This past Friday, the first day of the Jewish month of Sivan, a group of new immigrants traveled to Hevron to participate in the restoration of one of Judaism's holiest sites, oft overshadowed by the city's Cave of the Patriarchs - the Tomb of Ruth and Jesse (Kever Rut v'Yishai).
Kumah, a grassroots organization dedicated to strengthening Israel through encouraging mass Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) from Western countries, organized the group of English-speaking immigrants and students to help restore the ancient burial site of the father and grandmother of King David in honor of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot - during which Megillat Ruth, the Scroll of Ruth, is read. Upon arrival, the group was provided with picks, shovels, buckets, gloves and cutters, with which they began the process of cleaning up the holy site.
This was a first-of its-kind mission called a "Kumah Clean-Up" - that is, a volunteer get-together of new and prospective olim (immigrants) wishing to clean up an area of Israel and make it better for all. Yishai Fleisher, co-founder of Kumah, said that "Kever Rut v'Yishai was chosen as the first site of a Kumah Clean-Up because it is one of the Jewish people's holiest sites - the root of the Davidic dynasty - yet for a very long time, the Tomb of Ruth and Jesse has remained in a state of sad disrepair. We wanted to make it shine in time for the Shavuot festival."
Indeed, when the volunteers showed up, there was no shortage of work to be done. Garbage was collected and hauled away, along with bucket after bucket of dust and rocks. Within a few hours, the whole compound underwent a transformation for the better. As the volunteers worked with zeal and pride, crowds of visitors came as part of a renewed pilgrimage rite in honor of the festival. A large group of children from Raanana (near Tel Aviv) arrived at the Tomb to read the Scroll of Ruth out loud.
The work was done in cooperation with the community of Hebron and supported by a grant in the memory of Dr. Alexander Fleisher. Photos of the event can be viewed at Kumah.org.
After a few hours of cleaning, the group, although dusty and dirty, visited the Cave of the Patriarchs. Ari Abromowiz, a new oleh and Kumah volunteer said, "We came here today to clean-up a holy site, to give honor to our forefathers, and to meet fellow olim who share an enthusiasm and love of the land." Ezra HaLevi, Kumah's co-founder, expressed his satisfaction with the day, saying: "We believe that Aliyah is not the final goal, but rather the starting point; once a Jew gets here, he or she has to keep making Aliyah every day. Today, we all made Aliyah."
Kumah, a grassroots organization dedicated to strengthening Israel through encouraging mass Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) from Western countries, organized the group of English-speaking immigrants and students to help restore the ancient burial site of the father and grandmother of King David in honor of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot - during which Megillat Ruth, the Scroll of Ruth, is read. Upon arrival, the group was provided with picks, shovels, buckets, gloves and cutters, with which they began the process of cleaning up the holy site.
This was a first-of its-kind mission called a "Kumah Clean-Up" - that is, a volunteer get-together of new and prospective olim (immigrants) wishing to clean up an area of Israel and make it better for all. Yishai Fleisher, co-founder of Kumah, said that "Kever Rut v'Yishai was chosen as the first site of a Kumah Clean-Up because it is one of the Jewish people's holiest sites - the root of the Davidic dynasty - yet for a very long time, the Tomb of Ruth and Jesse has remained in a state of sad disrepair. We wanted to make it shine in time for the Shavuot festival."
Indeed, when the volunteers showed up, there was no shortage of work to be done. Garbage was collected and hauled away, along with bucket after bucket of dust and rocks. Within a few hours, the whole compound underwent a transformation for the better. As the volunteers worked with zeal and pride, crowds of visitors came as part of a renewed pilgrimage rite in honor of the festival. A large group of children from Raanana (near Tel Aviv) arrived at the Tomb to read the Scroll of Ruth out loud.
The work was done in cooperation with the community of Hebron and supported by a grant in the memory of Dr. Alexander Fleisher. Photos of the event can be viewed at Kumah.org.
After a few hours of cleaning, the group, although dusty and dirty, visited the Cave of the Patriarchs. Ari Abromowiz, a new oleh and Kumah volunteer said, "We came here today to clean-up a holy site, to give honor to our forefathers, and to meet fellow olim who share an enthusiasm and love of the land." Ezra HaLevi, Kumah's co-founder, expressed his satisfaction with the day, saying: "We believe that Aliyah is not the final goal, but rather the starting point; once a Jew gets here, he or she has to keep making Aliyah every day. Today, we all made Aliyah."