Page 27 - Jewish News_May-June-2020

JEWISH INTEREST May/June 2020 27

Words cannot describe it: My three days Words cannot describe it...continued from previous page K’zohar Ha-Ivrit
torturing her consciousness. She for-
Listening to the audio of Eva’s
at Auschwitz-Birkenau (March 2-4, 2020) very clear memories of being dragged gave them as an act of compassion for Be-khor – First born
herself.
from her farm…to the cattle cars…to
Auschwitz, and to never even getting While I understand the concept, I By Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin
to say goodbye to her parents and sis- must admit that I am still not there in my
had a family member or friend to live t the end of May we will cel- In honor of the holiday, let us look
for, they found the purpose to survive. ters at the selection platform is gut own consciousness. But, I will, in the ebrate the Holiday of Shavuot. at the meaning of the word bikurim.
Dr. Fred Bloom asked us to ask wrenching. Her decision to live and to coming weeks and months, work with AAccording to the Bible, Sha- Bikurim is derived from the word be-
ourselves, “What would I have done keep both herself and her twin sister her process and see where it takes me. vuot is to be celebrated shiv-ah sha-vu- khor, meaning ‘first born.’ The name
So, what now? How do I allow this
Miriam alive was a promise she made
under the circumstances? What if I to herself and revisited day to day experience to make me a better, more ot, namely ‘seven weeks’ after Pesah of the holiday, Bikurim appears in the
was a Pole or a German or a Jew? How (Lev. 23:15). In Bible only in plural form, in reference
would I have acted?” while in the camps. Her recovery from enlightened and committed social ac- biblical times, it to the first fruits of the season. But, the
Our group’s reflection times in the the tortures and medical experiments tivist? What can I do to ensure that this was celebrated singular form, be-khor, which refers
evenings were very powerful. There of the sub-human Dr. Josef Mengele is never happens again? I am living in the as a purely agri- to the first born of animals or humans,
question and at this point have no clear
remarkable. She was truly a woman of
were several young people in our amazingly strong will, determination answers. cultural holiday, appears 122 times. In general, the be-
group who knew little to nothing about when farmers khor was given a special status in the
the Holocaust. They were horrified by and persistence. Seeing Birkenau at sunset (sym- brought their first family. In Israel, the first born of ani-
I found it so striking that Eva said
what they saw and what they learned. that from the day she decided that she bolizing, as Fred said, ‘the end’) was crops of grain to mals was dedicated to God (Dtr. 12:6),
beyond words. I concur with Leah’s
We talked about how to answer the and Miriam would survive, she pushed statement, “We don’t have words to the Temple (Dtr. but the first born of humans was always
question so many people asked them all negative thoughts out of her mind. describe the Holocaust.” The earth at 16:9-10). redeemed (Num.18:16-17).
before they came: “Why are you going Dr. Rachel Dulin The holiday There are a few idioms and ex-
to visit concentration camps?” One an- She focused on staying alive one day Birkenau seems to be mourning as it of Sha-vu-ot received several names pressions where the root for be-khor
swer I found so compelling: A young, at a time and doing what it took to carries the memories of the millions of throughout history. In biblical times it is at the center. For example, the word
souls that suffered at the hands of the
survive. She talked about ‘organizing’
Christian man said, “To bear witness (stealing) potatoes and clothing in or- Nazi devils. There is no beauty in this was also known as Yom Ha-bikurim, boker, meaning ‘morning,’ the first part
and in so doing to protect the future.” der to survive. She found her way into place where 100,000 people at a time namely ‘The Day of the First Fruits’ of the day appearing on the horizon, is
He said, “To ask questions and face the (Num.28:26), and Chag Ha-ka-tzir, the derived from this root. Another inter-
scorching reality of what man can do jobs in the camp in order to ensure that lived as tormented prisoners. ‘Harvest Holiday’ (Ex. 23:16). In rab- esting word of the same root is be-kho-
Paying homage to the many who
to man; to refuse to be a bystander; to she and Miriam would have a little perished was a crucial thing for me to binic literature it is called Chag Matan rah, which carries many meanings.
