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Sukkot – One Thing? You “Nailed” It

Inspired by the dedication of a new dormitory at one of WIZO's youth villages, Yonatan Sredni, Head of English Content in World WIZO's Marketing & PR Division, connects the holiday of Sukkot with the theme of "home" in this blog post which was published on The Times of Israel.

October 12, 2019

Spanish follows English.

This article orignally appeared on The Times of Israel. Read the original article here.

One of my favorite Sukkot stories is related by the former Chief Rabbi of Britian, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

This week, in the context of my job at WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) I attended the dedication of a brand new dormitory at one of WIZO’s youth villages, CHW Hadassim.

The new dorm at Hadassim is home to 27 high school students in the Naaleh program, Jewish youth from around the world who come to study and live in Israel. Thanks to the great generosity of the Reich family of Germany along with the support of WIZO Germany, these precious international students can study in a nurturing environment in the best possible conditions.

Image may contain: 14 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

Image may contain: 21 people, including Rivka Lazovsky, people smiling

Image may contain: people sitting and indoor

I noticed that a number of times during the dedication ceremony the speakers made made reference to WIZO Hadassim’s slogan, “Ba’ta le’Hadassim, ba’ta ha’baiyta”, meaning, “When you’ve come to Hadassim, you’ve come home.

In fact, today was the birthday of Hadassim’s wonderful director Zeev Twitto. In wishing him a happy birthday this morning I added that whenever I come to Hadassim and he greets me with his trademark warm smile, I too feel that I have come home, just like the school slogan says.

It’s not hard to draw parallels between the upcoming holiday of Sukkot and a dedication of a new dormitory for overseas students. The sukkah is a temporary structue that serves as our home away from home for the week of the holiday, while the dormitory is a permanent structure that serves as a warm home for these inspiring young students who come from around the globe to live and study in Israel.

But I believe there is more to it than that. At the dedication cermony many concepts were talked about: feeling at home, feeling safe, a warm and nurturing enviornment, a school/youth village that is also a community, building a future for Jewish youth from around the world in Israel and much, much more.

So what is it? What is the one “nail” that holds together these young students who come to live and study in Israel? Which of the themes discussed above keeps their home, their sukkah/dormitory, standing in the face of obstacles?

To me the answer comes from one scene from the 1991 movie City Slickers starring Billy Crystal.

In the film, Curly was the tough old cowboy character played by the late Jack Palance. Here’s the scene from the movie where Curly espouses his life philosophy to Mitch, Billy Crystal’s character:

Curly has a point. According to the story Rabbi Sacks told the lone “nail” represents faith, but to someone else it can represent something else. For each and every person, the “one thing” is different.

The same can be true for the meaning of “home”. For some of the students in the new dormitory at WIZO Hadassim it might mean a bright colorful spacious place for them to live. For other students the “one thing” ut might be the support of the dorm counselor or living with their friends from around the world. For each person the “nail” , the “one thing” that connects them to their “home” (new home) is different.

On Sukkot it does not matter if we live in a house, an apartment, or in a dormitory with 26 other international students. For one week we all join together, dwell together in our sukkot, in the temporary outdoor structures that remind us that we are in this together, under the same roof (schach). We’ve all come home.

Chag Sameach!

(Photo credits: Kfir Sivan & Yonatan Sredni)


Del blog de Yonatan Sredni -The Times of Israel

Sukkot- One thing? You “nailed” it

Traducido por: Rackel Alfille

Esta semana, en el contexto de mi trabajo en WIZO (Women International Zionist Organization), asistí a la inauguración de un nuevo dormitorio en una de las aldeas juveniles de WIZO, Hadassim

El nuevo dormitorio en Hadassim es el hogar de 27 estudiantes de secundaria en el programa Naaleh, donde jóvenes judíos de todo el mundo vienen a estudiar y a vivir a Israel.

Gracias a la generosidad de la familia Reich de Alemania junto con el apoyo de WIZO Alemania, estos maravillosos estudiantes internacionales pueden estudiar en un ambiente acogedor en las mejores condiciones posibles.

Image may contain: 14 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

Image may contain: 21 people, including Rivka Lazovsky, people smiling

Image may contain: people sitting and indoor

Noté que varias veces durante la ceremonia de inauguración los oradores hicieron referencia al lema de WIZO Hadassim, “ Ba´ta le Hadassim, ba’ta ha bayta”, que significa: “Cuando has venido a Hadassim, has llegado a casa”.

No es difícil establecer paralelismos entre el próximo viernes de Sucot y la inauguración de un nuevo dormitorio de estudiantes extranjeros. La Sukka es una estructura temporal que sirve como nuestro hogar lejos de casa durante la semana de la fiesta, mientras que el dormitorio es una estructura permanente que sirve como un hogar cálido para estos jóvenes estudiantes inspiradores que vienen de todo el mundo a vivir y estudiar en Israel.

Pero creo que hay más que eso. En la ceremonia de inauguración se habló de muchos conceptos: sentirse en casa, sentirse seguro, un ambiente cálido y acogedor, una escuela y una aldea juvenil que también es una comunidad que construye un futuro para la juventud judía de todo el mundo en Israel y mucho, mucho más.

Entonces, ¿qué es? ¿Cuál es la “uña” que mantiene unidos a estos jóvenes estudiantes que vienen a vivir y estudiar en Israel? ¿Cuál de los temas discutidos anteriormente mantiene su hogar, su Sukkah / dormitorio, parado de pie frente a los obstáculos?

Para mí, la respuesta proviene de una escena de la película de 1991 “City Slickers” con Billy Crystal. En la película Curly, representa al duro personaje de vaquero interpretado por el difunto Jack Palance. Aquí está la escena de la película en la que Curly expone su filosofía de vida al personaje de Mitch, Billy Crystal:

Para algunos de los estudiantes en el dormitorio de WIZO Hadassim, podría significar un lugar amplio, brillante y colorido para que vivan.

Para otros estudiantes, "la uña" podría ser el apoyo del consejero del dormitorio para vivir con sus amigos de todo el mundo. Para cada persona “la uña”, es lo único que los conecta a su “hogar” (nuevo hogar) es diferente.

En Sukkot no importa si vivimos en una casa, un departamento o un dormitorio con otros 26 estudiantes internacionales. Durante una semana, todos se unen, viven juntos en nuestras sukkot, en las estructuras temporales al aire libre que nos recuerdan que estamos juntos en esto, bajo el mismo techo (schach).

Todos hemos vuelto a casa.

Chag Sameaj!

(Photo credits: Kfir Sivan & Yonatan Sredni)