Sometimes, you catch a snatch of conversation, and you wonder about the story behind it. Recently, I caught such a snippet, and it has continued to concern me. During a tour of Jerusalem’s quaint twin neighborhoods of Mishkenot Sha’ananim and Yemin Moshe, our group (all senior citizens) passed by a class of schoolchildren. Judging by their appearance, they were fourth graders from a non-religious state school.
The children were listening to their guide, clearly interested in what she had to say. And then it happened. I heard a question from the guide and no answer from the kids.
“Do you know what ‘Akedat Yitzhak’ [the Binding of Isaac] is?” asked the guide. Not a single hand went up. Not one eager face adopted an “Ask me!” expression. The silence was disquieting.
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