Hey everyone!

{Firstly an excuse – you would/should have received this last week whilst I was flying back home, but for the last week of Sem my phone (with which I have written all my articles) was broken.} 

I am back in Manchester! I have had an amazing year in Israel, and I loved sharing all about it with you. So here goes the last and final Israel tidbit! 

Lag B’omer was amazing. In England you were celebrating the Coronation and Bowdon Shul had its famous Fire Pit, but in Israel we did things slightly differently. We started with an all-nighter in Meron. Praying by the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, whose Yartzheit is on Lag B’Omer, was really inspirational. I wasn’t able to be there as long as I wanted as it was packed and we were only able to have a few moments each – but it was still worthwhile. We then moved up to the famous blue roof on top of the grave where we were able to see all the dancing going on in the area below us; it was electric, and a group of us started a women’s circle of dancing.

Off to one side were individual groups of whole families, each one dancing around a young boy sitting on a high chair; it was the little boy’s third birthday and they were giving him his first haircut – his Opshernish. Suddenly we saw all the women moving in one direction, so we followed and we found ourselves right in front of the huge bonfires. Because of the accident 2 years ago the fires were done in a secluded area with separate times for men and women coming to see, instead of being right in the middle of the dancing. The strangest part about the whole experience was when people started throwing towels and shirts, and some whole bottles of oil over people’s heads into the fires. Apparently it’s a custom to add something of your own into the fire. We were there for hours, just soaking up the whole atmosphere of this once in a lifetime experience. Finally, at 4am we started heading back to Tzafas, for as much as we wanted to stay all night, we had a busy day tomorrow. 

A few short hours later after barely any sleep, I went with a group of 10 to Chatzor, a small city some half an hour from Tzafas to help run a children’s parade. Once we had finished there, we joined up with a larger group of around 50 Sem girls and went to south Tzafas where we helped with a huge parade. It was, as I learnt along the way, actually 10 separate parades that would all join into one. I was in charge of the group that was the furthest away from the meeting point, so as we went along more and more children joined in, until we arrived at the central location with a group of over 200 children: it really was an amazing and inspirational sight.

By this point night was falling, and we went straight from the parades to the Sem Bonfire. This we built ourselves and sat around singing late into the star filled night of a Galilee sky.

As I have previously told you, part of the Sem program includes Shabbatons, and for some reason this next one was back in Meron. Many Israelies had been camping along the mountain for the past two weeks and some were still there enjoying the aftermath of Lag B’Omer. This created an interesting sight seeing all the different makeshift tents and cars turned in houses dotted all over. I have been privileged to experience many wonderful Shabbatot during my year in Israel, and this was definitely amongst the top: it was a most meaningful time and we spent most of it by the grave of the great Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, hero of the Jewish resistance against Rome and one of the most influential voices within the Talmud.

Sem life runs at the speed of light, and a short two weeks later was Shavuos and the Sem took us all to Yerushalayim. I have been there many times before, both with Sem and with my family, but this was something different. We were staying in a dormitory by Zion Gate – right above the gravesite of King David (Yes I know, ancient graves of our Biblical and Rabbinical leaders seems to have been a running theme!) What can I say, it was arguably the best location to stay in in Yerushalayim over Shavuos; King David’s Yartzheit is on Shavuos and there were people there constantly, at all times of day and night, and we were right in the thick of it.

Not that we needed any excuse, but on Shavuos there is a tradition to stay up all night long, albeit in order to learn Torah in preparation for hearing the 10 Commandments. It was a long night filled with lessons, talks, songs, quite a lot of coffee and some snoring as well. Then before dawn was even a hint on the horizon, we made our way to the Kosel to begin Shacharis. Now that was a once in a lifetime experience; hearing the Torah’s description of the monumental events at Mount Sinai, the sound of thunder, the call of the Shofar and the Giving of the Torah by Hashem, listening to those words being read just as the sun started to make its way over the horizon and peaked over the Kosel and the Temple Mount is something I will always treasure and never forget.

We had arrived at the Kosel Plaza at 5.00 am when it was still pitch black, but when we left at 8, there was a brilliant sunshine bathing everyone there in a light that was somehow purer and more special than usual. The Kosel was packed, there were so many Jews from so many different walks of life all converging on the Kosel at this one time, for this special and holy experience; it was absolutely incredible. 

