This morning kicked off with three birthdays: Shaina Lavine, Coby Parker, and madrich Daniel "Hasaki". The love was felt strongly at the toren. Avodah was swell and the pancake breakfast filling and full of ruach. Zman sheleg/sport (snow time) was bumping with music and snowballs with the entire machaneh smiling in the snowy sunshine!
Why is this night different from other nights? Because tonight we examine and celebrate resistance in Jewish history… Yom Chanukah has gone incredibly well so far. The Chanichim returned from post-lunch chofesh (break) to the “fireside lounge,” finding themselves in the Warsaw Ghetto, circa 1942 on the fifth night of Chanukah. We were greeted by Judenrat officers asking us to concede to ghetto restrictions. We then met members of youth movements, including Dror (of Habonim Dror), who encouraged us to practice our Jewish religion and culture in spite of the risks, because without this action we would be succumbing to the Nazi regime. The chanichim organized and decided to break out and search for “Polish sympathizers” who supplied the ghetto with bread and information from the outside world.
This was followed by a round-robin of youth movement life in the ghetto, a life of active resistance through education and community connections. Mordechai, Frukmka, Tzivia, Chavka, and Antek took us on a journey of their own liberation within the confines of ghetto walls, after which we discussed the connection between Chanukah and rebellion in relation to our experiences of the day.
A special Chanukah dinner and shira have been the beginning of our communal rebellion, our resistance of Jewish oppression, historic and modern. Chanichim have gone through an important and empowering process today, internalizing the power of Judaism and community, the importance of resistance in the face of oppression. As the night continues, there will be another peula reflecting on the day and creating a Tekkes with the theme of the youth movements in mind: ‘The wisdom to see, the courage to want, the power to act.’ And of course, we’ll have a Chanukah messibah to finish off the night! This yom meyuchad has been an unprecedented, ambitious and exciting journey, perfect to ushering in the final day of Machaneh.
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