more to eat in order to survive.
commit to being an upstander so that In the final audio, she shares how do. Saying Kaddish at the Birkenau Torah, ‘The Holiday of Receiving the First, be-kho-rah indicates first born
this can never happen again.” she came to forgive Auschwitz, Dr. Memorial for my family members and Torah’ (Shabbat 86). The names rep- daughter. But, depending on context,
Someone else said she was sur- resent the different traditions attached be-kho-rah means ‘birth right,’ ‘prior-
prised that the Sonderkommandos ul- Munch and ultimately Josef Mengele. others who died in the Holocaust was to this charming holiday. The biblical ity,’ ‘seniority,’ ‘preference’ and ‘pre-
timately fought back when so many Her process of getting out all her own an honor and profoundly meaningful names of the day remained loyal to cedence.’ Further, we find terms like
on many levels.
anger and hatred and then finding for-
others didn’t. Sonderkommandos were giveness is truly incredible. I must go May their souls rest in peace. May the agricultural spirit of the holiday, hatzagat be-kho-rah, literally ‘premier
Jewish prisoners who were responsible back and listen and listen as I certainly we all commit to doing whatever it whereas rabbinic literature added an- performance,’ haflagat be-kho-rah, lit-
for disposing the bodies of those who other layer of tradition, which states erally ‘maiden voyage,’ and me-na-yot
had been gassed. My blood curdled am not that enlightened…yet. takes to ensure that all genocidal acts that Israel received the Torah on that be-kho-rah, namely ‘preferred shares.’
Eva made a big point of saying that
at her statement as it could be inter- if children are loved and not brought become a scourge of the past, and that day. We will end our short survey with
we move toward a far more enlight-
preted as unintentionally anti-Semitic. up with hate, they too will love. She ened future. In modern days, with the return the rabbinic observation that Adam, the
Many people have accused the Jews of said that behind every awful act is of Jews to their homeland and the rise first human created by God, was Bek-
“going like lambs to slaughter.” Leah Joan Lowery, M.Ed. is a former talk of the agricultural economy, it be- horo shel Ha-Olam, namely ‘the first
Simpson wisely responded that the someone who was unloved. Eva’s mis- show host and reporter on radio and came very acceptable to call the holi- human being in the Universe.’
Jews did fight back in so many ways: sion became facilitating peace through television, as well as a freelance print day of Shavuot, Chag Ha-bikurim, It is a tradition on Chag Ha-bi-
journalist and producer. She teaches
forgiveness.
through the arts; through maintain- She found her way to forgiving her media training and communication re-emphasizing the biblical nature of kurim to eat a dairy meal, to enjoy the
ing the Sabbath; through not giving perpetrators as she came to realize that the day. Indeed, in 1912, for example, outdoors and eat fresh fruits. Hope-
up; through taking care of each other; skills-related programs around the there was a great parade of flowers fully, we will also have the pleasure of
through schooling the children; and unless she did that, she could not live a globe. Her volunteer activities include in the city of Yaffo to recognize Yom enjoying an hatzagat be-khorah in the
through battle. full life. In short, she believed that she interviewing Holocaust survivors for Ha-bikurim. And in Haifa, since 1920 theater. Chag Sameach to all.
The Florida Holocaust Museum as
would never be free unless she could
I asked myself, why aren’t we forgive them. And, in forgiving them well as serving on the Ambassador the celebration is based on agricultural Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin is a professor
educating others about the Warsaw she was able to expunge them from themes, where farmers and consumers of biblical literature at Spertus Col-
uprising, the Sobibor uprising, and the Circle for Embracing our Differences. alike celebrate the agricultural gifts lege in Chicago, and a retired adjunct
Bielski Brothers’ partisan resistance of the land. These celebrations spread professor of Hebrew and Bible at New
activities that helped many Jews flee throughout the State of Israel and con- College in Sarasota.
persecution? There are so many exam- tinue to today.
ples of uprisings. Yet too many times
Jews have been blamed for not fighting
back. In so doing we are further victim-
ized by Jews and non-Jews alike. Temple Beth Sholom
Is it any wonder that I didn’t sleep
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