After Davening we helped run a booth at the entrance to the Kosel Plaza giving food and water to people who, having spent all night learning, had to now make the long trek back to their homes; for some this was a 2 hour walk to the outer edges of the new city of Yerushalayim. We were a 10 minute stroll to Zion Gate!

As I mentioned, Shavuos is also King David’s Yartzheit, and many people take the opportunity to Daven at his grave. Well we were staying right there, although due to the crowds it was still difficult to get right in. However, after a year of experience, especially with the crowds at Meron just a fortnight earlier, I was able to make my way right to the front and had the merit to read the words of King David’s Tehillim and Daven for all of my family and friends.

As you know, other than Rosh Hashana, all Yomim Tovim in Israel are just one day, but as Shavuos was a Friday we went straight into Shabbos so it was like a 2 day Yom Tov anyway. In a previous family trip to Yerushalayim, Daddy had taken us to the famous Churvah Shul – built in the early 1700’s, destroyed by the Ottomans not long afterwards, rebuilt in the mid 1800’s where it stood in brilliant magnificence until it was destroyed by the Arabs in 1948 and remained a ruin (Churvah in Ivrit) until it was beautifully restored in 2010. With its ornate domed ceiling it’s renowned for its splendid and rousing Kabbolas Shabbos service, but unfortunately I was in for a bitter surprise as when a Yom Tov goes straight into a Shabbos they skip the melodic Kabbolas Shabbos and go straight to Maariv! Luckily the Kosel was just a few minutes walk away so I went there instead.

The next morning, I went to the Tzemach Tzedek, the Chabad Lubavitch Shul in the Old City, established back in 1845. This Shul is unique, being the only one that is still in its original form. When Israel won the war of Independence but lost control of the Old City in 1948, every other Shul, some like the Churvah with a long and illustrious history, were all destroyed. This Shul right in the heart of the old city, situated above the ancient Roman Cardo (which at the point was still covered in centuries of rubble and would not be discovered for a few decades) was the only one to survive. Although it then had another scare, when in 1967 after the IDF liberated the Old City putting it back into Jewish hands, the government decreed that all public buildings had to be demolished and rebuilt as they were unstable due to the bombings and the shelling during the wars of ‘48 and ‘67. Of course the Lubavitch community put up a fight and argued that it was unthinkable for the Jewish government to destroy the one Shul that the Arabs had left standing in the Old City of Yerushalayim.

On Shabbos afternoon we completed a most special and spiritual 48 hours, with a grand singing session with over 200 women all sharing an inspiring experience as our voices joined as one as the sun set over Yerushalayim and an unforgettable Shavuos and Shabbos.

But it is not only spiritual experiences, and that evening after Shabbos I had an amazing visit: Iain and Margaret Goldrein met me for supper in the Mamilla Mall. I really enjoyed spending time with fellow Bowdonites, catching up on all the news and of course having a heated discussion with Iain about Zionism and Religion!

Once we got back to Tzafas after Shavuos, we began a crazily intense two and a half weeks. In addition to my regular lessons and exams, I volunteered to be part of a committee working on the ‘Farbrengen Book’, which would be a transcript of every single speaker we had had throughout the school year – all the informal talks and gatherings, everything outside of the core lessons. For the next week and a half there was virtually no sleep for any of us on this committee, with the night before our exams starting being an actual all nighter. The book with over 40 talks in it, had to be completed in time so it could be printed and distributed by the end of the school year. It was a crazy amount of work, but it was really amazing and extremely rewarding when on the last day of term we were given our copy of the book: those long hours of work sure paid off. 

My final “Shabbat Chofsha – Free Shabbos” of the year was spent in Ashdod. There was a heat wave (and that’s when my phone literally fried) but we had a really interesting Shabbos, as my host family did not speak a word of English. It was really exciting for me to see how well my Ivrit has become, so much so that my friend (also an English, well American speaker) and I even started talking in Ivrit to each other 🙂 

Then it was straight back to Tzafas – with a broken phone and a worried set of parents back in Bowdon who couldn’t get hold of me – for the all-nighter I mentioned before, and exams first thing on Sunday morning. This was a marathon of tests; 3 a day for 9 days, but it was actually a lot of fun reviewing everything we had learnt over the course of this year, and we even managed to squeeze in some time and convinced a few of our favorite teachers to give us some special lessons.

