Our Update #13
Dror Retreat 5774
What a weekend at Bushkill!
What an amazing Shabbos! What an amazing Motzaei Shabbos! It was truly a remarkable and unforgettable experience for the 50 adults and 100 children who participated.
The hotel was beautiful and comfortable in every way and the amicable atmosphere really set the tone for the entire stay. We will try to convey in words (even though it had to be experienced to really understand, but we will try!) some of the amazing highlights of the weekend.
Firstly, every woman and child in attendance received personalized gifts which really made them feel cared for and special. On Friday the children were treated to a fun and exciting Arts & Crafts project which got them geared up for a fun weekend ahead. The entire Shabbos, starting from Kabbalas Shabbos was filled with thrilling activities to keep the children occupied and happy while their parents were enjoying the adult programming, and a break from watching the children.
The parents were treated to amazing speeches and zemiros and most importantly, time to spend with others in similar situations as them, to talk, laugh, share and bond. The bonds that are forged here are maintained for years!
The beautiful and delicious catered food, courtesy of Greenwald Caterers, was simply out of this world! The lavish Viennese tables, the elaborate Kiddush, the scrumptious Shabbos meals were beyond perfect. Every guest felt pampered and every child felt excited with the new activities, games and toys they received throughout the weekend.
The skits and performances, put on by major actors and performers who joined us for Shabbos, kept everyone in attendance immensely entertained. The singers sang throughout Shabbos and Motzaei Shabbos and truly brought joy and elation to all! The magician, the Amazing Hartman, performed unbelievable tricks that kept all the children at the edge of their seats.
Dror would like to express its heartfelt hakaras hatov to the many individuals, each in their own way, who contributed so much to making the Shabbaton the unbelievable success that it was.
Special thanks to the superstar singers who truly enhanced the atmosphere:
• Shloime Daskal – Oneg Shabbos and Malve Malka
• Shloime Taussig – Tefilos and Zemiros at the seudos
• Yedidim Choir
• Wonder Child, Zrilly Berger
• Motti Miller for the music and sound.
A heartfelt yasher Koach to the inspiring speakers who elevated the ruchaniyus and Chizuk level of the weekend to remarkable heights:
• The Spinka Rebbe Shlita
• R’ Arye Royde
• Rabbi Ziv
• Rabbi Avrum Mordechai Malach
• and Rebbetzin Miriam Swerdlov
The following entertainers deserve a heaping helping of thanks:
• Niki
• Velvel Feldman
• YY Langsam
• Chaim Elye Hartman, the magician.
A note of gratitude to the coordinators of the children’s programming, which allowed the children, as well as their parents, to properly enjoy the shabbaton:
• AJ Greenwald
• Ari Abramowitz
• Nachman Goldring
• and the staff
Last, but certainly not least, a resounding THANK YOU to the entire Dror Staff:
• Shmiel Yacov Hecht—without you nothing would have happened!
• Amron Israel, Chaim Hersh Freund, for being there all the time, for anything and everything needed.
• Zissy Obstfeld and CS Ornstein, for arranging the gifts and overseeing the children’s programs.
• Yanky Einhorn, a vital part of the operation!
• Miss Shlussel, for ensuring, behind the scenes, that everything ran 110% smoothly!
Chaim Yechiel Lunger, the Bus Driver, for making sure everyone arrived safe and sound, despite the inclement weather!
Perhaps the best way to convey the feelings of the participants is to hear it directly from them. One of the parents commented
“I haven’t seen my children this happy from the day my husband was arrested.”
“I don’t remember being so relaxed and energized getting so much inspiration and Chizuk, all while my kids are being so well taken care of.”
“I didn’t realize how much I was missing by keeping it all to myself. Tthis Shabbos made me realize I’m not alone out there, it made me open up and connect to others going through the same thing, forming the deepest and most therapeutic relationships”.
“I take this Chizuk I got over this Shabbos and will keep it bottled up to sniff from it every time things get rough. It will keep me going through the year!”
Email that was sent to us on Sunday
To our dear Dror family,
Words cannot really thank you for the amazing Shabbos that we just spent together. You cannot imagine the impact that it makes on the families just to be with people that understand you and know where you’re coming from. Throughout the shabbaton different people came over to me and we spoke, shared and just discussed different issues that go on in our lives. The kids felt treated so amazing as gashmiyus was unbelievable, the speakers were so inspiring and the atmosphere was incredible. Oh, and the entertainment was just so hysterical, my husband laughed so hard as I tried to give over the lines I remembered. You should all be gebentched and the amazing families that made this possible should be gebentched with brachos ad bli dai. These events help us to raise our heads from our painful nisayon.
With the deepest respect and gratitude,
*****
Dror is grateful to all who were involved in making this Shabbaton the best ever, and looks forward to making future weekends even better! (If that’s even possible!)
Yedidim, Shlome Taussig, Motti Miller by the Melave Malka
Shloime Taussig and yedidim Choir by Dror Annual Melaveh Malkah 2014 – Part 1
Yoel Hersh Fuks singing Gramen in honor of Rabbi Yoel Usher Labin – Menahel, for donating a Kidney
Gramen by Yoel Hersh Fuks in honor of Rabbi Labin for donating a kidney by annual Dror Shabaton