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October 8, 2024
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MK Lipman Visits Bergenfield Bais Medrash

Bergenfield—The Bais Medrash of Ber­genfield (BMOB) welcomed American-born member of the Knesset (MK) Rab­bi Dov Lipman on Sunday night. BMOB hoped to inject a “pep talk” in preparation for a painful Tisha B’av commemoration in the middle of Israel’s war with Gaza.

Rabbi Moshe Stavsky, the Rabbi of BMOB, introduced MK Lipman as an inspi­ration for the American olim of Israel, an example how far one can go in the Jewish State. Lipman was born and raised in Sil­ver Spring, MD, Rabbi Lipman and his wife fell in love with the Holy Land on a school trip, and they decided to make aliyah in one of the first Nefesh B’Nefesh groups in 2004. Lipman initially taught at different post-High School yeshivot, before resolv­ing to go into politics. He had seen extrem­ism in his new home city of Bet Shemesh, and wanted to promote his vision of reli­gious coexistence and mutual respect on a national level. He now serves as a member of the 19th Knesset, as part of the primar­ily secular Yesh Atid party, and has been a strong advocate for religious rights and benefits for new olim.

Rabbi Lipman spoke about the pain that the Jewish People have been feeling recent­ly, but he emphasized the greatness of our newfound unity. “On Tisha B’av, we mourn the loss of the Bet Hamikdash (Temple),” he said to the sizeable crowd who came to hear him, “In order to merit its rebuild­ing, we must have unity. This year we’ve seen unity as never before—people who until last month were fighting over army ser­vice and drafting, sud­denly put aside their differences to worry about the three boys… There have even been Tehilim (prayer) ses­sions in the largely secular Knesset, and we’ve all managed to complete a Seder Mishnayot in their memory.” Lipman con­cluded his remarks by again reminding the audience of the power of prayer and har­mony. The Yesh Atid member expressed his hope that, if this unity continues, it could very well be the key to our continued na­tional strength and fulfillment in a more peaceful future.

By Tzvi Silver

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