It takes a while for the Jews in galut to wake up, but
they finally did and what an event!
About 15,000 vacationers in New York's Catskill
Mountains, men, women and children, responded to
Agudat Yisrael of America's call for a special tefilla
on behalf of Eretz Yisrael and its Jews.
Sunday, June 22, 3:00 p.m., and all roads leading to
Sullivan County Community College were backed up as
far as the eye could see. What could only have been
the entire county's bus rental services brought in
busload after busload from camps in the area, and that
was in addition to the couple thousand cars bringing
the bungalow colony crowd. Local sherriff and police
forces were called in to direct traffic, and the
Orthodox Hatzala volunteers, sporting their
distinctive red MaDaH-like vests, and walkie-talkies,
were out in force to help as well, with parking and
medical emergencies. Not that anything untoward
happened, but the strong sun did cause a few cases of
collapse from heat exhaustion.
The huge campus lawn was divided by red tape to
separate the men and women. I was not able to see the
dais, which seated the rabbinic dignitaries, among
whom were the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Reuven Feinstein,
and many other Roshei Yeshiva and Chasidishe Rebbes,
who took turns leading the tefilla. The sound system
allowed everyone to hear and participate in Mincha,
Tehilim, Selichot and Kabalat Ol Malchut Shamayim. On
a personal level, and after 15 years in Eretz Yisrael,
I missed the blowing of the "chatzotzrot", but
otherwise, the event was very impressive and, if but
for a moment, united all in a common concern for Klal
Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael. Many cried as they
davened, for despite the sun and blue clear sky, a
cloud of despair at our plight was palpable.
At one point, due to technical difficulties, the sound
system went down, and it was particularly amazing to
witness the continued quiet and self-discipline of the
large crowd of participants, who continued to quietly
say Tehilim without the shliach tzibur. A great
"kiddush HaShem" took place throughout the entire
event.
One wonders at the riots that would have broken out if
a sound system had failed at a rock concert and what
the campus personnel and security service must have
thought about this "unusual happening" in Loch
Sheldrake, New York.
Shoshanna R. Schilit
Beit Shemesh
(summer resident Monticello,
N.Y.)
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