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A New Start Agi had been exchanging We then went for a walk in the snow. He At that very moment, something exploded
letters with Miklos, a young man in another told me all about his family and what he’d inside me.
hospital she had not yet met. He came to been through in the war and, before we
visit one day and it certainly wasn’t love parted, he asked if we could meet again. “I will only go to one place in the world,” I
at first sight. Like us, Miklos looked like a said to him.
typical Holocaust survivor and Agi was not This time it was New Year and Agi and
Agi and Miklos (left), and Rachel and Mena (right) on their wedding day
impressed. I were going to their hospital, but we “Eretz Yisrael. If you decide to go to
didn’t have enough money for the train. Canada, we must say goodbye.”
A few weeks later, Miklos came again Thankfully, several passengers organized a
with five friends. It was a freezing cold collection to pay for our tickets. Mena sent the ticket back to his uncle.
December night. One of his friends was
Mena (Menachem), who asked me out for Mena told me he had a ticket to Canada in _________________________________
dinner in the hospital dining room. his pocket. He had an uncle there. Rachel and Mena married in Sweden and made Aliyah
in 1947. They had a son, Uri, and a daughter, Yehudit,
named after Rachel’s sister. Rachel passed away in 2017.
Quite a romantic setting… “Will you join me?” he asked, so happy, so This story is adapted from her and Mena’s memoirs and
full of hope. is printed here with permission.

Dr. Avshalom Kor

What’s
in a לֶגֶּד

Word

very country sees its flag as a [there is also an Arabic word with a simi- individuals, i.e. people whom others see as
powerful symbol of national lar sound and meaning]. It could be refer- standing out within the group.
E identity and a source of pride. ring to a group of three tribes together, as
The Hebrew word for flag is ל ֶ ג ֶדּ, and, like in "ה ָדוּהְי הֵנ ֲח ַמ ל ֶ ג ֶדּ" which is a unit one "ה ָב ָב ְ ר ֵמ לוּג ָדּ" means distinguished, prom-
most Hebrew words, its root – ל.ג.ד. – can see in one viewing. Indeed, when the inent, and visible, exceptional from the
captures the essence of what a flag is tribes camped in the desert, and in their ה ָב ָב ְ ר – the thousands of people [we have
really all about. travels from place to place throughout the found the root ל.ג.ד. with this connotation
40 years, groups of three tribes camped in Mesopotamia, in Akkadian].
The word ל ֶ ג ֶדּ comes from the Tanach together in each one of the four directions.
(Bible ). Let us examine its root : In the Therefore, we have learned that ל ֶ ג ֶדּ
wanderings of the Children of Israel In contrast, we find another, different has a deeper meaning than just a piece
on their way to the Promised Land, as meaning of the word ל ֶ ג ֶדּ in Song of Songs of cloth or a group symbol. The flag
described in the Book of Numbers , it says – in the expressions "ה ָב ֲה ַא י ַל ָע וֹל ְג ִדְו" is raised high and can be seen by all,
that they encamped, "Each man to his (Song of Songs 2:4) and also "ה ָב ָב ְ ר ֵמ לוּג ָדּ" arousing within us a strong sense of
camp and each man at his banner” "ל ַע שׁי ִא (ibid. 5:10). collective identity, emotive attachment
וֹל ְג ִדּ ל ַע שׁי ִאְו וּהֵנ ֲַח ַמ". (Numbers 1:52) and personal connection.
In the expression "ה ָב ֲה ַא י ַל ָע וֹל ְג ִדְו"–
In this context, the flag describes a large his look upon me is a look of love Dr. Avshalom Kor is an Israeli
unit, a large group of people gathering – ל ֶ ג ֶדּ means look. And so it is with linguist and expert on Hebrew
in one place, like a company in the army distinguished (לוּג ָדּ) people, worthy grammar and semantics

Photo of Dr. Kor: Roy Achiron 17