On the evening of May 8, the community of Fair Lawn will gather for a Yom Hazikaron into Yom Ha’atzmaut program. The sponsors of the event are Congregations Shomrei Torah,
Darchei Noam, Ahavat Achim and Young Israel. A special dedication to martyred Jewish hero Ari Fuld, HY”D, will take place at the outset of the program.
Less than a month ago, in a loving gesture for Rabbi Benjamin and Shevi Yudin as they celebrated their 50th anniversary tribute by Congregation Shomrei Torah of Fair Lawn, Rabbi Yonah and Mary Fuld of Jerusalem flew in to celebrate with their “siblings.” For more than five decades, the Yudins and Fulds have been intertwined and connected so that the Yudin children see the Fulds as their uncle, aunt and cousins and vice versa. Over the years, the Fulds have visited Congregation Shomrei Torah many times, getting to know and befriend many of the congregants who have become their friends and have visited them on trips to Israel. When tragedy hit the Fulds, the Shomrei Torah community was devastated.
As chairman of the Yom Hazikaron into Yom Ha’atzmaut program at Shomrei Torah, Larry Bravman saw the appropriateness of dedicating the upcoming event to the memory of Fuld, son of Rabbi Yonah and Mary Fuld, tragically slain during these past Yamim Noraim by a terrorist in Efrat. “Lion-spirited” and a “defender of his people” to his last breath, Fuld chased the terrorist, preventing him from assailing others. The Yudins attended the midnight levaya with thousands of others to be with their “sister and brother” in the midst of their great grief.
At the program on the evening of May 8, the security boulders outside Shomrei Torah will be marked with a plaque dedicated to Fuld. The plague will bear the phrase from Avot 5:23, “Bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to carry out the will of our Father in Heaven.” According to Bravman, the six security boulders represent the six mentions of the word “tzur” or rock as mentioned in Parshat Ha’azinu which coincided with Fuld’s tragic murder. This plaque is one of many tributes to the memory of Fuld, including the Israeli National Medal of Valor, numerous sifrei Torah in communities throughout Israel, an overlook near Efrat as well as a new settlement to be called Givat Eitam. In addition, funds are being raised for Fuld’s pet project, a food truck in memory of his fallen comrade Yehoshua Friedberg.
The evening will also be dedicated to the memories of the latest 17 victims of terror in Israel and 54 fallen soldiers. A memorial to the victims of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue attack will be affixed to the memorial wall at the shul. Mention will be made of recent San Diego shooting victim Lori Gilbert Kaye.
The community-wide program will be held on Wednesday evening, May 8, at 7 p.m. at Congregation Shomrei Torah, 19-10 Morlot Avenue, Fair Lawn. A festive Maariv tefillah and meal will follow the dedication. To reserve for the meal visit www.shomrei-torah.org/event/Israel71.
By Pearl Markovitz
