I returned this past Motza’ei Shabbos from Eretz Yisrael with a full heart and a deeper appreciation for the moment we are living in as a people.
My wife Atara and I have been privileged to be in Israel for several truly momentous occasions.
The first was Simchas Torah 2023 in Beitar Illit. I will never forget that day - the infamous October 7. Sirens were blaring, confusion filled the streets, and a missile struck just a block from where we were staying. As I walked home from shul, I saw security vehicles racing through Beitar to pick up soldiers. At that moment, we did not yet know the full horror unfolding on the Gaza border - what would later be revealed as the most brutal and sadistic massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The pain of our nation was immense, and the months that followed were marked by heartbreak for hostage families and the loss of soldiers and civilians.
Yet even in that darkness, I will never forget the achdus of the Jewish people. Soldiers flew in from all over the world to defend am Yisrael. T’hilim was said everywhere. Chizuk came through acts of chesed and generosity from across the globe. Mi k’amcha Yisrael.
My second defining moment came on Hoshanah Rabbah and Simchas Torah 2025. Many hostages were released, and there was a powerful sense that Hashem’s hand was clearly present in history. During that time, President Donald Trump spoke in the Israeli Knesset about bringing an end to the war in Gaza, a moment that resonated far beyond Israel.
That Simchas Torah, I walked the very same route home from shul that I had walked two years earlier. On the same corner where security vehicles had once been gathering soldiers, I now saw something that brought tears to my eyes: members of a large Sephardic shul had come out into the street with their beautiful sifrei Torah, singing and dancing joyously around the traffic circle. The contrast between 2023 and 2025 - from fear to celebration - was unforgettable.
During this trip, I also spent time in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Last Thursday at the Merkaz Daf Yomi shiur at the MDY Beis Medrash at Nachal Noam 9, I humbly announced the donation of an MDY expo table at our upcoming networking event. The table will enable Rabbi Peretz Chaim Levin to offer attendees a complimentary Gemara and invite them to join the growing MDY family, led by founder and renowned Maggid Shiur Reb Eli Stefansky, whose clarity and distinctive approach to the daf continue to inspire Jewish communities worldwide.
My third and most personal moment came this past week with the bar mitzvah of my grandson Akiva Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. He leined the Haftarah flawlessly, giving our family tremendous nachas. That same week coincided with the return of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, who did not return alive - bringing a bittersweet sense of closure for klal Yisrael. Our private simchah unfolded alongside a national moment of mourning and reflection.
During this trip, I also had the merit to visit two gedolim of our generation. With the help of Rav Binyamin Kirschner - a Queens prodigy now serving as a Rosh Kollel in Yerushalayim - we visited Rav Moshe Elyashiv shlit”a. We were also brought to Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl shlit”a, Rav of the Old City, through Rav Yaakov Skoczylas shlit”a also of Queens, mechaber of the Ohel Yaakov series and Rosh Kollel lehora’ah associated with Young Israel of Queens Valley, who regularly consults with this revered poseik on important halachic matters.
This journey was deeply meaningful for me, for my family, and for klal Yisrael.
Mazal tov to my son Yehudah, my daughter-in-law Miriam, and our machatenista Mrs. Mehri Songhorian.
Thank You, Hashem, for this precious and meaningful opportunity.
With appreciation and hope,
Yaakov Serle
Co-Publisher, Queens Jewish Link
