Shavua Tov from Jerusalem on day 300
08/04/2024 06:22:36 PM
Shalom from Israel.
I am so honored to be participating in the Senior Eductor Learning Fellowship at Pardes. It's was an amazing first week of learning and professional development. I wanted to write about two experiences I had last week, both on Thursday.
300
Last Thursday was the 300th day of kidnapping victims being held as hostages. All of the teachers at Pardes dedicating each of their classes in honor of those kidnapped. One of my teachers, Yiscah Smith, shared a fantastic story. As Jews we often dedicate learning to those we love (in memory of a loved one, in honor of a birthday or anniversary). Why do we do this thing? She told us to imagine a pipe and through this pipe we send up words of prayer and healing and hope to God, while God sends blessings to us through the same pipe. Sometimes, there can be a little clog in the pipe and dedicating our learning can help to clear the way for our messages. We also should be reminded that gemilut chasadim, deeds of loving kindness, can also clear the way. In the shadow of this 300th day, she encouraged us all to visit someone sick, take a friend some food, give extra tzedekah, etc in the hope that God will hear our prayers for the kidnapped and bring them home, soon.
October 7
Thursday afternoon, our cohort of educators visited ANU: The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. We spent an amazing afternoon learning from their curators and educators. At the end of February, the museum opened an exhibit about October 7 and the days immediately following. It is a powerful and moving exhibit. A moment that continues to stay with me is this piece of art. Called “Pavement and Mud” by Ziva Jelin, it hung in the art gallery at Kibbutz Be’Eri. This moving painting from 2018, shows the beauty of the kibbutz and is red to represent the beautiful anemone flowers that grow every year in the south. The entire gallery was destroyed, but the curator saved this painting. You can see two stark reminders of the violence in the painting. There are bullet holes from the violence of the attack and streaks from the water when the sprinkler system went off. I was struck by the beauty and tragedy of this painting.
I look forward to sharing more upon my return and I wish everyone a Shavua tov.
