Zooming into Zaida

NICOLA MILTZ

They come from all over to listen to his Pesach words of wisdom. Every second night, in the comfort of his home or on his patio, he surrounds himself with children ranging in age from one week old to 20 years old. There are between 30 to 45 people at any given time, and moms and dads join in the conversation.

It’s a raucous affair at times. Some kids break out with gymnastics routines, while others simultaneously do homework assignments. Some eat breakfast while others are getting ready for bedtime, one or two break out into song while others eat dinner.

The sessions take place over Zoom, the video calling application, and includes grandchildren who live in New York, Connecticut, Florida, Israel, Cape Town, and Johannesburg.

“I’m blessed to have children who live in many places, and I thought that while everyone was in isolation, it would be a good time to talk about the Haggadah,” said Hecht who has been in lockdown with his wife Raisy since last Thursday night.

Despite having lost his brother this week to coronavirus and Raisy having lost her uncle to the disease, they all Zoom into Zaida at about 18:00 local time. This brings them comfort.

“It is a very difficult time. Necessity is the mother of invention. Thankfully we are always in touch with our family, but now we can all get together at the same time and connect virtually,” he said.

“This way the cousins get to see each other. A few ask questions, a few answer questions. I encourage everyone to do this if they can. It creates a certain vibe, a certain spirit, which is nice before Pesach.”

“It’s a positive twist on a negative situation. We can all sit at home and mope because most of us will be alone for the seder. To be alone isn’t nice, but at least this way, we can share some good times before Pesach,” he said.

Last week, the Zoom session moved to the Marais Road Shul in Cape Town for a baby naming ceremony following the birth of Rabbi Hecht’s youngest grandchild, Rivka Dina.

Rabbi Hecht’s son, Rabbi Pini Hecht of the Marais Road Shul, named his baby in front of 100 “Zoomers”.

According to Rabbi Hecht’s daughter, Esther-Leah Levin, it was an emotional, moving ceremony.

“My brother, Pini, and Rabbi Dovid Wineberg were the only two present. About 100 people joined via live stream on Zoom. Even Chani and the baby made an appearance. It was so cute to see my newborn niece on screen. It was emotional and beautiful, a ray of light in these dark days.”

Pini told the SA Jewish Report it was “heart-warming at such short notice to be able to share the simcha [celebration] with so many people during this time in our lives”.

Hecht said he intends to continue his Passover sessions, and hopes to continue the tradition of connecting virtually once the pandemic is under control and things return to normal.

“It’s not a shiur in the traditional sense, rather it’s an enriching learning experience, and it’s mostly about coming together as a family.”

“Who is the author of the Haggadah?” and “How many times is Moses mentioned in the Haggadah?” are some examples of the questions posed.

“Some know the answers, some don’t. I try to challenge them. Doing it this way makes it easy to talk with multiple people at once, and we can all connect during this very difficult time,” Hecht said.