Rabbi Hananel Elran, who teaches at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Nachalat Binyamin Yeshiva and serves as a fighter in the Binyamin region participated in a Purim tisch of the Karlin hasidic community, together with hasidim with whom he has maintained a connection since the start of the war.
During the event he was invited to dance in the center of the tisch alongside the hasidim and before the Rebbe.
According to Rabbi Elran, the relationship with the hasidim developed through their support for the families of mobilized soldiers and for the soldiers themselves.
"With the dear Karlin hasidim, who have affected us and the families of the mobilized soldiers so much, there is great love," he said, adding that there "has been a warm relationship with the hasidim there, since the start of the war. They really embrace me with tears of emotion when we meet," he said.
Rabbi Elran added that during the tisch, "they brought us before the Rebbe and afterwards to dance in the center of the tisch, and everyone around became very enthusiastic. Later, they told me, 'You merited to bring joy to everyone [present].''
Rabbi Elran also noted that members of the community cooked and sent numerous Purim gift packages to soldiers serving in the area. "When you say thank you, they respond, 'The thanks are to you.' This love for those who risk their lives for others is a simple thing [for them]," he added.
A video of the dancing at the tisch was later shared across Jewish communities around the world, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. According to Rabbi Elran, many of the responses highlighted a deep desire for unity and connection between different sectors of the Jewish people.