February 24, 2009
Israeli Princes Were Cut Down
On March 2,2008—a year ago in the Hebrew calendar, eight young students were murdered as they sat in Yeshiva Mercaz Harav learning Torah.
The life of every man, woman and child is a universe; here's a glimpse into the complex universe of one of the murdered children: Avraham David Moses, May His Blood Be Avenged.
Now living with her sons in Efrat as Rivkah Moses, she was picking up the pieces of her life, post-divorce. She had gone through a grueling [conversion] process in which she had to satisfy a beit din that her commitment to Judaism was unwavering.
"The judges kept asking me if I intended to continue the observant Jewish lifestyle." The custody of her two boys hung in the balance. "They never asked my husband that question. They just didn't trust that my conversion was for real." She finally managed to convince the court of the sincerity of her conversion, and the couple was awarded joint custody of their two children.
Just before her move to a smaller apartment, the local Palestinian used clothing collector came by for his regular pick up. She knew Abdul to be a kind and well-intentioned fellow from the nearby Arab village.
"Where is your husband?" He asked as he looked around, "Who is helping you move?"
"I have no husband" she replied. "I am divorced."
"Let me help you move" was Abdul's reply, "and I want to introduce you to a nice man. I can't believe that such a wonderful woman has no husband!"
The Palestinian used clothing collector had just become the matchmaker for two Orthodox Jews.
For the complete story by Brenda Sassoon-Rosmarin, please click here.
And don't forget B'lev Echad.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:45 AM | Comments (1)
January 22, 2009
Remembering the Mercaz Harav Martyrs
Top row, left to right: Avraham David Moses, Ro’i Aharon Roth, Neria Cohen, Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar. Bottom, left to right: Yochai Lifshitz, Segev Peniel Avichail, Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld, Doron Meherete, May Their Blood Be Avenged.
Last week Offspring #3 came home for winter vacation with four lovely guests, friends from Stern College for Women. One of the girls is deeply involved in B'lev Echad. We spoke about the project and I immediately volunteered to help spread the word about this important event.
Jewish Unity Event Planned for Anniversary of Mercaz Harav Massacre
A historic Jewish event will be a worldwide broadcast of eight Torah scrolls being dedicated in memory of the eight boys who were murdered while learning Torah.
The event will take place on the one-year anniversary of the attack, February 24th, 2009 in Jerusalem, Israel at Yeshivat Mercaz Harav. We hope to attract tens of thousands of people participating live at the dedication, while hundreds of thousands view the live broadcast online.
In addition to the Torah scroll dedication, a global learning initiative and mitzvah (good deeds) campaign in memory of the victims who devoted their lives to these causes has been launched. "The purpose of this is to create an unprecedented celebration of unity to commemorate these eight students and the Torah to which they were so committed," explains Jeremy Joszef of Woodmere, NY, one of the project's organizers.
An anonymous family from the New York area is funding the project and event, while a small group of young adults along with hundreds of volunteers from around the world are organizing it. The volunteers are using all avenues of communication in order to spread the event to all corners of the world. They have already reached 50,000 people in less than a month and continue to build momentum as the event draws closer.
The project is operating under the title of B'lev Echad, the Hebrew term for "one heart." It is not being associated with any specific organization in the hopes that it will attract Jews from across the religious and political spectrum. "We could have easily gotten any organization to back us, but we specifically did not want to attach ourselves to any organization and bring in any politics," the anonymous family emphasized. "We didn't want to turn off any types of people from any community."
Participants who sign up will receive specific instructions regarding what to learn, with content geared toward both young people and adults. Schools will receive resource material, including signage, preparatory learning packets, and details about the 8-for-8 mitzvah campaign including suggested projects. All the information and more can be found by clicking here.
B'lev Echad is a grassroots organization that is committed to involving everyone who is interested in participating in a meaningful and inspirational tribute. B'lev Echad is apolitical by design and as such is able to transcend borders regardless of religious persuasion/commitment and political affiliation and agenda. B'lev Echad is wholly funded by a New York area family and thus does not engage in any fund raising.
Eight Heavenly Princes
The following article appeared in the memorial book “Shemonah Nisichei Adam — 8 Heavenly Princes,” recently edited and published in Hebrew by the 12th Graders of Yashlatz. The English version of the book is due for publication in February 2008. For more details see www.yashlatz.com/book.
