On the
second day we were in Poland, we went to the Tykocin Shtettel where we learned
about the traditions of the people that lived there as well as their proud
heritage before they were taken by the Nazis.
As we walked around the Shtettel we learned stories about the importance
of prayer and Torah study to the Jews that lived there. One story we learned about was how an old man
always read through the entire Sidur when he prayed. The Besht came through the Shtettel and
taught the old man what to do when he prayed but the Besht then realized that
the old man wasn’t doing anything wrong and learned that there were multiple
ways to connect with God. There were
other stories that we heard where simple Jews were reciting parts of the
Mishnah that they learned in the Beit Kenesset while they worked to become more
knowledgeable Jews. This showed the
devotion that everyone in the Shtettel had to Judaism as well as the tradition
of trying to be more knowledgeable Jews.
After
exploring the Shtettel while learning about the Jewish stories, traditions, and
proud heritage, we had lunch and then went into the synagogue that was built in
1642 which had parts of prayers and Hebrew writings on the walls. Then, we brought life and t’filah back into
the old synagogue that was full of singing, excitement, and dancing. Right after our t’filah, we were told to silently
get on the bus where we were dropped off near the woods. As we walked quietly into the woods, following
in the sad footsteps of the Jews of Tykocin, we felt the emotions of the Jews
that were full of life and then confused and scared in an instant. We then got to a clearing where we saw three
pits with roses, candles, and Israeli flags.
We were at the spot where the Jews were forced to march into the forest by the Nazis and were shot into the three pits. After,
we had a ceremony in memory of the Tykocin Jews and walked out of the woods which was the thing that the Tykocin Jews weren’t able to do.
Even though
the fate of the Tykocin Jews is very sad, they were also very proud of their
heritage and traditions. What traditions
are important to you? What would you
want future generations to remember you for?
The tradition that is most important to me as an individual is my family's Seder on Pesach. Every year, the entire family comes together and we tell the story of the exodus from Egypt and eat delicious food. The night would not be complete if my grandpa, the leader of the Seder, didn't get completely off track and cause the Seder to run late by at least an hour. I always have my guitar to play music and my cousins always hide the Afikomen for my Grandpa to find. So if in the future I am to be remembered, I would like to be known with my family for the love and compassion that we shared during the holiday of Pesach.
ReplyDeleteWhat is important for me is the family traditions of my home. Example being every Friday night having a great meal for the sabbath. I think i would want future generations to remember me by my love for learning more than I already know every day. Its important to me to have people that i can later pass down all my values and traditions to one day
ReplyDeleteThe most important traditions, to me, are done with my family. This includes getting together on holidays to celebrate and spend time together. Being together with family makes the holiday a holiday for me. Praying with my family makes the holiday. In the future I would want to be remembered for helping my family get together as much as possible and for connecting my family to Judaism.
ReplyDeleteThe Jewish tradition I hold closest is always having a question and always struggling with answers. Since Jacob we have been known as the people who struggle with Hashem, and I think it's incredibly important for us to continue fighting with ourselves to stumble upon the big answers to our own personal questions. It doesn't matter if one person is studying gaon-level questions and one is counting peanuts, as long as each person is fulfilled in the search for answers. As such, I think I'd like to be remembered for finding peace with my questions.
ReplyDelete-Noah Arnold
My most important tradition is my passover seder. since I can remember, my family has been going to california both for passover and for my grandmothers birthday. each year we find different games to incorporate into the seder to make it more fun for the entire family.
ReplyDeleteI want future generations to remember me for always working to make other people happy. I am happiest when i am helping others.
The traditions I hold as important is the idea of always being inquisitive, and never being satisfied with an simple answer. As with Noah, we always have been someone who struggles with Hashem; also, the Pesach Seder is about asking questions. We have always asked questions about things, and struggled with the answers. I personally don't want to be remembered by future generations. I have never imagined myself living for a long time, and I am perfectly ok with that. If I am remembered by just one person, and even if it isn't always, but just every once in a while someone would think "oh hey remember that guy who did ____?" would be enough for me.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is keeping kosher on Pesach. 16 out of my 17 years my birthday has been on Pesach. This makes Pesach even more meaningful to me. It makes me think of what rabbi yshua said about remembering and mourning Jerusalem. My birthday is a very happy day but not being able to eat goodies makes me remember the Pesach story even more.
ReplyDeleteThe traditions I hold may be small and personal, but their important to me. I say (or try to) the Sh'ma every day because it helps me connect with my religion even when it's not a day we have T'filah. Even going to temple on high holidays serves as a meaningful tradition for me because it brings the whole family together and the community. I want to be remembered as a girl who was compassionate about Judaism, and definitely loved it when it had anything to do with summer camp.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition my family has isn’t related to Judaism at all, but it’s something I’ll never forget. We are extremely close with another family, and every Sunday night (with very few exceptions) we all have dinner together. We actually call it “Sunday Night Family Dinner.” We rotate houses and just hang out for a few hours every Sunday, and it’s just a really nice time. To me it’s something special that has happened for the past three years and I hope that it doesn’t end any time soon. I want future generations to remember me for my commitment. It seems kind of selfish, but I think of myself as an extremely committed person to anything that I’m passionate about. I want to be remembered as a role model for my students at religious school, I want to be remembered for my dedication to my NFTY family, I want to be remembered for my loyalty to my friends and family, and I want to be remembered by my passion and love for lacrosse.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Coleman
The part of Judaism I hold dearest is the fact that no matter the way you express (or don't express) your Judaism, as a people we're unified. Basically that there isn't one set standard and way of being Jewish. I think looking into the future I'd want people to remember the freedom of choice and ability that comes with Judaism nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI try really hard to take jewish values and put them into my life, like tikun olam. I would like to be remembered for my passion in Reform Judaism, and finding so many ways to make a connections to g-d and my religion. I am proud of having a community like my synagogue and to be apart of nfty as well as my camp community. All 3 of these are Jewish communities that are bringing back Jewish life
ReplyDeleteI think the most important tradition for me is the educating future generations. I think it is very important to educate those who aren't as knowledgeable about the stories and other traditions. I think that I would want to remembered by the impact I had on people. I want people to think about how smart and wise I was when they remember me.
ReplyDeleteI have many important family traditions that connect me to my grandparents. Family connections, especially intergenerational ones, are extremely important to me. I feel we can learn so much from older family members.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I struggle constantly with this, I would really like to be remembered as a kind and positive person. I think that to be remembered for how you treat others is one of the most important things.
I have no specific traditions I find to be more important than another. I do know that no one will be able to distinguish an important tradition from an unimportant tradition without knowledge of them both. So if knowledge is a tradition, then in a way I guess that that would be the most valuable and important tradition out of any other.
ReplyDeleteI have never really given much thought of to what I would like people to remember me by. But if someone does remember me in the future, I do not want them to remember me as some extremely kind or mean person. I am not either one of those. So if anyone is going to remember me in the future, I want them to remember me for me. Which includes my successes and my failures, my qualities and my flaws. I want people to remember me with an untainted memory.