Akiva's Final Banquet: One trip finishes and another begins
- Vivian Chaya Russo
- Aug 26, 2019
- 3 min read
To wrap our unforgettable trip in style we enjoyed dinner in the famous Brazilian Steakhouse Papagaio. It's a special treat from Rabbi Klatzko, with special guests included, to have our closing session. Every single person spoke, from participants to madrichim, and even the visitors who were the Rabbi's family. He was also celebrating his grandson's upshernish, the ceremonial haircut that marks a boy turning 3 years old. Then the little kid is mature enough to start learning Torah, he starts wearing a kippa and tzitzit, the traditional garments of Jewish men. Everyone got the honor to cut a little strand off the boy's head and it was all videotaped. It was very meaningful to take part in the Rabbi's personal simcha.
Participants surprised us with a special treat and bought each of the staff members a gift, a Havdallah candle. Different participants got up to speak about their staff member in particular and delivered the gift individually. It felt so nice to get acknowledged publicly and with a meaningful token. That was when I started to get emotional. Then it was my turn to speak at the very end. Everyone had spoken already and we've been sitting for hours. People were tired and dinner was long over. I had to deliver all I wanted to say in a few moments, short and sweet. Having everyone with their eyes on me is enough to make me nervous. I've never been drawn to public speaking, but I had to conquer my stage fright.
My conclusion was that the Akiva trip felt incredibly rewarding and enriching. No matter where you are on the Jewish spectrum, if you're a truth seeker it'll bring you closer to Hashem. The biggest privilege was having Rabbi Klatzko as facilitator every step of the way. He wore many hats and excelled in all of them. He was our tour guide, Rabbi, confidant, friend, expert, teacher, etc. His classes were captivating and interesting, whether you've never heard of the concept he's explaining or it's very familiar to you, you'd gain a new perspective. He breaks it down to simple terms. And never fails to make you cry with his heartfelt stories. You can tell he's very passionate about making the Akiva trip successful and it's no surprise he's led 50 of them in the past 20 years. Jewish continuity has a much better future thanks to him.
On a personal note, I've become a trip junkie. First with Birthright then raising the bar with Akiva. I crave forging a special connections with strangers in a short period of time. We bond with all kinds of people just by the fact that we share one thing, being Jewish. It's a very unique experience, similar only to what Scripture describes the world will be when Mashiach comes. A universal feeling of brotherhood and love. Sounds cheesy but during the Akiva trip it felt like a reality. Not perfect, but possible. So until Mashiach comes, I'll keep signing up for this trips. I'm pretty sure they're part of my mission and what I need to rectify in this life. Giving back to other people a little bit of the experiences I've been fortunate enough to have. Hopefully the Redemption will come soon in our days and these trips won't even be necessary! Needless to say I was in tears as I was speaking, it might seem melodramatic but the emotions were genuine. And the Akiva banquet was the perfect occasion to get all mushy.
My Israel adventure wasn't over then, I still had 3 more weeks of exploring the Holy Land visiting family and friends! Baruch Hashem!
To life!
Vivian Chaya Russo
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