In honor of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, on Friday, Rabbi Besser planned a kumzitz for the whole high school. Being a freshman, I was kind of nervous but also very excited for this event. I heard that almost all high school students love to participate in the Rosh Chodesh kumzitz and my whole class could not wait. When we were told to go down to the gym for the kumzitz, the excitement was flowing throughout the entire school. This was the first kumzitz of the year so Rabbi Besser started the program off by explaining the concept of
achdut (unity). He said that all the Jewish people are one nation and when one of us is hurting we are all hurting. He said we should all be there for each other no matter what. He then showed us a short video of a young man, Max Steinberg, who as an American joined the IDF and gave his life for Israel while fighting in the Gaza war. This gave the whole room a feeling of sadness and we then understood what it means to be one whole Jewish nation but also one big family. We took our emotions and turned it into one unified group singing many songs. Eventually we started locking arms, making circles, and swaying. The whole room was dancing, singing, and feeling united. This program impacted me and made me feel truly connected to the school as a whole but also to the Jewish people.
~Emily Shamah, Class of 2021
