EGN NEWS DESK
Jewish educational and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster displays on a few of Judaism’s sacred traditions amidst present trials.
On October 14 Manchester made historical past. That was the date on which Manchester airport hosted the primary ever direct flight to Israel on an Israeli airline.
On October 14 Arkia, a funds Israeli airline, flew numerous pilgrims from Manchester and the north of England to Tel Aviv by evening, in order that they might benefit from the pageant of Sukkot within the Holy Land.
Even the Manchester airport employees have been excited and a few stated stated they’d really prefer to accompany us on this historic first journey. I used to be honoured to be the primary passenger aboard.
The head teacher from Gateshead seated subsequent to me kindly supplied a potato bureka. It was actually scrumptious and after a snack and settling the infants, most individuals tried to get some sleep on this primary evening flight, which solely took 4 and a half hours.
A younger man finding out at Herzlyia University supplied to assist me by way of the airport and onto the prepare to Jerusalem, however, to my nice pleasure, we discovered my son in regulation ready at arrivals with Mocha, their little canine.
The automotive journey to Jerusalem took solely an hour and there in a short lived Jerusalem house, have been my daughter and child Ahava, now three and a half months outdated, who smiled as if she had recognized me all her life!
The courtyard of this block of flats was already studded with sukkahs, short-term abodes, for the upcoming pageant of Sukkot, often known as Tabernacles, to remind us of the Children of Israel dwelling in tents throughout their trek by way of the desert to the Promised Land.
As normal I slept within the secure room, which additionally doubles as my son in regulation’s workplace.
We have been invited out to each night and lunchtime meals in two completely different sukkahs, whose hosts from Australia and the US had ties with the UK. Baby Ahava loved each second and was welcomed with open arms by one and all.
At lunch I used to be seated subsequent to a younger French Oleh (new immigrant) initially from Algeria. There was additionally a lone soldier who had emigrated particularly to affix the IDF and assist struggle this existential conflict for the survival of the Jewish folks. His Hebrew was superb.
There have been various younger women finding out at seminaries located close to the border with Gaza who have been being hosted by an Australian woman in our constructing. Some wished to stay in Israel. The meals was a mixture of unique Ashkenazi and Sephardi delights. Truly scrumptious.
The synagogue providers have been, as normal, held within the youngsters’s play space, with the climbing body and slide a lot in proof. The gabbai who arranges the providers had ready meticulously beforehand and every thing went with out a hitch.
Birds wandered out and in and kids participated totally all through, together with child Ahava after all, whose father managed to hold her and the Sefer Torah on the similar time!
During the middleman days often known as Chol HaMoed, my son in regulation entertained the neighborhood on his guitar in various sukkahs which have been open to all.
We additionally visited the extra central Jerusalem neighbourhood of Nachlaot the place my elder daughter lived 22 years in the past, on first shifting to Israel.
Things have modified and now Nachlaot seems to be a venue for growing old hippies, the place self-expression and musical Hallel (Psalms 113-118) are de rigueur. I used to be abruptly wafted again to the late 60s and life as a college pupil. What a distinction to the opposite Sukkot providers. But right here too sukkahs are open to all.
People had arrived from all around the nation to be in Jerusalem for this most vital of meals festivals. They introduced their very own picnics with them and made good use of the hospitality of sukkah house owners on this neighbourhood of central Jerusalem.
We ourselves managed to construct our personal sukkah in a tiny open house off the house and each child Ahava and Mocha the canine liked being there.
Towards the top of the pageant I used to be invited to a studying session going down within the largest sukkah within the compound courtyard. A mathematical evaluation of the Hebrew letters was flowing alongside properly when abruptly one of many friends talked about if anybody knew concerning the Nazir of Jerusalem and his son, Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, and their affiliation with Hoshana Rabba, Simchat Bet Hashoeva (Water Drawing Libation Ceremony) and the enjoyment of Simchat Torah.
Well, I could not stay silent may I? So I discussed my involvement of their story, because the writer of the English language model of the biography of Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen of Haifa who, I stated, had organized all these festivals as casual chaplain within the prisoner of conflict camp in Jordan, after the heroic fighters for the Old City of Jerusalem had surrendered to the Arabs within the 1948 War of Independence.
‘My father was with him’.
‘Who was that’ I requested.
‘Yehiel Wultz.’
‘Yes, your father taught violin to the younger Shear Yashuv and your father’s violin accompanied him to the POW Camp.’
Well, you can have heard a pin drop and I used to be even supplied one other piece of cake!
Incidentally, later within the pool, I met a fellow swimmer who knowledgeable me that her household had lived subsequent door to the household of Rabbi Shear Yashuv in central Jerusalem earlier than he moved to Haifa as Chief Rabbi in 1975. His daughter Eliraz had taken her to major college day by day. Eliraz is an efficient good friend who has addressed our dialogue group!
Two mates of this nice rabbi who I had encountered in Haifa. Surely no mere coincidence!
In Israel the 2 last autumn festivals of Shemeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah are mixed, which makes for a really lengthy service. But right here it was spectacular.