Then, and I can’t believe I am saying this, came our last day of Sem. It began with a grand banquet the previous evening that culminated with one final Kumzits singing session then lasted throughout the night. I left at 3.00 am as I did not want to be late for the final day of learning at 7.00 am. We had our last three lessons and then just like that it was over.

We packed our clothes, left behind gifts for our friends from school who were going to Tzafas next year, and spent an emotional day saying goodbye to friends as busload by busload they left to the airport and all four corners of the world. I was on the last bus out, but still had an 8 hour wait in the airport, which meant I saw everyone leaving: saying goodbye was not easy. My phone was still broken, but this being Israel I was able to ask random people in the airport if I could borrow theirs and keep mummy and daddy updated before my flight home.

It has been an amazing year, a year of growth and education in all aspects of my life. A year of knowledge, of friends and personal achievements.I feel so privileged and blessed to have been gifted this experience, and even more so to have a community such as ours that I have been able to share this with.

I hope you have enjoyed my little taste of life in Israel as a seminary girl, that you have lived it vicariously through my blogs and that I didn’t bore you, but actually managed to entertain and maybe even to have successfully given over some of the lessons I learnt.

So for the last time: 

Lehitraot.

Chaya

P.S.  Next year my blogs will please G-d come from the Big Apple and the City of New York as I go on to Sem Beis in Crown Heights

Hey everyone!

How is everyone doing back in Manchester?

It was amazing coming back and seeing you all. I really enjoyed spending time with the community over Pesach, and the highlight was definitely the Shul Seder, especially when we finished for 10.15!!

Here in Israel things have really been getting intense as we gear up for the last stretch of the year. We only have seven weeks of school left, which includes exam period as well, so everyone is taking advantage to soak up as much information as we can. This does mean that sometimes the lessons get really intense, with respectful but heated discussions: teenage girls can be very solid debaters. 

As soon as we got back after the Pesach break, we dived head-first into preparations for ‘Shabbos Aryeh Leib’ – named after Rabbi Aryeh Leib Kaplan, the first Chabad Shliach to Tzfat. On this Shabbos, all the Chabad Seminaries in Israel are hosted by my Sem in Tzfat. And as hosts we are responsible for the program and activities. 

It was a really amazing Shabbos. Just imagine, 400 inspired, idealistic Sem girls, all sharing the same ideals and focused on their own and the world’s spiritual betterment, all in one room singing together at the Shabbos table. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

It started on Thursday afternoon when the coaches started arriving with the Sem girls from around Israel. I was part of the committee who ran the opening program, after which we split up for various workshops. That was followed by a 4 hour long Farbrengen. There really is no English word to adequately describe a Chassidish Farbrengen, which literally translates as a “joyous gathering”. It’s the reverse of a sermon where 5 minutes can feel like 4 hours. 

This was story time with friends where the vistas of your spiritual imagination are opened, where your soul soars on the wings of Hassidik melodies, and where the problems of day to day life simply melt away. For four hours, story led to song which led to story, each one with a lesson that led to the next song and story, culminating with the lessons merging together in harmony leaving us with a powerful message of hope and inspiration.

For me there was an added bonus: my teachers and most of my friends have either spoken in Ivrit or American, but the speaker at our Farbrenegen was from England and even better, had grown up in Manchester. Oh what a delight it was to once again hear the king’s English: I never realised how much I had been missing the eloquence of an English accent!!

On Friday we had a panel, led by girls from all of the seminaries. I found it really interesting to hear what girls my age had to say on a whole range of topics. One point that really resonated with me was a quote that daddy has often mentioned and which he reminded me afterwards was one he had been taught by his father: “Bechira Chofshis is a result of Hashgacha Protis – Free Choice is a result of Divine Providence” This means that what happens to us is not by chance, if we are in a certain place, it is because Hashem wants us to be there at that specific time, and we have a mission to fulfil. But what is our choice? What we choose to do once we get there. Or as my Zeideh used to say: “Where a person finds themselves is Divine Providence, what they do there is Free Choice”.

That really resonated with me; the fact that I am in seminary in Israel is because Hashem decided that this is where I need to be this year, but it is up to me to choose how I make use of my time here. I hope that I have done the best I can, and I am looking forward to my final 7 weeks here. 

