A seminar on the foundations and values of the Jewish
heritage was held recently in Yerocham for immigrants from
the former Soviet Union now living in Israel's southern and
central regions. They came from as far afield as Beersheba,
Dimona, Yerocham, Ofakim and Ashdod -- in the South; and from
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh, Petach Tikva and Kfar Sava
-- in the central region.
Attended altogether by some 100 immigrants, mostly young
adults, the three-day session was organized by Miktze
Haaretz, an organization founded a little over ten years ago
by Rabbi Uri Aumann of Yerocham, which has set as its goal
the absorption -- particularly, though not only, in the
spiritual realm -- of these immigrants into the life of the
Israeli nation.
For most of the participants this seminar was their first-
ever exposure, in a serious way, to the roots and
fundamentals of Judaism and to the realization that the Torah
way of life offered a marvelous response to many of life's
problems and hardships.
The Shabbos Experience
One of the highlights of the seminar, and undoubtedly the
occasion of a unique kind of spiritual uplift, was the
Shabbos experience -- including the three festive Shabbos
meals, with the evening and morning kiddush and the
joyous singing of zemiros, as well as an Oneg Shabbos
featuring, in addition to the traditional songs, some
gripping personal stories in which the speakers shared their
very moving spiritual experiences with the seminar
participants. Many of those present had never before had the
opportunity to experience a Shabbos in this kind of authentic
Shabbos atmosphere.
In order to enable parents to devote their time fully to the
business of the conference, including the lectures and the
discussions (which generally continued well into the night)
the organizers of the conference made special provision for
children who were kept busy with activities of their own
while their parents attended the lectures. So keen was the
interest shown by the participants in the events of the
seminar, that on Shabbos most of them willingly gave up their
Shabbos rest-time so as to be able to continue their
discussions with the various speakers.
The seminar proved successful beyond the organizers' fondest
expectations. Whether it was men and women getting up, one
after another, at the end of the seminar, to thank the
organizers for the "wonderful experience" they had undergone
and for the "whole new world" that had been opened up for
them; or whether it was breaking out into spontaneous song on
Shabbos afternoon, to the words: "May this be a time of
compassion and grace before You!" (in Hebrew -- and Russian) -
- - there was a powerful general feeling among those present
that this had been an event ordained in Heaven, as if to
proclaim to all the world: "This is a time of grace and of
good will, and a wonderful opportunity for the Jews of
Russia!"
And They Came Back for More!
With an eye to preserving the success of the conference, the
Russian immigrants were invited, on the spot, to an
additional one- day meeting ten days later. The invitation
bore abundant fruit: Most of the participants in the three-
day seminar came back for the follow-up session, bringing
along many friends as well! This meeting featured, besides
several Torah lectures in Russian, the display and sale of
books and tapes on related subjects. These were readily
snapped up by an obviously knowledge-hungry public.
The success of these events, the organizers said later,
demonstrates clearly "the spiritual potential to be found in
this community of immigrants, and to what great extent it is
possible, when one puts one's mind to it, to find the right
way to the hearts of these people."
In the words of Rabbi Aumann, "It is only through full and
genuine cooperation among all the forces and elements that
are able to contribute to this subject, each in his own
particular domain, that we will be able to step up this truly
blessed work and to take full advantage of the great
opportunities that await us!"
