Summer 2010 Recap – We’ve Been Busy…
For everything there is a time… (Ecclesiastes) Most people, if asked, would tell you that summer is a time for vacationing, taking it easy, slowing down and relaxing. Well, at Connections Israel, in addition to being a time for reflecting and planning for the upcoming year, it is a time for celebrating, dedicating, experiencing and connecting!
Dear friends,
Summer 2010 began with the group bar mitzvah celebration for the neediest of youth in the city of Sderot – a city that continues to endure kassam rocket fire, sometimes falling into open areas and other times striking at the heart of activity such as the child treatment room in Sapir college. In every case, they leave a trail of traumatized citizens in their path. Our group bar mitzvah program is the culmination of months of preparation with the individual participants and their families. It takes time for children to learn to trust adults when they live with domestic violence, under the poverty line and with a host of other family issues in addition to the ongoing external threat of attack. But after the religious morning ceremonies where candies were generously tossed to wish these young men a sweet life, all the sadness was at least momentarily forgotten as these young men were danced into the social hall accompanied by the sounds of the shofar; sparklers were ignited as each boy lit a candle on the cake and said a few words; mazel tov greetings were shared and the city representatives addressed the group with words of encouragement and best wishes. Each child received a special gift in addition to a siddur, tefillin, new clothes for the affair and more. For details, please click on the following link .
An unforgettable double Bar Mitzvah
There are many ways to celebrate a bar mitzvah. One of the cornerstones of becoming a member of the adult Jewish community means taking responsibility for ones actions and actively reaching out to help others through selfless acts of giving (chessed) and social action types of activities.
On June 30th the Weiner twins chose to share their bar mitzvah with soldiers on active duty.
They went out to a base in the Shomron where they toured the communications room and were treated to an in depth explanation of various pieces of equipment – from night vision goggles to sniper guns, the children (and their parents) got a hands on introduction to the paraphernalia of combat. After being outfitted with helmets, the boys were then strapped into an army jeep to go on patrol with the soldiers – nothing like getting up close and personal! The base commander made a special appearance to personally congratulate these young men and the family and soldiers then went inside for a festive bar mitzvah meal. A resident of the neighboring community who often studies with the soldiers on base came to share some torah thoughts about responsibility with the boys and the chayalim, and the evening ended with shouts of mazel tov and a round of singing and dancing. In addition to treating the soldiers to a delicious meal on a weekday night, the family donated a major gift of the commander’s choosing to the soldiers’ clubhouse.
Memories of this evening are clearly etched in all of the celebrants’ minds – children, parents and soldiers alike, for this was clearly a situation of “All of Israel is responsible one for the other,” the children had an experience of a lifetime with hands on education and the chayalim knew in very concrete terms that Jews from thousands of miles away care about them and consider their fates intertwined.
The Weiner twins
The Weiner twins
Library dedication on an IDF base
The IDF plays a major role in the life of the Jewish People around the world. But for one woman, Edyth Geliebter, the men and women of the armed services were more than just anonymous soldiers; they were family, and therefore permanently etched into her heart. When this spry grandmother passed away, her son was determined to find an appropriate way to eternalize her memory, and so a library was dedicated in her name on another army base.
During his trip to Israel this summer, Edyth’s son Joel put up a monument at her gravesite one day and traveled to base another for morning prayer services. This singular American civilian was surrounded by men in uniform as together they formed a quorum and prayed, with Joel reciting the traditional kaddish in memory of his mother. As the different parts of the Jewish community came together in this moment, the library was dedicated and simple refreshments were enjoyed by all. May her memory serve as a blessing to the men and women serving in the IDF, her family and all of the Jewish People.
Joel Geliebter and family
“Hands On” in Sderot
Connections take various forms and contexts, and Connections Israel is committed to identifying and designing just the right medium for a meaningful connection to take place. While we often take large and small groups down to Sderot to meet with some of the special people who live there, see the kassams that have been fired into greater Israel, view the proximity of Gaza from a local vantage point and learn about the unique aspects of life in one of Israel’s earliest cities, this summer we did a little bit more – we gave something back!
A group of about 40 university students from the UK joined a group of Sderot teen leaders and spent an afternoon repainting a community center. As the bright green walls faded into a clean new beige, the two groups of volunteers slowly merged into one work force as they painted side by side and exchanged jokes, personal stories, music and more. The Sderot teen leaders, a group Connections Israel supports and encourages for the outstanding work that they do, served as the university students’ guides through the city and they all enjoyed a brief visit to the reinforced play area where they climbed and acted like the kids they really are!
Three generations Bat Mitzvah trip to Sderot
Although the summer began with a group bar mitzvah celebration, it ended with a special bat mitzvah connection. Orli Silverberg, a bat mitzvah child from Canada, was searching for a cause as she began to contemplate doing something meaningful for her bat mitzvah celebration. It was important to her to connect her friends and family back home with her celebration which would be taking place in Israel. A young lady with many talents, Orli and her family organized a fundraising violin recital in their community, the proceeds of which would go towards enabling the underprivileged bat mitzvah girls of Sderot to also know the joy of celebrating their coming of age. Kol hakavod to Orli and her family for raising $1000 and thereby funding the entire bat mitzvah Jerusalem Experience for one Sderot young lady. For details on this program see the following link: http://connectionsisrael.com/educational-programs/share-your-bat-mitzvah-celebration
The Silverbergs, however, truly understand the value of experiential learning, and so, during the family’s trip during the family’s trip to Israel, three generations of this family travelled to Sderot to meet with a very special Sderot family who also celebrated a bat mitzvah this past year. The bat mitzvah girls and their siblings became fast friends while climbing the indoor rock climbing wall in Sderot and the younger children played on the other equipment. In the process, Orli learned what it meant to live in a community under fire where playground safety means playing indoors. The two families toured the city together, received a briefing from a representative of the municipality with a most emotional power point presentation about the harsh realities of life in Sderot and ended their day over a festive dinner. New friendships were forged; new understandings were internalized; a sense of mutual commitment was realized and as a result Am Yisrael was strengthened.
We invite you, our readers, to consider how your lives can be enriched and how you can make a difference in the lives of others by connecting. We encourage you to share your thoughts with us so that together we can make it happen!
If you are interested in our projected 2010-2011 programs please contact us.
To ensure that we continue to deliver these kinds of services, please consider making a donation.
Wishing you a wonderful and meaningful new year.
The Connections Israel Staff
Mordechai Cohen, Adi Friedman, Sharon Spira, Hillel Levin, Hanoch Young
