ומי האיש אשר ארש אשה ולא לקחה ילך וישב לביתו פן ימות במלחמה ואיש אחר יקחנה ... (כ-ז)
The year was 1973, and news from Israel was bleak. The Yom Kippur War had left many dead and wounded in its wake. The State of Israel suffered between 2,521 and 2,800 killed in action. An additional 7,250 to 8,800 soldiers were wounded. Some 293 Israelis were captured and many Israeli prisoners of war taken by Syria and Egypt were tortured or killed.
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h and her Hineni Kiruv organization was in its inception. In those days, all kinds of trinkets ornamented with logos and slogans were in vogue. She had Hineni buttons, bumper stickers, T-shirts, and even a Hineni medallion in the shape of a flame spelling out the word Hineni in Hebrew. It occurred to the Rebbetzin how wonderful it would be if she could present the many wounded soldiers in the hospitals with such medallions. No sooner did she conceive of this idea than she met a man who was a jeweler. Upon hearing of her plan, he offered to make up the medallions in silver.
And so she set out to visit the hospitals and recuperation centers of Israel accompanied by her daughter Chaya Sora, and her assistant Barbara. A heartbreaking scene awaited them - men and boys without limbs, boys who had lost their eyesight, their brokenhearted wives, children, and mothers hovering over them - the terrible price of war.
When making these visits, they wanted to create an atmosphere of good cheer and hope, so they engaged some musicians to accompany them and also took trays of refreshments along. The soldiers were brought into the solarium - some in wheelchairs and some in their hospital beds. The musicians played while Chaya Sora distributed refreshments. Then Rebbetzin Jungreis would speak and she shared with them teachings from the Torah, trying to bring them a message of hope and faith. Following the program, she distributed the medallions.
There were a number of wounded who were too ill to be brought into the solarium, and the head nurse asked if they would like to visit them in their rooms. They entered a room in which the light had been dimmed. The patient lay immobile in his bed, wrapped in bandages like a mummy. “Shalom to you. My name is Esther Jungreis. We came from the United States to bring you greetings and blessings.” There was no answer. “What is your name?” the Rebbetzin asked. Still the boy did not respond.
The nurse explained that he had been badly burned in a tank battle on the Golan. “I am so sorry,” said the Rebbetzin. “I know it sounds hollow but please know that we mean it. We have brought you a little token, a symbol of blessing.”
She held up the medallion. For the first time, the young man spoke, “Take your medallion. It’s of no use to me!”
“I understand that you are hurting, but I will leave it on your night table anyway. You might just need it one day.”
“For what?” came the angry, bitter answer. The Rebbetzin smiled sweetly. “For an engagement gift,” she said.
He let out a bitter laugh. “Who will marry me? I am a vegetable. No one will ever marry me.”
“Listen to me,” said the Rebbetzin. “It will happen. We are never allowed to give up hope. You will see that in time you will meet a girl, and when you do, you must tell her that a Rebbetzin from the United States visited you and told you that you have special merit before Hashem, that you are ready to transmit that merit to her, and this medallion is a symbol of that.”
“Rebbetzin, if I said that to any girl, she’d think I am crazy.”
“You’re wrong. Someplace, somewhere, there’s a girl who will understand. You need only one.” With that, they left his room.
A year later, the Hineni organization found themselves once again in Israel. This time, their first stop was an army recuperation center near Haifa. It is a tradition in Israel to present guest speakers and artists with a bouquet of flowers. At the conclusion of the Rebbetzin’s program, a soldier in a wheelchair was brought onstage to make the presentation.
“Do you recognize me, Rebbetzin?” he asked. “You look familiar. Please help me out,” she said.
He smiled and pointed to the nurse standing behind his wheelchair. “I would like you to meet my wife.” Rebbetzin Jungreis looked at the smiling face of a young Yemenite woman, and there, around her neck, was the Hineni medallion from last year.
תגובות