Mourning in Littleton: Reflections from an Israeli Dance Troup

By Michelle Herman

Dor Sheni, the Western Region Partnership 2000 song and dance troupe from Kiryat Malachi, are performing for seven communities during a 21-day Yom Ha'atzmeut tour. Since their April 21, 1999 arrival to the U.S., they visited Phoenix where they performed at the Hillel and interacted with fellow teenagers. From Phoenix, Dor Sheni flew to Denver, arriving a day after the tragedy at Columbine High School. The community canceled the scheduled Dor Sheni Yom Ha'atzmaut performance and asked the girls to help the community mourn. The following are recounts of the Partnership 2000 visit to Denver. Below are three statements written by the girls of Dor Sheni themselves, followed by a summary of my own observations and experiences.

1) We arrived here after a lovely stay in Phoenix. We thought that the good time we had in Phoenix would continue in Denver. However, we arrived in Denver on a very sad day...a day that 15 people were murdered...mostly innocent students that wanted just to continue their study and have another day as usual. There were other students, however, that decided to commit stupid and heinous acts. We understood immediately that The Israeli Independence Day celebration that had been planned at the JCC would be canceled. Instead, we got ready, as only in Israel we know how, for their memorial service. We unfortunately have known a lot of sadness during our short life-time. Our group, Dor Sheni, decided to sing the song of peace, and to cry for you. These were the same songs that we sang the day Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed. These songs spoke of our sympathy with the people of Denver. Of course, the memorial for the students reminded us a lot of the memorial for Yitzhak Rabin and I felt the pain and the sorrow for all the people of Denver. I am sharing my sorrow and hoping for peace.

Moran Atar

2) I am expressing my sorrow for the people of Denver and the United States, and the families that suffered the loss. When I heard the awful news about the tragic death of the students, I felt deeply saddened. This tragedy took me back to tragedies that unfortunately are experienced too often in Israel. I was honored that we could take part in the memorial service, althought it was very sad. I hope that this kind of event will never take place again. I am crossing my fingers for all of the bereaved families, and other people, that they should not experience more sad events in the future, but rather joyous occasions.

With blessings,
Mital Shavia, Kiryat Malachi

3) We arrived in Denver with great expectations to celebrate Israel's Independence Day. We landed in this beautiful city where the weather was a bit cold and dismal and then we heard about the tragedy that had happened in this serene city. This was not expected. The citizens were sad because of the circumstances. Unfortunately, I am used to sad and tragic events. We know what to do at memorial ceremonies and that is sad. The saddest part is that what happened in Denver was not because of territorial dispute, it was because children our age are confused. To see all the citizens of Denver crying, sad and bewildered, touched my heart because we have similar situations. Our dance troupe knows many songs appropriate to memorial services and the fact that we came from a place that is accustomed sad events was very ironic. We came to show solidarity and to console the citizens of Denver, who were very surprised at the turn of events. We, from Israel and, they, from Denver had similar events happening to us. When I saw people at the event, I knew what they were feeling and I understood how important it was for them to express their sorrow and their horror. A member of Dor Sheni Dance Troupe

I accompanied Dor Sheni, our Partnership 2000 song and dance troupe from Kiryat Malachi, to Denver, Colorado. At the airport, I greeted expectant Israeli teens, ecstatic about their recent visitto Phoenix. They had loved their host families and their first visit to America.

They told me how hard they had rehearsed for Denver's Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration and asked if it was still on due to the tragedy of the day before. I did not have an answer to give them.

The group was greeted warmly by community representatives who told them, sadly, that the Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration had been canceled. With tears in her eyes, the shaliach explained in Hebrew, the horrific tragedy that took place at Columbine High School.

The Dor Sheni girls began to cry. Although they knew and understood the feeling of such a tragedy, they could not believe how this was possible in a high school, how teens their own age had perpetrated such a heinous crime. The girls expressedcompassion, concern, and understanding for the Denver community.

The Jewish Federation asked Dor Sheni to represent them at the memorial service for the entire city of Denver. They would perform on stage next to the Mayor and several public officials. Immediately, the girls said yes, but worried about how they would dress and sing appropriately. Their costumes were white and their songs celebratory. The girls called a meeting in the lobby of the Jewish Community Center, still only two hours after arrival in Denver. They worked as a team and quickly prepared for their performance. They decided to wear black blazers over their costumes and to rehearse "Lifkot Lach," "We Cry For You" and "Shir L'shalom," the "Song of Peace." These two songs are only sung in Israel to commemorate tragedies such as terrorist bombings and the death of Yitzchak Rabin. The director explained that these songs were difficult for the girls to perform in public due to the association all Israelis have with them.

Shortly after their brief rehearsal, the girls were driven to Downtown Denver where the Mayor and representatives from several religious denominations greeted them. The crowd of 4000 people held candles, cried and said prayers for the families from Littleton. Dor Sheni stood in the cold shivering, exhausted, and sad, but determined to perform and help this community mourn.

Scheduled to close the service, the girls walked onto stage and sang in Hebrew, "Lifkot Lach." They sounded so beautiful and moving that members of the audience, especially the Jewish Community, began sobbing. Due to the audience support, they were asked to sing a second Hebrew song. They started "Shir L'shalom," the "Song of Peace." During the last verse, they began clapping and the 4000 people in the audience joined them, each with candles in hand and tears pouring down their cheeks. Dor Sheni helped the community of Denver mourn their tragic loss.

Since Wednesday's memorial service, the girls performed a second time in Denver at a memorial service for the Jewish Community and were interviewed on several occasions by both local and Israeli press. Recently, Dor Sheni completed their visit with a stop in Tucson, where they were able to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut with an energized crowd of over a thousand people. On Sunday, I left a group of eleven beautiful and spirited teenagers. They were singing, dancing, and conversing with their friends in Tucson and are now looking forward to continued community celebrations in Orange County, Long Beach, Palm Springs, and Seattle