Esther Jungreis to give inspirational talk at Beth Jacob

By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer

October 2009

Esther Jungreis

Esther Jungreis offers a simple message which comes from experiencing a complex life.
Her father was chief rabbi of Szeged, Hungary, where she spent her early life.

She says she can trace her roots to King David. During World War II, her family was sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; she, her parents, and two brothers survived.

Despite experiencing the ultimate darkness of the Holocaust, Jungreis sees the light and has made it her life’s mission with her organization, Hineni, to bring that light — the wisdom and love found in Judaism — into the lives of Jewish people worldwide.

In 1973, Jungreis started Hineni, which was one of the first Jewish outreach organizations in the world. Her goal was to stop the escalation of assimilation – the spiritual Holocaust that she says was decimating American Jewry.

Her dream turned into reality. Jungreis has spoken worldwide, from Madison Square Garden to South Africa. She also regularly speaks to the United States Army and Navy as well as the Israel Defense Forces.

Jungreis will present her message of hope at Beth Jacob Synagogue on Oct. 25.
She has an energy about her that draws people into her optimistic worldview. How did her past influence her future?

“Everyone is impacted by their backgrounds,” she explained. “Hungary was the last country to be invaded by the Nazis, but prior to the occupation, Jewish young men were deported by Hungarian zsandars (police) to slave labor camps, and Szeged became a staging area for these boys.”

Her father visited them, but he was searched. “My parents came up with the idea that I would accompany my father, and in the lining of my coat, my Mom would place medicines, letters from families, and food. Thus, as a young child, I learned that we are our brothers’ keepers, and we have a responsibility to the Jewish people.

“My message is simple: know the Torah and study it from beginning to end. The book will speak to you. It will tell you how to live and what to do.”

According to Jungreis, miracles, messages from God, are everyday happenings. You just have to open your eyes and attune your ears. Once you do that, you discover that even the ordinary is miraculous.

She is the author of four bestselling books: The Jewish Soul on Fire, The Committed Life, The Committed Marriage, and Life Is A Test.

When I spoke to her, she had just returned from a Hineni tour of Israel. Among the many places her group visited was the magnificent Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.

The rabbi at the synagogue explained that many years ago, in the shtetl of Belz, when the original Belzer synagogue was built, the rebbe did not permit the men to pray in the shul until the women’s section was completed.

The rebbe explained that women know how to pray and cry, and the only way that men’s voices would ascend on high was if the women prayed first and opened the heavenly gates with their tears.

“The next day,” she said, “our group traveled to the Galil – Tiberias, Safed, etc., but our people were also anxious to visit Amuka, a place where people go to pray that they may meet their soulmates. By the time we finally arrived, it was late at night. It was pitch black. We couldn’t see a thing. We had no flashlights, no candles.”

In the dark, their driver led them to the grave site of Rabbi Yonatan Ben Uzriel, to offer their prayers.

“We decided to walk slowly and pray from our hearts,” she said. “It was an eerie experience to walk in a cemetery in darkness. We started to pray. Suddenly, we saw the most spectacular lights. Dozens of florescent torches carried by Chasidim came toward us. We felt as if God had performed a miracle for us, but as the Chasidim came closer, they informed us that we were in the men’s section and had to leave, so I told them about our group and the story of the Belzer Rebbe.”

Jungreis told the men, “You think you brought us light? No, God brought us to you so that your prayers might go up!”

She smiled and said, “The Chasidim agreed and allowed us to pray first. When we returned to the bus, I told our group to never forget that night and never allow themselves to be paralyzed by darkness, even if it seems to be dense and hopeless. We are Jews, and our legacy is to forge ahead with the faith that God will send the light. So never, but never give up.”

Beth Jacob Synagogue will present lecturer and author Esther Jungreis on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the synagogue at 274-2149.