By: Chavi Block, age 15

The past few weeks for the Jewish world globally have been indescribably devastating.

We stood, helpless to the sudden loss of Rashi Minkowitz, a young mother of 8, who suddenly died

unexpectedly in her sleep at the age of 37.

Gedalya Greenzayd, an only child, from Vinnitza, Ukraine was run over by a garbage truck on a Sunday morning, leaving the world in shock.

Yossi Fail, a 16-year-old Chabad bochur from Buenos Aires, passed away from a brain tumour found

only on Purim. The brain tumour quickly spread over his body, and he shockingly passed away, 2

days later.

Peritz Sontag, a businessman who was missing since the Friday before Purim, was found in his car

after having passed away.

Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, Head Shliach of Illinois, passed away unexpectedly after going through a

minor surgery, he was only 59.

Rabbi Yisroel Baruch Butman, Shliach to Naharia, Israel, fell into a coma during the past week, and

passed away at the age of 55, leaving his young children without a father.

Devorah Leah Grumach, a daughter of a Lubavitch couple who are shluchum in India was diagnosed

with a fungal infection and passed away, at only 10 months.

And a heartbreaking personal tragedy for me, and the Australian Jewish community, the passing of

our beloved friend and teacher, Mrs Rivky Barber.

Mrs Barber was my teacher in year 4, and I will never forget that year. I remember on the first day of

school in year 4 when I found out that Mrs Barber would be my teacher, I was overjoyed. My initial

seat was in the back of the classroom, and I was disappointed, because I wanted to sit in the front of

classroom, so I could concentrate better and learn. I remember Mrs Barber looked at me with one

of her indescribable faces that made you just want to laugh, and asked quizzically, “Why would you

want move to the front?”

To which I replied, “Because I want to have a good view”.

“A good view of what,” she said, “Me!?”

Every time a student walked into her classroom, there was not a dull face in the class. She could

brighten up anything, and I mean that. She would teach us with so much love, care, enthusiasm

and devotion. She connected to us, in a way no other teacher could. I always remember laughing

in her classes- she was so funny and outgoing! She taught me some very valuable lessons in my

life, which I will take with me forever. She always used to say in her New York accent, “You should

have, you could have, you would have, but you didn’t.” She knew how to deal with our rowdy selves,

and was very musical. I remember her playing the piano at our school assembly when we were

singing, ‘Padah V’shalom.’ (A Psalm in Tehillim.) She also taught me Birchas Yaakov, and to this day, I

still know it all by heart.

When we found out around 6 months ago that Mrs Barber had cancer, we were all shocked. Straight

away campaigns were set up in her honour to have a Refuah Sheleima.

It still hasn’t hit me that Mrs Barber is no longer here physically with us. I cannot comprehend what

has happened, nor do I understand why. However I do know that Mrs Barber wouldn’t want us to

be sad. Rather, the exact opposite. She would want us to improve and strive to be better human

beings, she would want us to be even happier, and add more light to this very dark world. We must

change our tears into action. Hopefully this will comfort us all, knowing that our actions are making a

difference in this world, and ultimately bringing Moshiach.

Just thinking about all these calamities and tragedies makes me absolutely sick to the stomach.

Unfortunately, all of these misfortunes have something in common – they were all unexpected. No

one was expecting any of these things to happen, but G-d has a mind of His own, one that we can

never truly understand. The anticipated response to these calamities would be to cry and give up.

No, we must not! We are the Jewish people, we are fighters, and we are believers! We must act, not

in the expectant way, but rather do more good, and bring more kindness into this world. We must

shock the heavens, and the world, showing that nothing and no one will stop us.

Another tragedy is what has befallen our country – Israel. Not only the physical tragedies, with

incessant bombing parts of Israel, but also the tragedy within our own people. There has been a

terrible discord and division within the Jewish world as a whole. With the Charedim now being

conscripted into the Israeli Defence Forces, this has caused a major uproar. I could start going on

and on about how the Chareidim feel about this, and why they don’t agree with this regulation and

same with the Chilonim, how they feel that this in unjust and not fair…

But all of us – secular and orthodox, Chareidi and Chassidish, are missing the point.

Does it really matter who’s right and who’s wrong? At this stage in the game, we, Jews. and our

land, Israel, are in a weak and delicate position. And what are we doing? We are fighting against

ourselves, against our own brothers!

We keep forgetting that we are, ‘“K’ish Echad, B’laiv Echad,” “Like one man with one heart.”

I ask all Jews: Do we not have enough hardships already, that we need to bring more on ourselves?

This is a time where we must act! We must stop thinking about ourselves and our personal opinions,

and start doing what’s best for Israel, and all Jews everywhere.

We must unite! Achdus is the only way we can win, for if we do not have unity, we are doomed.

We are known as a ‘stiff-necked nation’, with uncommon stubbornness. We must channel this

stubbornness and hostility, not towards each other, but rather to our enemies,

physical and spiritual, who we are trying to defeat.

We need to be “Chazak V’Ematz”, “strong and courageous.” We need to be one.

Then and only then will our salvation come, and we will be set free from this suffering and affliction,

forever.