Thanks again for tuning into the latest updates on my trip in Eastern Europe! I’m going to catch you all up on some of the main things I did this past Saturday, so get pumped!
Saturday was a really special day because the Helix group visited the old Volozhiner Yeshiva in Belarus that in its day produced some of the greatest Jewish scholars, poets, artists, and writers of its time. For those who are unfamiliar with what a “Yeshiva” is, a yeshiva was a school for Jewish students where they studied sacred texts, primarily the Talmud, but also secular documents as well. Jewish men all over Eastern Europe, if they were up to intellectual par, were able to attend Yeshivas where they could indulge and discuss the religious works like the Torah and Talmud, while they could also sit and discuss the works of Russian authors like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Yeshivas promoted thought and dialogue amongst Jewish people all over Europe and produced great intellectuals whose work still impacts us today.
Little Star, Little Star
Little blue beacon
Be my messenger
Fall upon my shtetl
Comfort it, Little Star,
Brighten up the little house,
Tell it that the almighty will have mercy
Anyways, stay tuned for my next post where I will discuss my encounter with the Bielski Partisans (aka: my heroes and the stars of the movie Defiance) and again, thank you for reading.
All the best,
Arielle