March 6, 2008
On Thursday evening, the eve of Rosh Chodesh Adar II, 5768, the terrorist entered the“Mercaz HaRav” yeshiva grounds. The terrorist came into the front courtyard at around 8:30pm, carrying a cardboard television box. He set the box down on the railing of the steps leading up to the dormitory building entrance.
He took a Kalashnikov rifle out of the box, and opened fire on a group of students from“Yashlatz” and “Mercaz HaRav” who were standing at the entrance to the yeshiva. Among them was Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld, hy’d, Ro’i Roth, hy’d, and Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar, hy’d.
The terrorist then walked in the direction of the library, and there his campaign of murder continued. He entered the library through the main door, and began shooting wildly in all directions. Most of the students in the library, who had heard the first round of shooting outside, got up from the tables and hid behind and between the bookshelves. Doron Maharate hy’d, the first one targeted in the library, was so immersed in his studies that he never even left his desk.
Unfortunately, the bookshelves were a death trap. The terrorist proceeded to walk down the aisles between the shelves, shooting at the books and anyone hiding behind them. He then went back to the first row of shelves, and retraced his path, shooting again to make sure that each of his victims was dead.
Five students were murdered in the library: Segev Peniel Avichayil, hy’d, Yochai Lifshitz, hy’d, Doron Maharate, hy’d, Avraham David Moses, hy’d, and Neriya Cohen, hy’d. More students were injured.
At that very hour, the Beit Midrash in “Yashlatz” was being set up for a Rosh Chodesh party. Those students who didn’t want to curtail their learning went to study in the nearby library, and that is where they met their deaths.
At the first sound of gunfire, the students in the “Mercaz Harav” beit midrash escaped, and were offered shelter in nearby apartment buildings. The “Yashlatz” students took cover in their dormitory building. Approximately fifteen minutes after he fired the first shot, the terrorist was shot and killed by Yitzchak Dadon, an avrech (young student) who studies at “Mercaz Harav,” and Captain David Shapira, a graduate of the yeshiva who lives in the neighborhood.
At that very hour, the Beit Midrash in “Yashlatz” was being set up for a Rosh Chodesh party. Those students who didn’t want to curtail their learning went to study in the nearby library,
The Kedoshim, Martyrs
Neria (ben HaRav Yitzchak HaCohen) Cohen HY”D, 15, of Jerusalem, a 9th Grader at Yashlatz who was described as “full of boundless joy, enthusiastic about Torah and life, and forever asking questions, striving to understand a sugya to its depth.“
Segev Peniel (ben HaRav Elyashiv) Avichail HY”D, 15, of Neve Daniel, a 10th Grader at Yashlatz who was described as “sensitive, serious and diligent, a real Talmid Chacham who was completely devoted to his family and friends”.
Yonatan Yitzchak (ben Dror) Eldar HY”D, 16, of Shilo, a 10th Grader at Yashlatz who was described as “having an incredible love for Torah and especially Halacha, and often the last person to leave the Bet Midrash.”
Avraham David (ben Naftali) Moses HY”D, 16, of Efrat, a 10th Grader at Yashlatz who was described as “blessed with a pure neshama, totally honest and with an unparalleled level of scholarship and devotion to his Torah studies.“
Yochai (ben HaRav Tuvya) Lifshitz HY”D, 18, of Jerusalem, a 12th Grader at Yashlatz who was described as “incredibly perseverant, diligent and organized who never wasted a second of his day.”
Ro’i Aharon (ben Yaakov) Roth HY”D, 18, of Elkana, in his first year at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, who was described as “someone truly humble, whose prayer was so devout and genuine that it taught and inspired everyone.”
Yonadav Chaim (ben Tzemach) Hirschfeld HY”D, 19 of Kochav Hashachar, an alumnus of Yashlatz and in his first year at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, who was described as “always happy, a ball of energy, extremely intelligent and everyone’s best friend.”
Doron (ben Mekonent) Meherete HY”D, 26, of Ashdod, in his tenth year at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, who was described as “having a tremendous desire to succeed in Torah, someone with a large heart who loved helping others, and who never got angry.”
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:43 AM | Comments (3)
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