London high street, Shloimy made sure the signage above the stores was as close as possible to the real thing – achieved by finding the logos online and printing these off on tiny pieces of paper.

Apart from these and the number on the front of the 240 bus, the rest of the structure is made out of thousands of pieces of LEGO.

Shloimy told the JC that his love of the colourful building bricks comes from the fact “you can build anything with [them] – the possibilities are endless”.

His mother, Judith Brukirer-Ritsma, said Shloimy has had an ongoing love of LEGO bricks since he was just three years old. “He has always loved building his own creations and was always looking for things which he could recreate.”

Two years ago, Shloimy built a home museum, where he displayed all the aeroplanes he had previously made out of LEGO.

But this time, he wanted to do something which would appeal to a wider audience, said Judith. Golders Green, therefore, seemed the perfect next step in Shloimy’s LEGO reconstruction journey, being both an integral part of the London Jewish community and Shloimy’s home town.

Ovenmeat on Golders Green Road - and the LEGO model (Photos: Jeremy Selwyn)[Missing Credit]

Starting before Pesach, he took several weeks to build the final product, taking trips to Golders Green High Street to study any of the shops he didn’t already know inside out. “He would also sometimes use Google Maps to have a look,” said his mum.

Visitors are invited to view the model for a fee of £2, with all proceeds being donated to the Jewish charity MARS, a medical advocacy and referral service, which provides both medical and financial support to patients. Shloimy has also launched a fundraising page to raise money.

The charity holds a special place in the family’s heart due to the “amazing” care they gave to Shloimy’s father and the wider family when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour two years ago, and they continue to assist the family today with any ongoing issues.

On a more personal level, Judith said how the initiative had given Shloimy a huge amount of confidence, even remarking that he had been announcing, “The tour starts here!” to the 600-plus visitors who have so far come to see the model.

A view of the elevated track leading into Golders Green Station and the LEGO replica (Photos: Jeremy Selwyn)[Missing Credit]

One of the visitors was a Hatzola volunteer, who exclaimed: “That’s my truck!” when he saw that Shloimy had included the Hatzola ambulances which replaced the four which were destroyed in an antisemitic arson attack in March.

Indeed, Shloimy said “all the moving parts – the stretcher that moves out of the [Hatzola] ambulance and the rotisserie chicken that moves inside Kosher Deli” were his favourite aspects of the design.

Judith said that for Shloimy, “LEGO is about problem-solving and creating something” – and the popularity of his Golders Green reconstruction via word-of-mouth shows that his efforts have paid off.

To sponsor Shloimy for his LEGO creation to raise money for MARS, click here