Some light and joy during the war
The Jewish people are going through an extremely difficult time now. But there are some special moments that bring some necessary light to our lives and the last night of Chanukah we had a huge simcha (joy) when our dear Moshe Samuel got married to Channah at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.
Moshe is a graduate of our Machon Milton, Shavei Israel’s English conversion to Judaism program. And Channah finished her conversion process in Israel recently.
Both have come from completely different places, Moshe is from India and Channah is from Holland. We had a huge pleasure to meet them and celebrate their wedding.
Our dear Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, director of Machon Milton was honored to light the candles of Chanukah before the chupah and said the first blessing for the Chatan (groom) and Kallah (bride).
As Rabbi Tradburks shared, “Moshe’s wedding was awash with different feelings for me. I felt humbled by the overwhelming strength of the people – specifically Moshe and his new wife Channah, but by many others, converts, at the wedding.
“Moshe and his mother Anne and their family are legendary. People of determination, single-minded in their desire to live Jewishly. Pure and powerful. Overcoming the isolation that living Jewishly in India creates. Pursuing their journey to Judaism in India without the aid of an embracing community. Though, through their charm and conviction, many wonderful Jews embraced them, encouraged them, studied with them and joined them in their journey.
“I feel, and perhaps others too, that we are occasionally pointed to from Above to be His shaliach, His messenger. These holy people are on a path to Judaism that requires teachers, rabbis, helpers, supporters. The Creator has many messengers. He Chose us to help Moshe and his family along their path. Moshe is now farther along his path. We were there, as messengers of the Divine, to move him along at one point to the next point. Oh, how fortunate we are to have been His messenger for one stop on the way of this holy journey.
“I told Anne, Moshe’s mother, that Moshe himself will now become a servant of the Jewish people, together with Channah. I am curious, impatient, to see what form his service of the Jewish people will take. And I am sure, absolutely sure, that just as some of us were smiled upon from Above to be Divine messengers in Moshe’s path, Moshe and Channah will be pointed to from Above to be His messengers in the lives on many others in their paths to come closer to G-d and to the Jewish people.”
