Celebrating Yerushalayim

Each year, Orot's student and faculty gather together for a lunch celebration called "Bein Cheirut L'charut" which connects the freedom (Cheirut) that we achieved when we recaptured the city of Jerusalem celebrated by Yom Yerushalayim, and the gift of the Torah, symbolized by the words that were hewn (Charut) into the Tablets given to Moshe on Har Sinai.

At Orot, we emphasize the proximity between these two seemingly unrelated holidays to highlight our strong belief that our return to Yerushalayim directly relates to the Jewish nation's continued connection to the Torah. Without the continued revelation that Shavuot represents, there would have been no Yom Yerushalayim. And because of Yom Yerushalayim, we now connect to the Torah in profound and powerful ways.
The yearly program begins with a festive lunch on the lawns of Orot's campus, followed by scholarship presentations in the auditorium as well as the awarding of honors for student academic achievement. This year following the presentations, the students enjoyed a concert by the popular Vach family, whose beautiful musical arrangements and multiple harmonies have wowed audiences across Israel. The second half of the concert provided a special treat for Orot's students who enjoyed a women-only program that featured both the men and women of the Vach family.
This unique, yearly celebration of both the holiness of Matan Torah as well as the miracle of Yom Yerushlayim and the scholarship of Orot's capable students, underscores Orot's special mission of combining Torah, academics, scholarship and a love for Eretz Yisrael to educate Israel's next generation of teachers.