Most people have not heard about this rally, and that’s a shame because it’s a deeply important part of our story.
Julie Kuperstein, mother of released hostage Bar Kuperstein, had been dreaming of this rally for almost two years. Her husband, Tal, who had been injured in a car accident, achieved astonishing physical and emotional milestones: He managed to stand again and regained his speech, “for Bar.” At the same time, Julie reached new heights of maternal and Jewish strength, forging a profound and unlikely bridge between the secular and haredi communities.
I had seen her on Shabbat, holidays and weekdays slowly crafting a new, shared language. We last met just before the hostage deal, when she led a Shabbat for students and young adults who observed the first Shabbat of the year together in Jerusalem.
Over the course of two years, she had imagined what Bar’s homecoming would look like. She always said, “When Bar comes home, our journey will go through Bnei Brak. I don’t really know this city, but it embraced me and became my second home. People simply are unaware of the extraordinary people who make up this community.”
And then . . . it happened.
Thousands lined the streets of Bnei Brak, singing and dancing around Bar, accompanied by a motorcycle convoy that escorted the celebration.
Bar arrived with family and friends, looking nothing like the stereotypical charedi crowd, for a reception in the City Council hall where Julie gave a moving speech.
She shared that at Sheba Medical Center, Bar’s first stop immediately after his release, they allowed her to sleep next to him at the hospital’s maternity hotel — and she felt it was perfectly fitting. It truly was a birth.
At the end of her list of thanks, she thanked the Jewish people “for every single tear.”
Then the convoy brought this young man, who had worked at the Nova music festival, straight to the home of Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the leading rabbis of the haredi community, for a short conversation.
I watched as Julie spoke to the rabbi about the past two years, sharing insights and lessons. I thought: someone like her really can bridge divides and find solutions.
Deputy Mayor Shlomo Elharar said at the event: “Bar, not only have you come home — you are bringing all of us back home!”
One can only hope. The tone and language of the former hostages as they appeared across interviews and broadcasts suggest that they have risen to a higher plane. They speak of meaning, spirit and soul.
May they elevate us — in politics, in the media and online — together with them.
The holiday of Sigd
The 29th of Cheshvan, Nov. 29 this year, is the holiday of Sigd. Three young women from the Ethiopian-Israeli community shared their reflections with me:
Habtam Abebe:
“Most Israelis think Sigd is our holiday — belonging only to those of us who came from Ethiopia, not to anyone else.
But Sigd is an opportunity for everyone to connect with a people who set out on an unimaginable journey: walking to the Land of Israel on foot, burying family members along the way. Our longing for this land is something all Jews, everywhere and in every generation, have shared.
“Just a few weeks ago, in the Torah portion of Lech Lecha, we read about the very first time someone left the comforts of home and walked toward the Land of Israel. In our generation, some of us simply continued the legacy of Avraham Avinu.”
Hodaya Mekonen:
“Sigd comes from the Hebrew word segidah — bowing. When was the last time we stopped and dedicated an entire day to thinking about our connection to G-d and to the Land of Israel? When did we last reflect on generations of longing for Jerusalem? When did we last bow and submit ourselves to something sacred?”
Mazal Jambar:
“Exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, Sigd arrives. Ethiopian Jews gather for a day of prayer and soul-searching. It’s a reminder that 50 days have passed since that holy day.
“Do you remember your promises and resolutions from Yom Kippur? What became of them? There’s a reason we launder and wear white clothing today — our souls have gathered some stains since Yom Kippur, and we need to be cleansed again.”
Three Important Reminders
1. What is your goal in life, to destroy others or to build yourself?
This week’s Torah portion relates how the ancient Philistines constantly stuffed up Isaac’s wells and harassed him. It’s strange, as these are their own water sources, too. But, as we’ve seen throughout history, our enemies want to harm us so much that they are even willing to harm and destroy themselves.
2. Isaac and Rebeccah pray for 20 years before they are blessed with children.
Prayer transforms reality. We must act in this world, but we must also pray. Let us add our prayers today for the safety and welfare of the Jewish people wherever they may be, in Israel and all over the world.
3. Good will triumph. The wonderful promises that Isaac hears in this week’s Torah reading are being fulfilled in our generation, and G-d willing they will be fully realized very soon:
“And I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the sky, and I will give to your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.”
The new month of Kislev
As we welcome the month of Kislev on Friday, do you remember what we learned in kindergarten about this month and about the upcoming holiday of Chanukah? Everything we learned then is still true today:
• Kislev is a month in which the light defeated the darkness.
• It is a month that commemorates the struggle between the forces of good and evil. The side that ultimately emerges victorious is not the stronger one, but the one that represents the truth. All our enemies will eventually find themselves in the trash can of history.
• Kislev is a month of military strength as well as spiritual strength.
• Sometimes we need to maintain our courage over an extended period, and it may be difficult to keep up the momentum. Kislev reminds us that we can continually increase our strength. Just like the Chanukah candles, we add another candle each day, and each day has its own light. If we manage to carry on our daily routine during these challenging days, each day is its own success.
• This is a month of miracles, prayers and salvation. History has shown us that anything can happen, and we may be surprised by something good we never anticipated. A small jar of oil provided enough light for eight days, and in the end, the light was greater than we could have imagined.