At the conclusion of the leaders' panel, we split up according
to the leaders that we had chosen to listen to individually the previous night.
On my part, this meant getting to meet Rabbi Gabriel Nagrin, which was an
incredible experience.
Nagrin is the leader of the Jewish community of Athens, and
has assumed responsibility over many of the outlying regions of Greece in the
process. What sets him apart from many of the other leaders invited to our
general panel, however, is his age: Rabbi Gabriel Nagrin is only, in fact, some
twenty-five years old.
Thus, it was my privilege to encounter an extraordinary
individual, one who has taken leadership of a proud and rich Jewish area in a
time of its greatest modern strife. I found myself attempting to imagine the
pressures of maintaining order in a community while the national government
disintegrates and rioters rule the streets both day and night. (Admittedly,
this is something of a dramatization, but that is the way with imaginings).
Perhaps most importantly, Nagrin described the journey that
brought him into contact with his Jewish identity, and this journey is
particularly relevant given his proximity in age. Much would be lost in my own
retelling, and each leader impacted us in very different and unforgettable
ways. My story is simply one of many. Heck, just ask your own Diller when they
get back!
Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of questions anyway. This
is just one more thing to find out!
- Noah Feiwell
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