Two Thursdays ago, I graduated from my high school, MTA. I remember coming off the stage, diploma in hand, greeted by all of my family and friends, hugs and kisses galore. I was surrounded by the people that I cared about most. It was incredible. Little did I know that just a few hours prior, something tragic had occurred.
The next morning I woke up like any other morning, though considerably happier—after all, I had just graduated from high school, so what could be wrong? I then got ready, went to synagogue, and began to pray… At the end of the services something peculiar happened: The rabbi led us in an extra chapter of psalms.
I heard the murmurs going around. Three Israeli students were missing, likely kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in the Gush Etzion area. I was shocked and troubled, but it didn’t really resonate with me as much as it should have. They were three boys from a distant land with little connection to me; they would be back soon enough and things would be back to normal.
Unfortunately, I was wrong on all accounts. The first thing that I did when I got home was look on Arutz Sheva to see all of the news updates and find out exactly what had happened. That’s when I saw the picture of the three of them. I fell back in my seat, as I felt the wind being taken right out of me. There they were, Gilad and Naftali, my friends from Mekor Chaim.
Two years ago, I was privileged to participate in the Mekor Chaim exchange program run by Tova Rosenberg through MTA and YU. Twelve sophomore students from MTA travel to Mekor Chaim to become Israeli students for six weeks, being fully integrated into the Judaic studies curriculum. We studied Torah with them, we were in their classes, and we were their roommates. We established relationships with people from a completely different culture that we otherwise would have never known.
Mekor Chaim is a one-of-a-kind high school. It’s one of the premier yeshiva high schools in all of Israel, attracting kids from all over the country. For the 70 spots in their freshman class each year, hundreds upon hundreds apply. Students there aren’t only accepted based on grades, but based on seriousness, sincerity, and motivation to be the best person they can be.
It’s a school that revolves around passion, acceptance of others, and striving for clarity; so many different souls, all working for the same goal. HaRav Dov Zinger, the head of school, constantly stresses the idea that we all have a tikkun, a rectification, a duty that we must perform in this world to make it a better place. No one else can perform this task except for you. It is yours and yours alone. That’s the goal of Yeshivat Mekor Chaim, to allow everyone in his own way to actualize his potential in order to fulfill his God-given task: to change the world. Sixteen-year- olds with such intellectual maturity, honesty, and desire to grow are so rare. A school full of them is unheard of. But that’s exactly what Mekor Chaim is. As my mother put it, it’s a school dedicated to authentic Judaism.
Gilad and Naftali were, and are, a part of this. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Gilad every single morning for hours on end in the Beit Midrash, in the study hall, where I witnessed his passion and fire. I would see him go over a passage of Talmud with such love and devotion, striving to gain clarity, striving for truth and meaning, extrapolating the beauty from words. I would see Naftali strumming his guitar late at night deep in thought or talking to friends; always there for those that needed him.
My message to everyone that I’m trying to emphasize is to leave the politics aside for a second. These are REAL people. Not numbers. Not settlers. Not just random teens.
Gilad, Naftali, and Eyal are people that are going to change the world. Whose sincerity and commitment to growth and commitment to others are contagious. They were just trying to get home to be with their families for Shabbos when they were abducted.
It is our duty to stand with them, stand for them, and carry on their mission. In their merit and in their honor we should all strive to be the best we can be. Not just better wives, husbands, students, parents, and children, BETTER PEOPLE, BETTER JEWS and yes, let’s try to make this world a better place. We will persevere and never be silent. History has shown that we arise from every tragic event stronger and more committed, and this case will certainly be no exception.
Spread the word and let’s do exactly what Gilad, Naftali and Eyal would do were they here today. Say an extra prayer, go the extra mile for a friend or a stranger. These three boys should be our role models and our heroes.
I look forward that with God’s help, in their merit, and in the merit of all of our efforts, that Gilad, Naftali, and Eyal will be delivered home SPEEDILY and in HEALTH to the open arms of their parents.
Bring Back Our Boys. Bring Back My Friends.
By Yehoshua Szafranski