This Shabbos is an away one, and I have been invited back to Yerushalayim. One of the heads of the Seminary in Yerushalayim who hosted me on Sukkos, was at our Shabbaton this week and she asked me when I was going to go back and visit.  I guess I behaved myself last time! 

Next week is Lag B’Omer and whilst I will be missing Bowdon’s amazing fire pit BBQ, I am really excited to be going to Meron for the festivities there.

See you next time and have a Great Shabbos,

Chaya

P.S. – Earlier today I had an interview for Sem in New York next year and I really can’t wait for the next stage in my education.

P.P.S. – I can’t believe I am saying this, but one of my classmates from Manchester (albeit nearly a year older than me), just got engaged!!! That’s crazy. Lovely and exciting, but crazy!!!

Hey everyone!

Whilst you are reading this, I am 30,000 feet in the air (that is if you read it within the first 5 hours of being posted) because I am coming home!

It has been a really exciting busy last month, filled with programs, learning and just about everything else in-between. 

It began with a really awesome full day program designated to learning about the specialty and uniqueness of a Jewish home and the role of the Jewish wife in maintaining that home. My favourite kind of learning: fun and learning combined. 

Then one day I decided it was time to have actual fun, so me and a few other girls went to the local High School’s production. Aside for it being a cool story, I actually understood everything of the Ivrit only show. 

The next week was Purim: except in Israel Purim actually lasts a week. As you will all know, Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar except for those cities that were walled in the times of Joshua, where it is celebrated a day later on the 15th. Most cities in Israel celebrate it on the same day as you are used to in Bowdon on the 14th, whereas Jerusalem (both the Old Walled City and the New unwalled part) celebrate on the 15th. But here is the complication: there are some cities where they are unsure how ancient the walls are, were they possibly walled back in the days of Joshua? To remove any doubt, they celebrate on both days.

Tzfat of course is one of those cities, meaning I had a double Purim this year. Which sounds like fun, but remember it also meant that I had to listen to the Megillah four times! 

Actually, Israel is the only place in the world, where someone can legally miss Purim. If for example a person is in Yerushalayim for the 14th of Adar, meaning it is not yet Purim for them and then they leave the city just before nighttime going to a place where Purim has just ended, they can technically avoid everything. Obviously most people try to do the exact opposite and specifically go to Yerushalayim for the 15th in order to celebrate again.

Being in Tzfat, I didn’t have to travel anywhere and automatically was blessed with the double Purim. Plus, for those of you who have read my previous blogs, it meant that I was ensured of no crazy bus stories.

So, on Purim night after my first of what would be four Megillah readings, me and about 15 other girls who had remained in Tzfat made a huge break-the-fast party. We all made some food for the potluck and everyone had a real blast. The next morning, I went with a few friends to help one of our teachers give out Mishloach Manot to his community. 

I was very excited; what a perfect way to put my Ivrit to use. Then I was told: They are Russian and hardly speak a word of Ivrit! So armed with Google translate and the handful of Russian words I know, my friend and I went around and visited a bunch of Russians. They were all very old and barely leave their homes, so we literally brought Purim to them: we helped them perform the Mitzvah of Mishloach Manot, told them how they can listen to the Megillah. When we left they were smiling from ear to ear. We quite literally made their day, no their week! I felt really accomplished.

Then as soon as we finished that, we rushed over to help run a community Purim Seudah. Our job? Be counsellors and attempt to look after the 200 kids running wild all over the grounds. The ratio of counsellors to children: 33:1, oh it was fun and games. And then when that was done, we got to start all over again. Only in Tzfat!

The next day was strange, as when I messaged home, it was no longer Purim, but for me it was Purim all over again. Sort of the reverse of every other Yom Tov when Israelis have one day Yom Tov whilst everyone else has two. But it was funny. 

Together with a few of my friends, I went to the children’s hospital in Tzfat, where we gave the kids Mishloach Manot and cheered them up. We then ended off 3 amazing days with a trip to a restaurant for a festive meal and then we went to Meron to Daven at the grave of the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (of Lag B’Omer fame). 

With no time to rest, the very next day we all went on a Sem Shabbaton to Migdal Ha’Emek. But of course we couldn’t go straight there; no we had to go on a hike. In normal circumstances, an hour and 15 minute walk on a straight path is really easy. But add a heatwave and no shade, it’s not that fun. But the views were insane, so it kind of made up for the heat, and as it was followed by a really nice relaxing Shabbaton it was all good.

