Lev v’Nefesh 2024
Lev v’Nefesh, the capstone of The Leffell School experience, provides seniors the opportunity to develop an even greater sense of Jewish identity while traveling and learning in Europe and Israel. More than simply a trip or tour, Lev v’Nefesh is a journey that impacts the hearts and souls of our students just before they take the next step in their lives.
Lev v’Nefesh is a ROOTONE-affiliated program. ROOTONE LLC is seeded through a generous grant by The Marcus Foundation and powered by The Jewish Education Project. Visit www.ROOTONE.org for more information.
Rzeszow – Lancut – Majdanek – Lublin
Today was another very full day, complete with experiences that I believe will stay with the students for a long time. We rolled out of Rzeszow (pronounced Jeh-shuv, with a French J) this morning bound for Lancut (pronounced Wine-suit) where we davened Shacharit in the town’s surviving Great Synagogue and heard another excellent Senior Drashah from Noah. The synagogue was built in 1761 and is unique for its painted interior and the miracle that it survived, and also for the fact that it was not built by the local Jews, but rather for them, by the Polish Count of Lancut who wanted to attract Jews to his town almost three hundred years ago.
Oswiecim, Auschwitz-Birkenau & Tarnow
We are once again on our buses rolling through the Polish countryside, heading east toward Rzeszow, with soft, soothing Hebrew music playing in the background. In between, we have had a challenging but very impactful day, spent mostly at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We began our day with Shacharit and a powerful senior drashah shared by Henry in the Oswiecim Jewish Center. This shtiebel, Yiddish for a little house of prayer, was once known as the ‘Chevreh Lomdei Mishnayos’
Plaszow, Shabbat & Havdalah
Although we didn’t have a lot of time after finishing at Plaszow to change and get ready for Shabbat, by the time we walked from the hotel to the Tempel Synagogue, we had thoroughly shifted into Shabbat mode. We had arranged to use the Tempel for our own tefilot, and the davening was beautiful, complete with singing, dancing, and Yamit’s Senior Drashah. From there we walked to the JCC for a delicious Shabbat dinner and then an Oneg and subgroups back at the hotel.
Kazimierz, Krakow & Plaszow
We spent the day walking in the shoes of the Krakow Jewish community. We began 700 years ago when King Casmir the Great first welcomed Jews to settle here, and as we walked through the neighborhood, we walked through time, seeing synagogues from the 1400’s, 1500’s, and 1600’s, and the youngest of the shuls, which opened in 1862, not to mention the marketplace squares and the courtyards that animated Jewish life here.
Chmielnik
Our visit to Chmielnik today was poignant on multiple levels. We were able to appreciate Jewish history here in Poland that much more by seeing the town with our own eyes, we davened Mincha in a shul that no longer has Jews, and the synagogue itself is a sight to see, having been restored with a glowing, light-filled glass bimah in place of the original stone bimah that was destroyed.
Senior Sendoff for Lev v’Nefesh
Our entire high school community gathered along with family and friends to wish our 12th grade students well as they embark on their Lev v’Nefesh experience to Poland and Italy. Nesiah tovah!