The Hakafot, dancing and singing with lulav, etrog and Sefer Torah, have been prefaced by psalms 130 or 121, and a particular Israeli group was talked about earlier than the efficiency of every Hakafah in reminiscence of final yr’s Simchat Torah bloodbath.
Those talked about included the dead, the hostages, the troopers within the IDF, the wounded, the displaced, the widows, orphans and bereaved, in addition to the victims of antisemitism all over the place.
All accomplished exterior within the matching climate which included a singular mixture of burning solar, biting wind and really chilly air. Definitely the flip of the yr from summer time to autumn as the primary e book of Bereshit – Genesis – is learn as soon as once more ‘In the start’.
Later on that very first Shabbat of the brand new yr of 5785 we celebrated a big kiddush in honour of a pair about to get married. The rabbi contrasted the sunshine of the primary Book of Genesis created solely by G-d for our profit to the sunshine of Exodus through which we people work along with G-d to convey gentle to the world.
He held up this new couple as themselves shining examples of sunshine to the world. In their very own speeches they spoke about this distinctive neighborhood who had labored collectively all through Covid and now through the War.
And all I can say is that this actually is a few gentle who even hosted the particular kiddush for the start of my granddaughter at which I used to be current on Shabbat July 13, along with my different daughter and household who got here from elsewhere in Israel and all of us danced along with child Ahava!
On Sunday evening my son in regulation drove me again to the airport. It took solely 40 minutes. The flight was late and I arrived again in Manchester at 10.30 am. A really form fellow passenger from Israel supplied me a elevate house. I used to be subsequently in a position to make it to our month-to-month Shul Monday Club for two.00 pm, by way of the carpet of orange leaves, in an effort to hear a chat related to the upcoming Book of Noah and the Jewish strategy to vegetarianism.
I used to be additionally in a position to lend a brand new e book by Rabbi Shlomo Brody to my rabbi, a present from the writer’s mom, (additionally first encountered within the pool), which I hope to assessment at a later date. It is entitled ‘Ethics of our Warriors’ and is most apt for our current time.
The writer spoke most movingly about Israel’s strategy to what’s termed ‘Assisted Dying’ at a chat he gave in July which I attended. Another article for CT maybe.
Let’s end with two sections of the Shear Yashuv Cohen story which I dedicate to the reminiscence of his violin teacher, Dr Yehiel Wultz, whose son I met in a Jerusalem Sukkah, and to all Israeli musicians, together with son in regulation Levi Dov, bringing love and pleasure to a grieving folks at this existential epoch in our Jewish historical past.
‘Love of tune and niggun (non secular melodies) was central to the Nazir’s lifestyle. ‘Niggun will all the time be the non secular life and core of my soul.’ He even wrote some niggunim himself. It was this love that led him to rent a particular teacher, Dr Yechiel Wultz, who taught his two youngsters to play the violin. Under the course of the Nazir, Dr Wultz additionally taught them sacred niggunim, together with a particular melody by Rav Kook, in addition to compositions by their very own father, the Nazir.
Dr Wultz commented a few years later: ‘The younger Shear Yashuv didn’t regard music merely as an artwork, however really thought of it to be one thing holy.For him music was an instrument for the worship of G-d.’
Later on the cobbled collectively Simchat Bet Shoeva which came about through the Sukkot week of 1948 within the Jordanian POW camp, this was the story of the survival of Dr Wultz’ violin from Shear Yashuv’s childhood.
‘This day commemorates the Water Libation Ceremony which came about when the Temple was nonetheless standing. In our camp synagogue venerable aged Jews started buzzing to themselves, whereas their toes began dancing.
Yehuel Wultz, my childhood violin teacher, took out the violin which he had introduced with him from the Old City, tensed his bow and allowed his fingers to do the remainder. It occurred to us that at this very second folks would even be dancing in synagogues in Jerusalem.
However, whoever didn’t expertise our personal particular POW Simchat Bet Shoeva has by no means actually skilled a simcha of their lives! And whoever didn’t witness the Arab Debka carried out by these aged gents from the Old City and by members of Kibbutz Ein Tzurim and Revadim, survivors of the bloodbath at Kfar Etzion, and the Old City combatants, has by no means skilled a real dance in all their born days.
A younger man sang a typical Middle Eastern Arab niggun, and, fast as a flash, the Arab troopers began to affix in, celebrating along with us, stamping their toes, clapping their fingers, and having a completely good time.
In brief, the Hora we danced across the Sukkah embraced a whole bunch of camp inmates. They have been outdated. They have been younger. They have been Kabbalists. They have been aged Sephardim. They have been aged Ashkenazim. They have been younger with black curly forelocks. They have been younger, briefly sleeves and undershirts. And all of them danced collectively as one. And all of them have been mates. And all of them have been joyful.
And what precisely was this joyful simcha? it was the Simchat Bet Shoeva. And the place did it happen? In the midst of the desert. And when did it happen? When we have been imprisoned in a OPOW camp, after the autumn of the Old City.
And on the very coronary heart of this simcha, within the midst of our rejoicing, we secretly hoped and yearned to return to Jerusalem in order that sooner or later we may have fun Sukkot there.’
[Taken from ‘Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen’, Urim Publications Jerusalem 2017, English language version and editor Dr Irene Lancaster, p 42 and pp 172-173]
