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March 12, 2010
A vocation to inspire
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis seeks to focus Jews.
ELIZABETH NIDER
Next month, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis will be speaking to a room full of women on Life is a Test: Bringing Serenity to a World of Chaos, a topic that surely is pertinent to each and every one of us.
In an interview, Jungreis told the Independent, “There is nothing more catastrophic than to wake up one day and to realize that life has just passed you by.” She believes that human beings are not put on this earth for a free ride and that we each have our own specific mission.
“It is important to know who you are and why you are here, so that life on this planet wasn’t a waste. Each of us is unique and irreplaceable, and we have to know what our purpose and our mission is, [both] as individuals and as Jews,” Jungreis said.
This subject is not a new one for Jungreis, who has written books and lectured across the world about what it means to be a Jew and our purpose – questions that some spend their entire lives searching to answer. Jungreis has made it her vocation to inspire Jews to live better and more fulfilling lives, especially now, when, she said, “The world is getting smaller, more confusing and more enticing.”
To stay focused and on track with what is significant in life, Jungreis advocates that one need not look any further than the Torah, as it contains countless indispensable messages, each speaking to every human being – regardless of religion.
Jungreis’ father was the chief rabbi of Szeged, Hungary, and her family’s lineage has been traced back to King David. It is not altogether surprising when the daughter of a rabbi turns out to be a strong believer in G-d and a spiritual muse to others, but when a child survivor of the Holocaust remains, not only dedicated to Judaism, G-d and Torah, but makes it her life’s mission to help Jews find their paths, it’s inspiring.
Jungreis and her father survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After the Holocaust, her father was actively involved in reconnecting Jews to Judaism, an action that, in due course, became Jungreis’ calling as well. She attributes her wisdom to her father and his father, and so on, an unbroken chain of belief and involvement that she is now passing to her own children.
These experiences and influences eventually instigated the creation of Hineni in 1973. The Hineni Heritage Centre, in New York City, offers a wide-ranging series of programs on Torah, Talmud, kabbalah, history, Hebrew and prayer, as well as lectures, family counseling and an introduction service for singles. According to the executive director of Hineni, Barbara Janov, Hineni is a place for Jews of all ages and backgrounds to reconnect with Judaism.
Janov told the Independent that, “Surprisingly, as time goes on, [Jungreis’] impact on the lives of those who attend her lectures or visit Hineni has not been lessened in the slightest.” Janov recalled being in Florida with Jungreis a few years ago when, everywhere they went, Jungreis was swarmed by teens wanting to take her photograph or to speak with her. Janov remembered one teen saying, “You don’t understand – she’s our movie star.”
In her book The Committed Life, Jungreis writes, “Everything is predestined, except whether we are going to be good or bad, or whether we fulfil our mission or not [and] how wisely we will choose will depend on our reverence for G-d.... Our world is an angry world, high on bitterness and entitlement and low on kindness and generosity. People are hurting because their souls are empty.”
Her answer is that life is simple, yet also full of meaning: look into the Torah, an instruction manual for life and, perhaps, your entire vision, perspective and approach to life will change.
Jungreis will be speaking on March 22, 6:30 p.m., in celebration of the Week of the Jewish Woman, sponsored by N’Shei Chabad British Columbia, at the Richmond Country Club. Tickets are $54 and can be purchased at 604-266-1313.
Elizabeth Nider is a freelance writer living in Richmond.
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