Thursday, July 5, 2012

Slovie Jungreis Wolff and a Blessed Life

Tonight I went to the Hineni House in Jerusalem to hear the first ever speech in Israel by Slovie Jungreis Wolff. Slovie is the daughter of famed author, lecturer and Torah teacher Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, founder of the Hineni Movement. Slovie is an educator in her own right with classes in New York's Hineni School on Parenting and Relationships. She's also one of aish.com's columnists and author of  Raising A Child With Soul.
Using the Torah as her guide, Slovie talked about how each of us can find blessing in our lives by working to make our lives better and not bitter; by bringing joy and song to life; by appreciating life, instead of complaining; by staying enthusiastic about life; by touching others and making the world better. 
Slovie advised, "Never go to bed angry - at the world, yourself, or the people you live with. Touch people with joy. And put a smile on your face, even if you don't feel like it. Ask yourself before you go to sleep, how was this world better today because I lived in it."
Slovie Jungreis Wolff proved tonight that she is faithfully walking in the footsteps of her legendary mother, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis. And I'm sure that Slovie's popularity in Israel will grow as it has in America.
Why did I drive all the way to Jerusalem tonight just to hear a shiur? Well, Slovie and I have known one another just about our whole lives. She is the younger sister of my childhood best friend Chaya Sarah Jungreis Gertzulin, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see and hear her. It really was a special treat.
BTW, while the photo at left makes me look like a shrimp. I'm not. Slovie was wearing heels - high heels.



The lecture at Hineni House, 20 Rabbi Akiva Street, was packed with young people - mostly college students, including American students learning and volunteering in Israel,  and young marrieds. Ably headed by chairperson Shaindy Eisenberg (Slovie's daughter) and director Sola Rose Mak, the Hineni House is a three-hundred year old building, which was used by the British as a women's prison. Its arched doorways and thick Jerusalem-stone walls add to the mystique of the structure. Located in the heart of downtown Jerusalem, Hineni House is filled with excitement and constant activity. Join them.

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