During the weekend of October 2, at Congregation B’nai Israel, Millburn, our beloved, sacred synagogue was what it should be and our forebears would have been proud. Yes, CBI has always been a rare center for Jewish life, conservative and vibrant, egalitarian and welcoming as one would be invited into a fantastic Jewish family. Sisterhood, under the leadership of Miriam Linver, worked overtime for all of us to kvell. It was the kind of weekend, falling at the tail end of the holiest High Holidays, concluding with October 7 reflections, that exemplify dynamic Judaism, incubating at CBI for a century.
A group of brilliant, committed, and, yes, generous members brought to our doorstep an extraordinarily gifted Israeli musician, miraculous survivor of the October 7 barbarism, and now, renewed, leading singing and dancing among us all. Micha Biton is a blessing for all humanity, and we all engaged with him during the weekend. You probably know that he herded his family of eleven into a safe room when Hamas attacked his moshav. After fourteen hours, the IDF seemed to have cleared the invaders out, and Micha led his family to safety. In the ensuing days he said kaddish and wrote music for twenty friends.
On the bima at CBI, this renowned singer-songwriter shared his music, from deep mourning to physical and spiritual renewal. His passion was infectious. Through tears of joy, many of the several hundred members and guests were absorbed in Micha’s music, often spontaneously leaping into dance circles, delighting in joining in song with him, and clapping to the beat of his melodies – such freylekh!
We met Micha, prayed with him, exchanged thoughts with him, appreciated his personal story of resilience against all odds, danced with him, sang with him, and became better Jews and better people thanks to him. For a special moment in time, Micha gifted us his abundant neshuma. How priceless is that!
The weekend’s three days brought us from deep mourning for October 7 to renewal and celebration culminating with a Monday evening of Israeli circle and partner dance with vibrant folk music with Micha and a team of professional dancers. CBI can be proud of its many spirited, tireless, multigenerational dancers during an evening of pure joy and camaraderie.
Our brilliant Sisterhood leaders drafted this complex weekend in spite of High Holiday exhaustion. Micha, another simcha on our Century Celebration Year, will always be synonymous with the phrase, Am Yisrael Chai.
We were blessed to bond with Micha, representing the real centuries-old flavor of Judaism, celebrated on the vibrant CBI bima, brought to us through the spirited accompanying voices of Rabbi Isenberg, Cantor Wallach, Cantor (part-time) Jody Scheinbaum, and Chairperson Miriam Linver. Yes, we certainly rocked! Kol hakavod lanu!
Art Fredman
