‘Light over darkness’

The Moorestown Jewish Association (MJA) took part in a recent Israel Solidarity Day hosted by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, where more than 1,200 men, women and children – including 46 Americans and citizens of more than 30 countries – were slaughtered by the terrorist group Hamas.

“A lot of families participated, and the kids worked the room along with the parents, which was really nice to see,” said MJA board member Michele Von Deak of the day. “They were active, really investing time, making their way around the room, not sticking with one table, which I thought was really special to have different experiences.”

The event was held at the Katz JCC Community Center in Cherry Hill, which hosts educational and social community events during the year. It also holds a variety of programs centered around various Jewish holidays, including Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover, as well as weekly Shabbat celebrations.

“This time, because it was the one-year memoriam of the Oct. 7 attacks, they decided to do a Mitzvah Day called Israel Solidarity Day,” explained MJA President Brooke Mailhiot. “All of these community organizations, all of these Jewish agencies, Jewish synagogues (and) other local Jewish organizations took part and did specific Mitzvah projects that related to something that maybe touched them, or that they were feeling, or something that they connected with regarding what happened on Oct. 7.”

Guests participated in activities such as making cards for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and wrapping tefillin, a set of two black leather boxes containing Torah verses that are worn by Jewish men during prayer.

There was also an audio immersive experience that showcased the Israeli Nova Festival with the creation of a music fest backstage pass, an experience that honored the memories and lives of so many who were lost at the show during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, according to the website for the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

“We found the DJ set that was playing at the … festival, we had a headphone hub, and we had people listening with pairs of headphones to the music that was going on at that Nova music festival on Oct. 7,” Mailhiot noted. “ … People could design the back of their music festival pass and then walk around with an image of a handful of either the hostages or the people that were killed that day, to make them kind of feel that they were that person, that they were experiencing being a part of that Nova music festival.

“They got to wear that lanyard around all day when they were going from other Mitzvah projects and community projects that were related to the hostages and Oct. 7.”

Mailhiot shared that as people were listening to the music, they wrote what they felt on their backstage passes or what they would’ve felt had they been at the festival. Some people wrote just one word or a prayer, or simply drew an image.

“It was very unique how everybody took the experience in a different manner of what it meant to them, and what they were feeling when they were listening to the music and they were in that moment,” Mailhiot pointed out. “ …  I think doing it for the one-year memoriam, I think it broke the stereotype, because everybody wanted to come and support what’s been happening.”

In other news for the nonprofit, the MJA is raising funds for a new menorah to brighten the community during the holiday season. For years the menorah has been a beacon of unity, celebrating the spirit of togetherness and the meaning of the season for all faiths across Moorestown.

To donate, visit https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=TYAZD73QMASR6. For more information on the MJA, visit www.moorestownjewishassociation.org.

“The symbol of the menorah is to show the importance of light over darkness,” remarked board member Ilana Brodsky. “The strength and the hope that the menorah provides … That ties into the community.”