The amazing Emunotes

Well, today was the day. The Emunotes were here for Shabbat, and they were not only adorable, but were a lot of fun to be around. Early on in my career, i worked for many years with abused and neglected children. It is hard work, and watching these small, damaged children in agony day in and day out can be very draining. The children that sang here today are such children, but they live in Israel. Little Jewish children whose parents abuse, neglect or abandon them. Most Americans, when they think of Israel, think of Ben Yehuda, Dizengoff, or the Kotel. They don't think of the slums of Yaffo, or these litte kids from Afula, who stayed in host homes this weekend that they labeled "palaces" since the homes are so completely beyond their range of experiences. On the one hand, it felt so good to be with these kids and see their faces light up as we applauded their singing, or let them play in the backyard with a basketball. And on the other hand, it feels awful to know that in a few weeks, they will be back in Afula with parents who drink too much, leave them alone too much, and don't care about them enough. But for today, and the next week, these kids will be treated like royalty through out New England. I hope the memories that are created will last a lifetime. Some might not get a chance to visit us again.