The evening of Chabad “friends” will be unforgettable. Hundreds of “Chabadniks” from throughout the country along with numerous supporters gathered on the night of February 14th 2014 for a powerful display of spiritual unity at The Binyaney Hauma,The International Convention Center in Jerusalem. Notable guests included the Mayor of Jerusalem and a number of Knesset - parliament members.
Reserve IDF Captain Ziv Shilon emotionally touched the thousands of attendees when he saluted the delegates with his amputated hand. He was injured defending Israel in Gaza.
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| Mutual salute: Captain Ziv Shilon and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov (Photo: Mendy Hechtman) Taken from: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4490068,00.html |
Binyanei Hauma is the largest convention center in Jerusalem. It annually hosts dozens of international conferences, shows and events. The center is located just a short walk from the central bus station. The center of the city is reachable by foot or a short ride on the new tram or light rail.
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| http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A5:Binyaney-hauma.JPG |
The event included performances by the delegation’s children's choir from Beitar and a wonderful movie was produced specifically for the event. The world renowned singer Avraham Fried traveled from New York for the historic activity. He performed for the first time a song by Rabbi Nahman from Braslev, "The Song of the Weeds" together with the 'Gat Brothers' and the 'Sol Key' choir. The synchronization was just perfect. It was done under the musical management of Yuval Stopel.
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| http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A5:Fried22.jpg |
I was honored and thrilled to attend the activity as one of the quests from the city of Haifa. I received the invitation from our Dan Panorama Chabad Rabbi, Levi Yitzhak. Our community Chabad center is located in the Dan Panorama mall in the Carmel Community of Haifa. I live nearby and take part in weekly lessons in Judaism both in Hebrew and English.
About a year and a half ago while searching for a gift for a friend in the mall, I came across the Chabad center, which includes a Jewish learning program and a gift shop. I quickly developed a warm friendship and strong ties with the Rabbi and his family. He has six wonderful children ranging in age from a year and a half to eleven years old.
We often hold a Friday Kiddush either at his home or in the mall. During the past several months, Rabbi Yitzhak Levi and I, joined by our friend and scholar, Zecharya Gonsher "Zack", have developed a program for English speakers – who reside in our community. “Zack” is an immigrant from Nebraska.
The program includes meetings twice a month, usually discussing the weekly Parasha (section of the Torah read on Shabbat). In addition, there are special events for the holidays – the last ones we celebrated were Sukkot and Hanukkah. We are now working on a festive Mishte (feast) for the upcoming holiday of Purim. (An announcement is followed)
I am happy that I have had the opportunity to take part in the many activities held by the Dan Panorama Chabad. My participation in the moving conference in Jerusalem added even more satisfaction to our warm relationship.
This is another example of life in Israel which does not receive the proper media attention. Despite all the challenges we face, we continue to study Judaism and celebrate our faith in the land of Israel – the place where it all began.
