Baruch and the Miracle of Coming Home

My brother was at Meron when a horrible disaster happened in which 45 people were trampled. It is hard to accept that people who go to celebrate a special holiday could end up badly hurt, or worse. There were many stories from this tragedy, my Bubie wrote this one. Although bad things happen to good people, and even children, we must try to hope that tomorrow will be better.
​Fradella

 
There was once a young boy named Baruch. He was an only child. His parents watched over him, spoiled him and tried to protect him from any harm that could come his way.  His first childhood memory was coming home to Israel as a young immigrant from Hungary. His parents boarded a boat for refugees from Europe, after WWII and the Holocaust, to Israel.

​When they arrived, the boat could not dock on the shore but had to remain in the water so it would not get stuck in the sand. All the passengers lined up in the water on the side of the boat to the sandy shores of Haifa. Baruch was passed from person to person, over their heads, so that there would be no danger of him falling in the currents and, God forbid, getting lost in the sea. When he landed on the shore a young man was waiting for him with a piece of bread covered with strawberry jam.  For Baruch it was the best thing he had tasted in many months and he decided that this was the home where he would live forever.

Life was difficult at the beginning, although for a child who had up until this time been told to be quiet, who had no toys and who had no siblings, life was a dream. There were children in every apartment, spilling out onto the streets, inventing games, laughing, singing, and running free. This was the Israel in which Baruch spent his early childhood years. There always seemed to be enough food, enough fun and enough activities for him to enjoy.  This quotation rang true for Baruch and his friends, “Never underestimate the determination of a kid who is time rich and cash poor”. *

Baruch grew and flourished, going to school, doing his army service, and eventually marrying, settling down and raising a family. Although Baruch did not grow up in a religious family, he felt Jewish and was committed to Israel and the Jewish people.

One day, as he was leaving for work to the University, Baruch had his doctorate in History and taught and did research at the Hebrew University, he saw a man on the side of the road with his finger out (a sign that he needed a ride). Baruch pulled his car over and asked the man if he could give him a lift.  “Thank you, very much young man,” said the Stranger. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. I am going to Mea Shearim.”

“It is no inconvenience, in fact it is on my way to work,” responded Baruch. So, the Stranger got into Baruch’s car, thanked him, and then introduced himself.  “My name is, Yisroel,” said the man, “and I want to thank you for your kindness. Usually, people are in such a rush in the mornings that they never even see me standing here.”

“It is my pleasure”, responded Baruch. “Where are you from?”

“I was born in Hungary and I came here as a young adult after the Shoah (Holocaust). I must admit that it hasn’t been easy living in Israel, but I believe that the Jewish people returning to our land is one of the major miracles of our time.”

“I agree”, said Baruch. “You know, I too was born in Hungary. I came as a young boy, literally carried off the boat by the loving hands of our people until I landed on the shores of Haifa where I was served the best bread and jam that I have ever eaten in my entire life!”

“Is it possible that we were on the same boat?”, asked Yisroel. “I remember lifting a young child and passing him from person to person to protect him from falling into the choppy waters.”

Sure enough, Baruch and Yisroel had met each other earlier when they both arrived in Israel on the same boat from Hungary. What are the chances of Baruch meeting someone who had helped to bring him to the shores of the Promised Land! This was not by accident, he was sure, and Baruch decided that he and Yisroel would remain in touch with each other from now on.

Yisroel became an important person in Baruch’s life. Baruch’s parents were no longer alive, and he considered Yisroel to be a wise Uncle, a Chevruta, someone he could confide in, learn with, and go to for advice when he had an important decision to make.  Yisroel also became like a grandparent to Baruch’s and Chani’s children. The whole family loved him, and he loved them also. Yisroel had married but he and his wife could not have any children and she later became ill and died. Baruch’s family became Yisroel’s family, and they were together for all the holidays and smachot (happy occasions).

As a result of this relationship, Baruch began to learn more Torah and he and Chani and the children became more religious. You would often see Baruch, before work, praying in a little synagogue in Mea Shearim with Yisroel and learning a little Talmud before he would go off to teach his students. He was convinced that he became a better teacher the more he learned.

As Baruch was becoming more religious, it did not surprise anyone that he gladly accepted an invitation to go with Yisroel and his shul (synagogue) to experience the joy of Lag B’Omer in the village of Meron, where Shimon Bar Yochai is believed to be buried. It is a custom, among religious Jews, to celebrate this holiday which commemorates the anniversary of the death of the Rabbi and Mystic, Shimon bar Yochai. He wrote the mystical book called, the Zohar.

Lag B’Omer also celebrates the time between Passover and Shavuot when a plague that was killing Rabbi Akiva’s students, finally came to an end. Although Baruch had remembered collecting wood for the neighborhood bonfires the children built when he was young, he had never gone to experience a Lag B’Omer in Meron.

Baruch woke up early in the evening before the holiday began.  He went to the Synagogue to pray the early morning prayers, he returned home, ate some breakfast, and packed his bag. He and Yisroel wanted to get to Meron early, set up their tents and look around at where all the bonfires would be in the evening. They planned to stay the night and then leave in the morning, after breakfast, to get home well before the sun set and the Shabbat (Sabbath) descended upon the holy city of Jerusalem.

Baruch kissed his wife and children goodbye and told them that he would be back before Shabbat. His oldest son, Yudile, wanted so badly to join his father but his mom thought that he was a little too young this year and told him that they would consider it for next year.

Yudile approached his father, “Abba (father), are you sure that I can’t join you in Meron this year? It would be so wonderful for the three of us to go on this trip together. I am ready. I packed my bag just in case you changed your mind!”

