Are You Sure You’re Getting All The News From Israel?

Photo Credit: courtesy, Sivan Rahav Meir

Sivan Rahav Meir

There have been many events expressing unity and support that have taken place in the Jewish world in recent days, but many of them have not been reported in the press. It seems that only a rowdy demonstration, a fight on Twitter, or a sharp exchange in the Knesset are considered newsworthy.

So here is a list of recent events, many of which I was fortunate to see with my own eyes, that should have made the headlines:

• A Hachnasat Sefer Torah took place at the Bezalael Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem with the participation of hundreds of students as well as emissaries from “Chabad on Campus.” At the ceremony, the CEO of Bezalel gave a moving speech. This Sefer Torah, belonging to one of the communities near Gaza, was damaged on Simchat Torah and repaired. Have you heard this story?
• Another emotional brit milah ceremony was held last week in the Ukraine for two Jewish men, ages 70 and 30. Apparently over 1,000 Jews in the Ukraine and Russia have “woken up,” embraced their Jewish heritage, and undergone a brit milah as adults (because it was risky to do so during the Communist era). It’s never too late!
• In the same spirit, many reservists here in Israel have decided to celebrate their bar mitzvahs. More and more videos of these events have been posted lately, including just this past week. These men were not called up to the Torah at age 13, and now, because of the war and their confrontation with evil, they want to connect to their roots. Their friends are holding bar mitzvah celebrations for them, including the throwing of candies and a festive meal.
• There have also been many massive prayer gatherings that haven’t been publicized, and almost every day, a family inaugurates a Sefer Torah in memory of a war hero and their entire city celebrates along with them. This past week, Israeli singer, Yishai Lapidot, initiated a Hachnasat Sefer Torah in Petah Tikva in memory of Miron Gersh, an only child, who fell in battle in Gaza. Hundreds of people from all sectors of society came to dance with the Sefer Torah and with Miron’s parents.
• The synagogue at Kibbutz Be’eri, the symbol of the October 7 massacre, has been hosting many memorable events. Several days ago, Avida Becher, head of the field crops at the kibbutz, spoke at a memorial service for his friend, Yossi Sharabi, whose body is still being held in Gaza. Avida lost his wife and son on Simchat Torah. Hundreds of thousands of people have seen his moving eulogy in which he calls on people to put their family and children before their careers.
• Far away from Be’eri, another video was filmed last week. In the video, Rav Daniel Alter of the Pnei Menachem community is seen crying at the graves of the tzaddikim in Europe pleading for the return of the hostages. So many Israelis watched this chasidic rabbi crying and cried along with him.
• And here is yet another fascinating development. We have heard so much about the trauma experienced by the Nova survivors and, of course, it is vital to provide them with the support they need. But for over a year now, hundreds of survivors have been participating in Shabbatot and holiday celebrations arranged by the organization “Kesher Yehudi.” They call their community “From Nova to Jerusalem” and many young people have been joining them as part of their rehabilitation process. After spending several Shabbatot with them, I have witnessed them creating a new language of rebirth and renewal.
• If you are following the posts of Yagel Yaakov, the young boy from Kibbutz Nir Or who was released from captivity in Gaza, you get a sense of the feelings of some of the kids of his generation: Yagel announced that he is now keeping Shabbat and will no longer be available on social media on this holy day; he posted a recording of himself writing a letter in a Sefer Torah and has also said that he has begun to wear tzitzit. In his latest video, he exclaims: “You don’t have to be dati – religious – to be Jewish!”

So many fine strands are being woven together and it’s hard to define exactly what is happening. The people I’ve mentioned do not have spokesmen nor do they represent organizations, but this is the situation on the ground.

How ridiculous it is to present Judaism as a divisive force instead of a thread binding us together.

These are also today’s headlines from Israel, and I encourage you to look for more of the same.

Grandmothers Who Have Everything

“Shalom, Sivan. My name is Yechiel. My family is now sitting shiva for my grandmother, Sultana bat Khatun, and we would like to share a bit about her.

“Maybe some of your readers also had a grandmother like her.

“In last week’s parsha, Esav says to Yaakov: ‘I have plenty.’ Esav’s attitude toward his material possessions was that he had a lot and it all belonged to him. In contrast, Yaakov responds: ‘I have everything’ – that is to say, I have everything I need; I don’t need anymore. Then he also adds: ‘Now take my gift, which has been brought to you.’

“Our commentators ask: Who has more, Yaakov or Esav? It would seem that Esav does, indeed, have more possessions, but he’s not satisfied with what he has and is always grasping for more. On the other hand, Yaakov, who has fewer possessions, feels that he has everything he needs.

“Yaakov realizes that money is the means and not the end. He works hard to earn a living but is cognizant of the important things in life: his children, family, the land of Israel, the people of Israel, Torah, and lovingkindness. For him, money is just a vehicle to achieve these valuable objectives. His ultimate goals are spiritual, not material.

“Our grandmother Sultana followed in the footsteps of our patriarch Yaakov. When she first arrived in Israel, she lived in a transit camp in Beit She’an and had nothing. But she worked very hard alongside our grandfather, Yehia, z”l, to raise a wonderful family, establish a synagogue, donate a Sefer Torah, and to provide for the needy. She was always involved in helping others and doing mitzvot and acts of chesed.

“As her grandson, I know that my grandmother was happiest when you were enjoying the meals she served, and if you were also able to rest at her house – she would feel ‘on top of the world.’

“Our world may be racing forward, with people competing to outdo one another, but our Grandmother Sultana got up every morning with Yaakov’s feeling of satisfaction in her heart: I have everything. She would always raise her eyes to heaven and say: ‘Thank you for all that You have given me.’

“May we merit to appreciate this precious generation and to learn from them.”

From Yechiel, who thought he was her favorite grandchild, but has since discovered that all her grandchildren felt the same way.

Translated by Janine Muller Sherr.