When we got back to Sem the countdowns started. All everyone could speak about was how many days or even hours it would be till they flew home. The teachers had an extra hard time getting everyone to focus, especially this last week when we were in to our last four days.

And there’s not really much more to say other than see you in a few hours!

Lehitraot 

Chaya

P.S. – My flight home is scheduled to last 5 hours – my travel time from Tzfat to Ben Gurion took longer! But at least it gave me time to write this all up ready to be posted just as I take off.

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. 

My regular monthly blog is in the works, and I look forward to sharing it with you next week. However, as Providence would have it, I went on a special Sem trip to a Holocaust Museum last week, and as it will be Holocaust Memorial Day next week,(Friday 27 January) Daddy suggested that this should be a standalone entry.

The museum wasn’t an ordinary Holocaust Museum; it is situated in a Kibbutz built at the birth of the State by Holocaust survivors called לוחמי הגיטאות – Fighters of the Ghetto. It is part of a larger museum called the Ghetto Fighter’s House, but this section is called יד לילד – Hand to the Child, and was built for the express purpose of educating younger children about the Holocaust.

The whole focal point of the museum was very different from any others I’ve been to previously and it did not focus on the darkness and horrors of the Holocaust. Instead it looked at the Holocaust through the eyes of children who lived through it, and how they survived in a world suddenly gone black- by finding fragments of light peeking through the darkness.

We started the day with a one person monologue/show. This show introduced us to the concept of children in the Holocaust, but intriguingly it was not through the events that transpired then, but rather through the eyes of children who met those child survivors afterwards. We saw how young children on a Kibbutz viewed these young survivors who had come to live with them. They may have all been the same age, but because of their experiences these amazing survivors, children who had lived through the worst horrors known to man, some of whom had known nothing other than the depravity of the Ghettos and Camps were smaller and weaker. They were scarred and scared, and they initially responded to the children’s friendly overtures in strange ways, sometimes by hitting or even biting, making them seem weird, frightening even.

But then we watched how with the passage of time, things slowly changed. The War of Independence being a turning point in this strange relationship with the children starting to accept and possibly even to understand each other.

With that introduction, we started our tour through the Museum. Not much attention was paid to the horrors going on, but rather to the children’s reaction to what was going on around them. We began in a room with paintings that children drew in the Ghetto. One which I found particularly poignant was a picture of a perfectly normal sun, flowers and butterflies, albeit portrayed as being  behind bars. 

The museum went around in a spiral, descending lower and lower, through the years, until we came to train tracks, leading us to the lowest, darkest point: Auschwitz. At each stage, there were testimonials of children survivors, saying their stories, personal memories of those dark years through the eyes of a child. Although it was difficult, we were charged with finding the fragments of light that had kept the children alive through those dark times. 

Afterwards there was a workshop where this point was reinforced. We were each told to draw a picture showcasing either life before or after the Holocaust, and the Holocaust itself. Focusing on how, although things changed with much lost and some never to be back again, there were still fragments of light shining through. Now I am not much of an artistic person, so I kinda broke the rules a little, and chose instead to write a poem expressing my feelings, because why draw when I can give myself over much better in writing. 

When we left I took with me a whole new outlook on the Holocaust. I saw it through a perspective I’ve never before seen; for whilst I am not looking at this piece of history with rose coloured glasses, I am now able to see the light shining through the darkness. 

Shattered illusion and the fragments of light:

Sun 

Smiles 

Laughter 

A green meadow 

Grass swaying in the breeze.

But the peace is not lasting 

Shattered 

Into thousands of fragments 

The meadow

An illusion 

Fading into the sounds of war.

Darkness descends 

Hiding 

Attics cellars 

Starvation 

Separation 

Degradation 

The light behind the walls.

The barbed wire fences 

Blocking the green meadow 

The joys I no longer share  

Will the sun ever shine again for me?

Will I see the grass swaying in the breeze?

Is there even light for me

After this devastating tragedy?

Can the shattered fragments

Be made whole again

Making the darkness 

A fading illusion?

Yes it can!

This life I can rebuild

This light I can find again

Picking up the pieces of my life may not be easy.

But the points of light

The fragments scattered in the darkness 

Will become the foundation 

Of the new picture of my life.