“Yudile”, Baruch said, “you know that I would love to take you with us, but I don’t want to worry your Mother and so we will have to work on convincing her that next year you will be old enough to come with us. In the meantime, enjoy your bonfire with your friends and be careful to put out the fire before you leave, as I showed you.”

“Ok, Abba, next year for sure I will go, you’ll see!” Yudile walked away with a frown on his face.

Baruch threw his bag into the trunk of his car, with all the camping equipment, and off he went to pick up Yisroel.  They had a beautiful drive up to Meron. The weather was warm, not too warm, and the drive up was pleasant. They decided to stop In Zichron Yaakov on the way and have a look at the Mediterranean Sea and eat some sandwiches that they had packed for their trip.

The drive and the arrival to Meron were uneventful. Once there they saw that it was beginning to fill up with people and they found a small area near the entrance where they could set up their tent and organize all the things they would need for cooking and sleeping. They did not worry about anyone taking any of their supplies because they felt that the people there knew that they were under the watchful eye of the great sage, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and that would be enough to deter someone from theft.

That evening, as the crowds were pouring into Meron, Yisroel told Baruch that after their meal he wanted to go to the bonfire of the Toldot Aharon Rebbi. This was supposed to be the largest event of the evening, the most glorious bonfire, dancing, singing and celebrations. Baruch, having never been at this religious event, decided that wherever Yisroel was going, he was going too. And so, the two of them set off towards the bonfire of the Toldot Aaron Rebbe.

Baruch never remembered, in all his life, seeing so many people in one place. There were thousands of people singing, jumping, dancing and generally having a wonderful time together as the Toldot Aaron Rebbe lit the bonfire and returned to the dais where the rest of the Rebbe’s family (the men only) were sitting.

At around 12:30 a.m., the celebrations were coming to an end and people began to leave what was like a makeshift stadium with bleachers filled with people. At first, people began to move toward the exits. There was one that was especially popular. You went down a staircase that did not seem too steady, through a corridor which had sheet metal along the walls to help guide the people through the exit.

Baruch stayed very close to Yisroel. He did not want to lose him in the crowd. Suddenly, it seemed as if there was a problem as they began to go down the stairs. It was very slippery, and it seemed as if someone had slipped and fell. All at once, everyone started to fall; however, there was no place to fall except on top of the people in front of you! Baruch grabbed Yisroel by his waist and tightly held on to him. 

Baruch began to feel himself tumble on top of the person in front of him and because he was holding on to Yisroel, he fell too. Before they knew what was happening, others began to fall on top of them. The weight of all the people was crushing them.

Baruch pushed Yisroel away from him, as he still gripped his waist with one hand. He told him to push against his chest, and he would push against Yisroel’s chest as hard as he could. He yelled, “Yisroel, breathe, breathe, breathe!” Yisroel realized that Baruch was giving him a small bit of space, between his outstretched arms and his chest and was commanding him to breathe so that he would not be smothered to death! The two friends continued to push on each other’s chests and Baruch continued to holler the command, “Breathe”, which Yisroel could not hear above the screaming but he could feel Baruch’s breath on him each time he shouted, “Breathe!”

All at once, it seemed as if a miracle happened. A man came from the top, like an angel. He grabbed Yisroel and he passed him from one person to another over the crowd. When the man next to him had Yisroel, he grabbed Baruch’s shoulders, lifted him over the crowd and Baruch felt himself being passed from one person to the next, over what he was sure was the sea.
 
Baruch was taken back in his mind, as a young boy, coming to Israel for the first time on the ship of immigrants from Europe. The people were passing him from one person to the other to ensure that he would arrive on the shore safely and not drown in the turbulent waves of the ocean. Here he was again, being passed along to his safety and freedom!

Yisroel and Baruch were put on stretchers and taken to the nearest hospital in Tzfat. It seems that, although they were both alive, they had fainted from the lack of oxygen and from the crushing crowds that came crashing on top of them as they began their descent down the stairs.

When Baruch woke up in the hospital, the first thing he asked the nurse was if his friend Yisroel was alive and well. She assured him that he was, but he was weak and would need to rest and get better. Then, of course, he asked to call home to let them know that he was alive and well. Baruch’s family had been so scared when they had not heard from their husband and father. Chani was about to travel to Meron to try to find out what had happened to him. Thank God, he was going to be fine, unlike some of the other people who did not survive the crushing masses.

When the doctor came to see Baruch, Baruch told him that he had a dream that the people were passing him from one person to the other until he reached safety. The doctor told him that a policeman had grabbed both him and his friend, Yisroel, and with the strength of Goliath had pulled them out of the crowd to safety. Many of the other people stuck in that crowd could not be saved.
 
“What did you do to stay alive?” asked the doctor. “I told my friend to push against my chest with his arms and I pushed against his chest with my arms, and I yelled for him to keep breathing.”

“Well,” said the doctor, “that allowed you to continue breathing until the policeman could rescue you.”

When Baruch was able to visit Yisroel in another part of the hospital he told him about the dream he had when he had lost consciousness. He and Yisroel were being passed from person to person until they reached safety.

“That was no dream,” responded Yisroel. “That is exactly what happened. We were carried by the arms of those people, who are no longer in this world but who came down to rescue you and me once again as they did when we arrived at the shores of Haifa, all of those many years ago.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” asked Baruch.

“Ah”, responded Yisroel.  “What is the first thing that the nurse brought you to eat when you awoke from this dream in the hospital?”

Baruch thought for a moment and then a smile began to spread across his face, “Jam, strawberry jam and bread.”

“Of course,” said Yisroel. “The sweet jam and bread that greets us all as we arrive at the place of safety and freedom!”

*Cory Doctorow -author and journalist