At Abrams, Thanksgiving tempered by events in Israel
YARDLEY BOROUGH – Inside the Abrams Hebrew Academy on Nov. 21 more than 200 students, parents and grandparents sat down to a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings.
But even as they celebrated, the mood was tempered by events taking place half way around the world in the Jewish State of Israel.
Just a few hours before, many of them learned of a bus bombing injuring 22 people in Tele Avi, the largest city in Israel, as rockets continued to rain down death and destruction in parts of Israel and in the Gaza Strip.
“We, as Jews, have a responsibility for all Jews so when Jews are suffering there, for us to have a feast it’s a little bit of a contradiction,” observed Rabbi Ira Budow, the school’s principal. “But yet, I feel, as Americans, it’s very important to celebrate America because America has been the greatest country to the Jewish people.”
Hours later, news broke that a FHDsH-fiUH KDG EHHn UHDFKHG EHtween Israel and Hamas and that WKH URFNHWs ZRuOG sWRS flyLnJ, DW least for now, as a fragile peace took hold along Israel’s border with Gaza. Both sides claimed victory following eight days of violence, but the durability of the deal remained unclear at deadline.
Before sitting down to the Thanksgiving lunch catered by Greenwald Caterers in Lakewood, N.J., parents and grandparents were treated to a play by academy students.
They also met with Rabbi Budow in the Israel Center to Skype with alumna Nili Chernikoff from Bar Ilan, Israel, and to hear from alumnus Ross Abramson, a student at American Hebrew Academy, who just returned from Israel.
Chernikoff, who leads a weekly teleconference class with Abrams students, shared fiUsWKDnG WKH PRRG Ln ,sUDHO DnG her plans to celebrate an American Thanksgiving in Israel as she interacted with the group.
“The grandparents were amazed that they were able to have a discussion with someone in Israel in real time,” said Budow. “So besides feeding them food, we’re feeding them what we’re doing here with technology and education.”
During the teleconference, Chernikoff told the gathering that in the capital city of Jerusalem, life was feeling “more like normal,” but that that the rocket proliferation further to the north and the bus bombing has everyone concerned.
Parent Juliet Shavit of Newtown said the interactive teleconference “put a new emphasis on Thanksgiving, especially when you come from an environment like that where you’re praying that you’re safe and we’re here, very safe in our homes.”
Shavit said her hope for Israel this Thanksgiving is for a lasting peace.
She attended the event with her father, Allan warembski of Cherry Hill, N.J., and her children, Maya, 9, Ariel, 5, and Eden, 8,
“Of course, at Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my family’s safety and my family’s health,” she said. “I really wish that for everyone, whether they’re here, in Israel or somewhere else.”