Wonderful Events in our Community

We recently were privileged to be a part of some momentous occasions in our new community. Firstly, the week before Rosh Hashana, the whole yishuv was invited to join the b'nei akiva kids (which is all the children in Neve Daniel) in the opening of their new headquarters or "snif". The caravans had been sitting up at the top of the yishuv and we had watched over the last few weeks as they were covered up in Jerusalem stone and a central area was paved over for mifkad. The kids went on a parade with music, flags etc. all around the yishuv we joined them near our house and headed up to the new snif. The kids were singing and dancing with their respective groups. There was a mifkad in which the leaders spoke of the youth groups new homes and the history of b'nei akiva in Neve Daniel. They sang their b'nei akiva songs and then the Rav spoke. He talked about the history of the yishuv and youth in our yishuv and how momentous this time was that our youth had outgrown its previous accomodations. He also talked about at a time of recent destruction in Gush Katif the building of institutions and centres was so much more significant. I must say that our rav speaks beautifully and he has a special connection to the youth in the yishuv. He holds one day of "Shiur HaRav" in which kids of the different ages come together for one half hour per grade to meet with him and hear his shiur. He also comes to the ganim on Fridays and spends one half hour with each class doing parsha hashavua. He put up the mezuza as he said the bracha everyone, all these kids, answered amen in unison. It was so touching. There was a sign on the fence "shehechiyanu, vehigiyanu lazeman haze" which they lit with fire and we all watched and sang as it burned. Everyone headed to the ulam smachot for a big party and more words from the kids. One of the boys who spoke was overcome with emotion and his father had to finish his speech for him.



No sooner was the party over that men and boys of the yishuv headed back to help move our shul to its brand new headquarters. Darrell went along with Yoni and David. Neve Daniel had been in the process of building a beit knesset merkazi (central shul) for oh , about 9 years. It was really the issue of money that kept the process going. They would build until the money ran out and only begin building when more money came in. When you look at our yishuv from the highway or from Efrat you will see the tallest structure at the top of the hill which is now officially the highest shul in Israel. It looks like a juicer or some say a space ship, Sara thinks it sort of looks like a kippa. One day after the opening of B'nei Akiva our shul opened its doors for the first time to the kehilla. As we walked up to the shul light poured out of the many windows of the shul and produced a beautiful sight to behold. People were pouring in from all over the yishuv as all the other minyans were closed tonight to allow everyone to gather together in our new shul. I didn't even realize how diverse our community really was until I saw everyone at once. Many people commented on how there had not been a gathering of this size in a long time. Kabbalat Shabbat began and needless to say it was absolutely beautiful, so many voices singing together one of the most beautiful of the prayer services in my humble opinion. There were of course some technical difficulties such as acoustics and the fact that the women's balcony had not yet opened (it will open in a couple of months). For us it was incredible to be a part of such a momentous occasion and to be making history in Neve Daniel. We were beginning to realize that we were making our own history on the Yishuv, we were being a part of events in the building of the community. We could tell our grandchildren how we remembered the night the shul first opened or the bnei akiva moved to their new home etc. We also witnessed the excitement in the eyes of the vatikim , those who have been here for years and who had waited for this day to come. I also heard the words of the rav from the night before about the destruction in Gush Katif and I remembered the pictures and images of their beautiful synagogues, I prayed to hashem that he not let that happen again and that we would always be here in our beautiful shul!It just so happened that our good friends the Steinmans in Ottawa, were also celebrating Noam's aliyah barmitzvah this same shabbat. It's always hard to miss simchas of close friends back home so it helped me to link the two simchas together. When Noam comes for his barmitzvah in December we will show him the shul that opened on his barmitzvah parsha. Our shul will have its chanukat habayit in December (chanukah time) and we will update you then.



Last week we once again found ourselves in the midst of a most beautiful and momentous celebration. The boys school, Orot Etzion in Efrat, was celebrating 18 years with a hachnassat sefer Torah. For weeks, there was build up to the event, at parent meetings fathers and sons were asked to write a letter in the sefer torah. The day of the hachnassat sefer torah, all the boys were to wear blue pants and white shirts,and they were served a hot lunch (which of course my boys spoke about all week). We the parents were to meet up with the school in a central park in Efrat. Darrell, Sara and myself drove to Efrat and walked to the park. When we arrived we were greeted by a beautiful sight, a park full of young boys and girls (there is a boys branch and a girls branch of orot etzion) dressed in blue and white with music blaring , dancing and singing! Well needless to say we were overcome with emotion. We bumped in to our new friend and neighbour and fellow olah chadasha, Stella Frankl whose eyes were welled up with tears and could only keep saying "this is so incredible". I really couldn't say anything for fear of you know, losing it. There were speeches given by Rav Moti Alon and Rav Riskin, children performed and there was a very beautiful and moving video of the history of the school. At the end the music began blaring and kids cheering and singing , it was a song about shorashim and the rav behind the speaker was telling us to look around at our shorashim our beautiful children...it was really incredible! Then the walking or dancing of the sefer torah began from the park back to the boys school. There was a magen david Adom ambulance in the front , then the boys school , then the chupah and torah, then the torah crown mobile ( a van with a most tacky, lit up crown/torah and loud music blaring)then the girls school. The boys in the front were carrying torches and the effect was spectacular. I kept wondering to myself is this just regular, will I still appreciate an event like this in a few years or is this just olah euphoria. I bumped into Dennis Klein, also oleh from Toronto, who has been here about five years I think. This is unbelievable I say or sort of ask him, wondering if it really is so special. " Yup, you don't get events like this in TO, nope, this is amazing.....there are no highs like the highs in Israel he explains, then as an aside there also no lows like the lows here, but the highs get you through the lows!" We arrive at the school where the boys go down to the basketball field and the girls stay up in the higher yard and the band plays and the dancing really gets going. I am looking to see if the boys are participating. Oh , yes I find them in yonatan's classroom which is a mobile caravan wolfing down the treats and coke....boys. They head down to the basketball field and I watch as my son Yonatan is dancing away with his new buddies to "Ha'aretz hazot", he was having an amazing time and I was so happy to see him so happy, well liked among his new friends, dancing at a beautiful hachnassat sefer torah in the Judean hills ...our new home. wow, it was incredible. Darrell and David joined him on the dance floor and I could have watched all night. They escorted the sefer torah to its new home and the evening was over. Another event in our new history , and one which was so moving and so beautiful I will definately not forget.
In two short weeks, we witnessed three beautiful events which built up our new home and school communities. We pray that hashem grant us many more events in which to build and be a part of the development of the wonderful Gush Etzion communities.