In 1937, Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein wrote a Thanksgiving prayer to be read as families gathered for the holiday. It was designed to thank Hashem for all He has created while also honoring America as a place that promotes freedom and peace. One of the most meaningful lines in the Ramaz and families from Kibbutz Kerem Shalom.with physical labor and emotional compassion.
One of the homes the students helped repair was owned by Ms. Linda, a devout Christian woman who had never spent much time with Jewish people. Students came across a ceramic pie dish with the recipe for pumpkin pie imprinted on it, marked to be thrown away. The students felt that this symbolized so much of what people had lost in the hurricane; the everyday dishes and recipes that we take for granted. In honor of Ms. Linda, some of the students decided to bake pumpkin pies to sell for Thanksgiving with the proceeds going to the Asheville Relief Mission. They called them “Ms. Linda’s Pies” on behalf of the dish that she lost, her Thanksgiving dinners that will never be the same, and the way she inspired them with her faith and hope.
On the last day of the mission, Ramaz’s Dede Benell Chesed Fund sponsored a barbeque at the Christian Bible College, to give back to other volunteers who had worked tirelessly to help. Ramaz students understood that not only is it important to do chesed themselves, but also to support others who are doing chesed.
At the end of the barbeque, Dr. Nancy Block, Ramaz’s chesed coordinator, recited Rabbi Looksteins’s Thanksgiving prayer; a prayer about being thankful for the kindness of people and appreciating resilience in the face of adversity: “We thank You for the dignity and majesty of man … for the sensitivity of his heart and the profoundness of his soul.” Sometimes it is hard to see good in the face of horror. But, when people come together they can achieve incredible things. This interfaith gathering was an example of extraordinary things ordinary people can accomplish when they join together. The message of this Thanksgiving prayer rang as true today as it did over 80 years ago.
Samantha Milowitz is associate director of Admissions at the Ramaz Upper School.
