The Ulpana Yeshiva High School for Girls in Ofra prepared its
students for Memorial Day in a more personal way.
Ofra is situated along Highway 60, a road which has been the site of
many terror attacks against Israelis, particularly during the Second
Intifada, also known as the Oslo War. That being the case, the Ulpana
a few years ago started a special educational program,
called “Memorial Road”, which involves the students travelling along
Highway 60 and stopping at each point where a terrorist attack had
taken place.
At each “terror point” along the road, the girls gathered to recite
Psalms, commemorate the victims and raise the Israeli flag. They also
heard from bereaved parents and families who came to speak to them.
“Memorial Road” was initiated by Chaya Rund, who lost her son to a
terror attack on Highway 60. Rund, who works in the Ulpana’s kitchen,
told Arutz Sheva, “I thought about ways of marking Memorial Day in a
way which is different than the regular ceremonies we have on this
day.”
“At each point, girls from the Ulpana gather, and we hope that other
families from the area will join us as well,” said Rund. “We talk, we
sing, and we remember. It’s important for us to publicly say that we,
in fact, are continuing to live.”
Orly, a counselor at the Ulpana, told Arutz Sheva, “We make the girls
understand where they live and get them to notice all the places that
exist. These are the stories of our homes.”
