Special Tishrei Moments In A War Torn Kharkov
A month full of emotion, tears, happiness and joy.
The most unforgettable moment?
The shofar blowing with hundreds of men, women, and children praying for peace and a better year ahead.
Putting up a mezuza in Nikita’s home as his whole family celebrated knowing that their home will now be that much more safer.
Holding back the tears as the words of Kol Nidrei echoed in the shule.
Mark’s smile when he saw the lulav when we came to visit him in the psychiatric ward.
The five Bat mitzvah girls getting Jewish names in the shule.
Finishing packing hundreds of food packages with our volunteers who all know how special it is to help others.
Watching the Jewish soldier shake the lulav with my son on Pushkinskaya St.
Binyamin who just came to Kharkov for Sukkos telling us that he prayed for two things on Rosh Hashana from the lonely village he was in for over half a year…that he should have a lulav and a Torah Or by Sukkos.
The brochos from our Kohen “yevarechecha…” who doesn’t read Hebrew but blesses us with his Tallis, shaking from emotion with his whole heart.
Watching all the happy faces at the Hakhel concert as everyone felt for the first time in months that they could relax and get swept up into the music and the unity in the air.
Shmini Atzeret by night – pitch black in the street but bright lights and warmth in the Sukkah as everyone sang and danced “Nye bayusya nikavo…I am not scared of anything except Hashem alone”.
Or maybe watching Vitaliy who had just started coming to shule a few weeks ago holding the Torah tight as he circled and danced around the Bima on Simchas Torah by night.
Or Moishele getting called up for his Aliya to the Torah and singing for all to hear “Lomir aleh in einem…Moshiach mekabel ponim zein (Lets all join as one…to greet Moshiach).
So many special moments and so much more special when we saw that no rockets, sirens, blackout, or war could stop the Jewish soul and the Jewish people from celebrating in Kharkov and starting this new year of Unity together.
