Last night we commemorated the holiday T'sha B'av. Traditionally a day of mourning and sadness, we used this holiday as an opportunity to show the chanichim that we can give meaning to holidays in different ways. For the first half of the Tochnit Erev (Evening Program), we did a round robin of tableaus (frozen scenes) depicting tragic events in Jewish history that are traditionally remembered on this holiday. Then we went through the round robin again, but this time the scenes had changed into acts of resistance and hope that came out of those events. Each tableau had a madrich explaining the scene. For instance, Christallnacht became the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, while the Spanish Inquisition became the secret practice of Judaism in Catholic Spain. After this Double Round Robin, we divided into groups and talked about different events that one might choose to add to the commemoration and how each event could change the meaning of the holiday. Some groups said they would include the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin while others chose the capture of Gilad Shalit. The evening was full of interesting and meaningful learning and conversation.
Comments