Our Trip to Israel: A Letter to my Sons (Part 2)

The Scheinberg Wedding. Regretfully we left the Sheva Bracha meal before the real singing and dancing got underway, but I felt it was important to drop in on another Jerusalem wedding, that of the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Yona Scheinberg. Rabbi Scheinberg is the Rosh haYeshiva of a boys’ high school in the northern Jerusalem suburb of Neve Yaacov (Nachlat Shmuel, named after its founder, Rabbi Scheinberg's father.) I sort of “adopted” this Yeshiva several years ago after Joseph and I first met the Rabbi on a previous trip to Israel. Rabbi Scheinberg is possessed of an infectious enthusiasm and an obvious ahavas Hashem (love for Hashem), and he has taken a keen interest in our family’s journey in Torah and mitzvos.

Our friend Yaacov Rosenthal, R’ Scheinberg’s nephew and “right-hand man” at the Yeshiva, hadn’t let on to the Rosh haYeshiva that we would be dropping by, so Rabbi Scheinberg was very surprised to see us walk into the huge wedding hall in Givat Shaul. He greeted us like special honored guests and introduced us around to the groom's father and other dignitaries. I know you were uncomfortable in your colorful Polo sports shirts amid the sea of black suits and white shirts, but I assure you're presence was welcome and our attendance most appreciated.

You had a front row seat to something few American Jews will ever see: hundreds of “ultra-Orthodox” young men gathered together in joy and celebration of a young couple’s marriage. You saw dozens of young men dancing and twirling to the quick, rhythmic music of the excellent band, making circles within circles around the groom, his father and father-in-law, performing “shtick” for the bride and groom, and generally making merry. Those not dancing formed an outer circle and stood clapping and cheering, while still others left the ballroom for conversation or fresh air. What you didn’t see was the joyous celebration on the other side of the mechitza, where the women -only dancing was no doubt equally as spirited as on the men’s side.

Again, one would have to have a heart of stone not to appreciate the pride and joy in being Jewish of those celebrating or even watching a simcha such as this.

Saving Lives: United Hatzalah, the Israel Rescue Organization. As you know our family has supported United Hatzalah over the years, primarily because of our good friend Eli Beer, and the organization is close to our hearts. Eli was out of the country on a fundraising trip for Hatzalah, but his colleague Daniel Katzenstein, showed us around the headquarters in central Jerusalem. Daniel is a paramedic who, like all Hatzalah volunteers, is always on call no matter where he is in the country. Daniel also is involved with administration of Hatzalah’s fund-raising operations and public relations. He writes the organization’s weekly newsletter.

Hatzalah volunteers are the first to respond to the scene of traffic accidents, terror attacks and even missile strikes throughout Israel. Daniel gave us a tour of the command center, showing us how dispatchers keep track of calls for help and match them with the appropriate volunteer. A huge monitor shows live feeds of Israel’s busiest highways and intersections. Dispatchers help volunteers get to the scene of an accident or injury within an average of 70 seconds from the receipt of a call.

Once the new million-dollar Life Compass software is up and running, dispatchers will be able to know in real time which volunteers are closest to a scene anywhere in the country.

We had the experience of riding in an “ambutractor” used for search and rescue, and to try on the orange shrapnel-proof vests and battle helmets used by volunteers near war zones. Boy, do I look awful in orange!

I was impressed with Daniel’s easy-going nature, professionalism and dedication to the mission of saving lives. His background in business administration and public relations will surely come in handy as he helps streamline Hatzalah into an even more efficient organization. I hope the dedication and tireless efforts of people like Daniel and Eli Beer will inspire you to support organizations like Hatzalah when you can.

The Mitzvah of Visiting the Sick. The mitzvah of bikur cholim, visiting the sick, is one of the biggies, along with honoring your parents. The Talmud makes an extraordinary promise that “he who visits the sick will be spared the punishment of the next world.” So you should feel very good about our visit to see “Uncle” Gabe Beer, who is making a miraculous recovery from a very serious illness.

I first met Uncle Gabe several years ago in Atlanta. He is Moreh Dena Friedman’s uncle, and Eli Beer’s Dad. Each of you have spent Shabbos at his home in northern Jerusalem, and you know what a good and gentle man he is. He is also very learned, and can talk about almost any subject from politics to Talmud to business. He has lived the entire history of the State of Israel, first coming to the country just after the War of Independence in 1948. He also has a wonderful sense of humor, which comes in handy if your son is Eli Beer.

He and his wife “Aunt” Chaye are very pious people and are exacting in their performance of mitzvos. Chaye is like an old-fashioned bubbe who fusses over guests and never lets them leave hungry. Gabe and Chaye are both models of what a ben and bas Torah should be, and have set a high standard for their children, and their 70 (yes, seven-oh) grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There are no finer people than the Beers.