Happily anticipating the arrival of their first child, Ayelet Gorelick, 22, and husband Avichai, 29, registered for the birth at their local hospital in Ashkelon. But on October 7, when Ayelet was in her ninth month, Ashkelon became a major target of Hamas bombings.
Instead, the young couple decided to have their baby in Jerusalem, at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
“We came to Hadassah Hospital at the very last minute and the staff welcomed us and treated us with incredible kindness,” said Avichai, an electrical engineer who moved to Israel from New York.
Avichai’s parents, Phyllis and Joe Gorelick, flew to Israel from New York in time for the birth of their grandchild, a beautiful baby boy.
The euphoric new dad and granddad sought the hospital’s Abbell Synagogue to pray and admire the Chagall windows. Joe, also an electrical engineer, remembered falling in love with the windows when he was a volunteer in Israel 25 years ago.
Joe’s mother, Gita Gorelick, was a very active member of Hadassah and was delighted that he’d seen the windows. “When Hadassah Offices in Israel staff suggested we could make the baby’s brit milah (ritual circumcision) in that synagogue, it was like a fantasy come true,” said Grandpa Joe.
And so it was. The celebration in the synagogue took place under the glorious 12 modern art windows based on the biblical stories of Jacob’s sons created by Marc Chagall.
Ayelet and Avichai named their son Yoash, a combination of God’s name and the Hebrew aish, which means fire. Said Grandpa Joe: “They chose this name so the fire within their Jewish souls would light up and would never be dimmed by anyone who tries to destroy them.”
It’s a perfect name for their baby as they light their Hanukkah candles.
Learn more about the Chagall windows at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem