Excitement is building at OCA as we approach the start of Chanukah! The chag is filled with family games, creative menorahs, sufganiyot, latkes, gelt, and gifts. Through all of the fun, Chanukah reminds us that during the darkest season of the year, and indeed the darkest 440 days of our lives, each of us has the power to bring light into the world.
Earlier this month, my husband and I had the honor of participating in a mission with One Israel Fund to meet some of the individuals and see firsthand the literal fruits of their labor to bring peace and security to the Gaza envelope and the Yehuda and Shomron. At each stop along the way of our whirlwind trip, we were inspired by the passion and ingenuity of farmers and entrepreneurs, security experts and ordinary citizens who refuse to be passive bystanders, who strive every day to bring light to Israel and to the world.
On our first, but not the last, emotional day of our journey, we met Yishai Levi from Livnot U’Lehibanot, who drives down to Kibbutz Nirim from Tzfat several days each week to repair homes and paint children’s bedrooms so they will have beautiful spaces to return to and learned from Rotem what it took to harvest the avocado crops during a war and to be rewarded for their efforts by an even greater bounty the following season, exemplifying the phrase, “We sow in tears, and reap in joy.” Visiting the haunting memorial at the Nova site, we said amen to the kaddish of police officers standing at attention at the flagpole and were deeply moved by a group of 40 seminary girls davening together, singing Hodu lashem kitov, ki l’olam chasdo! The hope and emunah expressed in a place of darkness demonstrated how we as Jews hold both tragedy and gratitude in our collective consciousness.
Later, it was a special privilege to bring beautiful cards and drawings made by our OCA students, as well as needed supplies such as socks and handwarmers, to chayalim stopping at Shuva and Pina Chama for a rest and a hot meal. Saying todah rabba from OCA to our brave young soldiers was an incredible experience that brought the biggest smiles you could imagine! The icing on the cake was the opportunity to run into Allan and Rini Gonsher, canteen volunteers and grandparents of past OCA students!
We visited Arugot Farm, where Ari Abramowitz and three friends built an organic farm and healing retreat in the Judean Hills for visitors seeking a deep connection to Hashem and to one another. After we davened mincha in his exceptionally beautiful Beit Midrash, Ari shared with us the remarkable story of a group of Germans, the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of Nazis, who arrived on site wanting in some small measure to try to atone for their forebears and help to rebuild the Jewish people. They not only jumped in to help with the physical building of the retreat, but they asked to learn Torah with Ari, and build a chuppah so that new Jewish families could be established.
And then we had the chance to speak with Joshua Waller of HaYovel, who along with his parents and 10 siblings moved to Israel from Tennessee 20 years ago to provide expertise, equipment, and labor to help Israelis establish and maintain farmland in what he referred to as the “front line of Zionism.” After he experienced firsthand the discrepancy between what the media were reporting and what was actually happening on the ground, he started their podcast The Israel Guys to shine a spotlight on the truth.
These are just a few of the extraordinary people we met (with more to follow in future OCs) who embody the message and the meaning of Chanukah: that each of us possesses the power to stand up to those who try to suppress us, to shine the light of hope and positivity to illuminate the darkness. This is the spirit of OCA, where our teachers bring out the light in our students and help our students find the light within them.
During the darkest season of the year, and indeed the darkest 440 days of our lives, may each of us, as we light our menorahs this Chanukah, use the metaphor of the flame to bring out our own inner spark. No matter what we are going through, and how tough it may be to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we have the strength and the capacity to light the path forward for ourselves and for one another.
Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach!