By Linda Blasnik
Hundreds stood shoulder to shoulder within and without Akiba Yavneh’s (AYA) Beit Midrash Monday night, Oct. 9, for the Mincha service. Parents, children, teens, seniors, rabbis, teachers and alumni gathered to pray for resolution to the violence in Israel. We prayed for peace.
Headmaster Jason Feld welcomed the community, quoting Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik [P1] saying, “When events are beyond human comprehension, change the why to ‘to what purpose.’ What is our role?”
AYA Board President David Radunsky reported his communication with an Israeli friend formerly of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). His friend let Radunsky as well as our community know that “Israel is going from defense to offense. We will prevail and stay human.”
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky of Congregation Shaare Tefilla spoke of the importance of saying Tehillim (Psalms) and increasing our mitzvot. He said, “We act and don’t rely on miracles. Then G-d decides what to do.” As the group gathered in solidarity, at AYA and at other locations throughout the Metroplex, everyone knew they were all connected and all strengthen each other.[SW2]
Akiba Yavneh alumnae Rina Yahalom and Clara Wohlstadter spoke. Yahalom is reporting to reserve duty. Wohlstadter thanked Dallas from [P3] the children she taught at Camp Koby. The assemblage learned of the modern-day superhero boarding flights at the very moment to defend Eretz Israel and said Psalms together. After the Tehillim, Rav P’daya Halperin played his guitar and soulfully led in singing “Acheinu Beis Israel.[SW4] ”
The words of the song mean: “If any of our fellow Jews are in jeopardy or are entrapped, whether overseas or at home, may the Almighty take pity on them and deliver them from trouble to relief, from gloom to bright light and from tyranny to freedom — urgently, swiftly and very soon — and let us say amen.”
[P1]I added his first name as you suggested, and corrected the spelling of his last name.
[SW2]Should we recast this in third person? Or should we make put some sort of editors not that it’s written in first person?
P – I recast it in third person to be consistent with the other articles. I also changed “Dallas” to “the Metroplex” in view of the Fort Worth article.
[P3]I don’t understand this. Was she passing on the thanks from the children, was she giving thanks for teaching the children, what? Needs to be clarified.
[SW4]Same question as above
P – I recast
