Beginning with tefillah chagigit led by Dr. Ravital Korn, whose sweet melodies set the mood for the uplifting day to follow, more than 100 women chose to spend a meaningful Yom Ha’atzmaut with Lamdeinu, located at Congregation Beth Aaron. In addition to regular attendees of Lamdeinu who hail from communities such as West Orange, Livingston, Riverdale, Scarsdale and New Rochelle, the celebration attracted women from Queens and Brooklyn who set out early in the morning to participate in a unique program of tribute to Israel. When asked why they had come so far, the response was, “This is the next best thing to being in Israel today.”
In arranging the day, Dean Rachel Friedman shared that she wanted it to be a “complete chavaya [experience], packed with many different emotional moments. Our goal was to make the day emotionally engaging as well as intellectually challenging, which is our goal year-round at Lamdeinu.”
In her opening dvar Torah, titled “The Lights of Jerusalem,” Dean Friedman emphasized the theme of this year’s program, the 50th Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem. She illustrated that the bracha Birkat Yotzer Or, the blessing recited before Kriat Shema, describes at length the entire created world, taking us on a virtual journey from earth, up to heaven and back down again. In Ashkenazic practice, however, an additional line is added to the bracha that speaks about Yerushalayim. The sentence reads, “Or chadash al Tzion tair v’nizkeh kulanu meheira l’oro,” translated as “a new light shall shine forth on Zion and may we all quickly merit its light.” Friedman suggests that one reason for this additional phrase is that when the people of Israel pray, they inevitably focus upon the light of Yerushalayim, Zion, which is representative of our nation’s spirituality and, most importantly, unity. Through additional Biblical quotations as well as several by well-known Jewish thinkers and leaders, Friedman reinforced the idea of Yerushalayim as a source of spirituality and a unifying force for our people.
Yoetzet Halacha Shoshana Samuels shared several vignettes from her three years living in Be’er Sheva when she experienced the special flavor of chesed typical to life in Israel. She cited the color of techelet as seen in the sky and sea, and which many attach to their tzitzit, as representative of the holistic experience of living in Eretz Yisrael, where the physical and spiritual are constantly merged.
Shelley Jaskoll Anziska, a Lamdeinu student from New Rochelle, regaled the audience with her memorable reminiscences from 50 years ago when she was a student at Hebrew University during the Six Day War. As her dormitory cleared out of all students eligible to join the Tzahal forces as well as all the Arab students, the reality of what was happening outside the shelters became clear. After six days without any connection to the outside world except a tiny transistor radio, they emerged to the joyous celebrations. Anziska greatly credits her father, a Holocaust survivor, with having allowed her to remain in Israel during the war. She cherishes her visit to the Kotel with her father two months after its recapture.
Three films followed lunch, two of which captured scenes of the Six Day War. In keeping with the goal of the day to engage the feelings of the participants, the third film, titled “A Green Chariot,” challenged the viewers with issues that confront the immigrant communities in Israel. Specifically, this moving and meaningful film explored the mixed emotions of gerim, converts, during their process of conversion.
Lamdeinu will be holding summer sessions on the following dates: Session 1 will be held from June 5-22, and Session 2 from July 5 to August 9. Featured instructors include Dean Friedman, Rabbi Hayyim Angel, Rabbi Daniel Fridman, Dr. Elana Stein Hain, Rabbi Duvi Nachbar, Rebbetzin Shira Schiowitz, Dr. Rivka Schwartz and Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld.
Registration will open soon at www.lamdeinu.org.
By Pearl Markovitz
