The Sadness of Young Death and the Joy of Shabbat

 Friday, February 23, 2024

The sadness of young death and the joy of Shabbat.  Another remarkable day of contrasts.

Rochester has a very close connection with its sister city, Modi’in.  The city is located about halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and we spent most of the day there, celebrating the connection and mourning with its residents.

We met a delegation of Modi’in officials, including the mayor. 

Modi’in is a very young city, totally pre-planned and built on vacant land.  It has grown rapidly, from nothing in the mid-1990s to well over 100,000 people today.  The location is the same as the Hasmonian Dynasty city of the same name, which ruled Judea in the Hellenistic period.  The leaders of the city and Meredith Dragon, the CEO of the Rochester Jewish Federation and the leader of our delegation, spoke.  We were introduced to two couples, both of whom lost a child in the IDF on October 7.  The Goutin family spoke of their son Yonatan, who died in combat; the Glass family spoke of their daughter, Yam, who was murdered at a surveillance outpost.  They were both young, with their lives in front of them, and the descriptions of them could have been descriptions of any of our children or grandchildren.  Both sets of parents expressed profound pride that their children had served the country so well.

We then went to a park where a memorial for the two of them had been erected, and we had a ceremony unveiling the plaque. 

There was music (a harp and flute) and there were some short speeches.  Meredith spoke movingly, as if their children were ours, too. 

Each child had a street named for them, and we visited both:

We then drove up to the top of a large hill overlooking the city for a panoramic view:

At the top of the hill was a site where the mobile Iron Dome vehicle could be placed when needed.

As the mood lightened, we were treated to an enormous lunch by our Modi’in partners.  A dozen plates of appetizers, beautiful breads and many condiments, and then, when we felt full, out came beautiful plates of grilled meats.

The conversations and interactions were delightful.  After lunch we visited the newest cultural center in Modi’in, the Hasmonean Heritage Museum. 

The treasures contained are just wonderful

By now it was late afternoon on a Friday, and we left for Jerusalem to visit the Kotel (the Western Wall) for the onset of Shabbat.  For those who do not know, in Judaism, the sabbath is likened to a bride, and we speak of Shabbat as “coming in.”  It is celebrated with special joy at the Kotel, and we arrived about a half hour before sunset.  No photography is permitted after sunset.  Here is the scene at the wall:

It is separated into men’s and women’s sides.  I had to put my videos on YouTube as they're too long and large for Blogger to insert them directly.  The men are here:

And the women are here:

We went back to the hotel for dinner.  Tomorrow morning we are free, we have a lecture at noon, and in the late afternoon we will depart for Tel Aviv.  We will spend the evening there, including dinner, and then will go to the airport.  My flight home leaves at 12:45 AM on Sunday morning.