Since we’re still in the beginning years of our shlichus, we don’t yet have a big, beautiful building. Instead, we cram as many students as we can fit into our small home. For a regular Shabbos, we make it work. But Purim was coming up, and we wanted ample space for a much larger crowd.
After some creative thinking, we decided to rent a party bus. Not only would we have more space, we could also drive around from dormitory to dormitory, bringing the party to the students! As Purim fell out on Motzei Shabbos, we arranged for the bus to come right after Havdalah.
While we enjoyed a calm, serene Shabbos at home, we had no idea what was taking place on campus. A pro-Palestinian organization had arranged a “die-in,” where dozens of students lay on the floor, as if dead. It cast a pall over the entire campus, and a feeling of unease amongst the Jewish students.
Without knowing any of this, we came driving down the street, blasting festive Jewish music, pulling students in to dance, and giving them mishloach manos packages to give their friends the next day. In moments, the mood switched from anxious and tense to happy, cheerful, and confident. And the city of Ithaca rejoiced and was glad.
