Rosh Hashana in Watertown, NY

WATERTOWN, NY [CHI] — With the high holidays and all the many preparations for the holidays well underway across the country and the world, there was a rather special and different type of preparations going on in the city of Watertown, home to Fort Drum, a large military base, where four Jewish soldiers did not want to be left out from being involved in the high holidays services.

The soldiers contacted the Aleph Institute, who dispatched a group of Bochurim to help round up local Jews and other soldiers on base who might not be aware that services where being arranged.

The Bochurim had luck in securing a Minyan for all prayers starting on Wednesday evening through the end of Shabbat. The locals and the soldiers were very uplifted to see a group of young Bochurim who gave up spending Yom Tov with their families in order to help serve and provide for the soldiers and the community.

The new Jewish lay leader on base was very touched with the work Aleph does and he said he is looking forward to be working with them in the future.

When asked by one of the senior members of the community, what makes [the Bochurim] have this passion to pickup and drive six hours to help four soldiers and a small Jewish community. Levi Weinbaum from London responded by saying, “that the Rebbe always stressed that if there is a small child in a small town on the other side of the world we have a responsibility to go there and make sure that Jewish child has a Jewish education. The same here, four soldiers were looking to have a service for Rosh Hashanah so how can we not heed there plight?” he said.

Not only did the Bochurim just help those who attended the services, but they got names and address of other Jews in town and on base that were not able to attend services, they went out to find them and blow Shofar for them at their homes.

The soldiers and the community were extremely delightful and thankful to the Bochurim for coming and leading and guiding them in the services, as well as giving the inspiration to come together more often.