But, since September, this Jewish lad from Newark, New Jersey, has brought renewed faith and vitality - tearful joy at times - to the members of Neve Shalom Synagogue in Suriname, home to the oldest surviving Jewish community in the Americas which dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. In this little window of time, one time-honored Jewish tradition - reading the Torah - almost lost at Neve Shalom has been salvaged and restored.
This year, on the eve of the Jewish high season of festivals, at the behest of Neve Shalom's President, Jules Donk, and Cantor Jack Van Neil, ancient Torah Scrolls were ceremonially removed from the Ark, processed towards the bima, placed on the lecturn, and with the synagogue's 'yad' (a hand-shaped pointer) in hand, young Yehudah began fluently reading from the Book of Deuteronomy in ancient Hebrew. His innocent eyes were alit as his voice thrilled and resounded in the synagogue chanting the eon-aged Hebrew tropes.
"My Hebrew teacher, Cantor Rikki Lippitz from Oheb Shalom Synagogue in South Orange would be proud of her student in Suriname. I think the same goes for Rabbi Mark Cooper," young Yehudah said.
As innocuous as this commonplace event was, it was a milestone in Suriname: This was the first time for the year the ancient Hebrew texts were being read at Neve Shalom. It brought tears to the eyes of Cantor Van Neil who made no attempt to conceal his emotions - twice he wiped his eyes with the fringe of his 'tallit'.
"I've been playing the role of Cantor at Neve Shalom for the past 18 years following in my father's footsteps. And I can tell you a lot of people come to Suriname, but the flame is not burning [in them]. That day when Torah was read, I felt amazing happiness. It was full. I am very sensitive and couldn't help but cry," Cantor Van Neil revealed.
According to Yehudah, "For me, this is a life-shaping experience; definitely unique. It has given me the opportunity to find myself and refocus the faith aspect of my life."
"Three years ago at Oheb Shalom, I had my Bar Mitzvah, and this was the beginning of my journey in finding my self. But like many kids, after a while, one tends to lose the focus. Coming to Suriname has definitely put me back on track. Apart from my studies at school, the key force in this vital process has been my Torah readings on 'shabbat' and festivals at Neve Shalom. It's an honor to be here."
Just prior to and during the high season, on Thursdays, while his fellow students played chess and scrabble, Yehudah would slip away from school - with permission, of course - to go to Neve Shalom to assist with shining the synagogue's centuries-old brass chandeliers.
"I feel extraordinarily blessed with this experience. Just entering Neve Shalom is amazing in itself because here is the oldest Jewish community in the region. It's awesome to be able to serve in this way using a skill they've almost lost, and one which I've studied every week for the past eight (8) years as a Hebrew student of Torah."
Yehudah felt deeply honored on Yom Kippur when he was invited to help Cantor Van Neil and Mr. Donk with the service. "I'll never forget this experience. Everything went beautifully on the high day," he said.
Although he's thousands of miles away from home and synagogue, this young black American teenager with wooly locks is making a big difference with his gift and knowledge of ancient Hebrew.
Looking back, last August, as he bade farewell to scout companions and traveled 3,000 miles south, ostensibly, Yehudah was just seeking quiet space - away from the all-too-familiar teenage distractions - to focus his intellectual forces on college-board examinations. Back then, he thought his semester-long respite from Newark was just a study-stopover at the AlphaMax Academy, a small, private international school in Paramaribo, Suriname. What Yehudah did not anticipate when he boarded Continental Airlines is that his coming to Suriname would tap and stir deep spiritual yearnings by simply singing familiar ancient Hebrew tropes in one of the oldest historic synagogues in the Western hemisphere.
Ivan A Khayiat is a published free-lance journalist and writer. He holds degrees in Mass Communications and English, and resides in Suriname. AlphaMax: http://www.alphamaxacademy.com For information on Neve Shalom and the historically significant Jewish Settlement called 'Jodensavanne' (a United Nations World Heritage Site), please visit:http://www.jodensavanne.sr.org
