Dear Cayuga families,
Last night kicked off a Cayuga and Seneca Shabbat! One of our very own Cayugans, Alex Lederman, spoke at the service about his recent trip to Barcelona. Here is a copy of his speech. Enjoy!
Something beautiful. Many things come to mind when I hear those words. It could mean something physically beautiful, like a flower or a shiny jewel. It could be spiritually beautiful, like the feeling of responsibility that comes with being an oldest Cayugan, reading plaques in the dining hall, riding in a motor boat on Seneca Lake, or repairing the world on Tikkun Olam Day. And even some things are beautiful in both ways, like looking at the lake at the fire circle or the Cayuga Plateau.
There is one thing though that is definitely beautiful not so much physically as it is spiritually. When I was in Barcelona with my family, we visited some Roman ruins. We saw the remains of fish sauce factories, churches, and wine tanks, but far off in a corner, Colby pointed out that there were Hebrew letters carved into one of the ruins. This, to me, is very beautiful.
You may wonder how a bunch of old letters is something beautiful. Sometimes I ask myself that question. To answer it, I say that Hebrew letters means there was a large Jewish community in Roman Barcelona. My community. Although Barcelona and I are very different in many ways, such as lunch times and sleep schedules, we have a connection that goes far back. That connection is definitely something beautiful.
-Alex Lederman
