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Eli Gorodzinsky '26 Valedictory Address

When I was younger, I cried a lot. I am honest enough to admit I probably cried a lot more than the average kid my age. I used to cry whenever it was really windy out, because I was so scared that the hat I was wearing would fly right off my head and be lost forever. While I don’t recall any specific account of this happening, I do remember another moment from when I was seven. It was the end of Grade 2, and I cried. However, this moment wasn’t hat-related, but rather related to the fact that the next time I would be at school would be the first time that I was not going with my big brother, who had just graduated from Grade 5 and was moving on to middle school next year. I can replay this moment to a tee an infinite number of times in my head; it is one of my core memories. 

Good evening, Dr. Levy, Mrs. Cohen, distinguished Members of the Board of Directors, faculty and staff, Immas and Abbas, Bubbies and Zaydies, other family and friends, and fellow graduates. I share this anecdote with you not just to brag about how I’ve now courageously overcome my deathly fear of wind, but to pose a question to you all: What do you remember? This is, of course, an incredibly broad question. To clarify, what are the specific moments, people, and places that come to mind that you would dignify as your core memories? I want this idea to circulate in your minds as this speech progresses, as things you may not have originally thought of as memories in the first place may end up proving to be some of the most defining moments in your lives.

Naturally, throughout my years at TanenbaumCHAT, I have created countless memories. By taking advantage of unique opportunities such as the Weizmann Physics Safe Competition, Madrichim, and Student Council, I have forged incredible relationships with so many people around me. There is no doubt in my mind that a significant number of these relationships will last for the rest of my life, and for that I am eternally grateful. And while those examples are specific to me, I am confident that each and every student sitting here today–in some shape or form–has experienced the same formation of key relationships and memories as a direct result of our school community. It is crucial to understand that occasions like these are not to be taken for granted. Even the smaller instances, such as the free pyjama day snacks at 10-minute break, or the countless hacky sack circles during spares, cannot be overlooked, as they represent the contrast between the beginning of our high school journeys and now. It is surreal to look back on the separation within the grade as we entered Grade 9 and compare it to the profoundly connected, closely knit group sitting here today. Fellow graduates, as you continue to think through what your core memories are, I encourage you to truly process all the faces, voices, and inside jokes that you can think of over the past four years. Remember them, because forgetting these one-of-a-kind experiences is both a failure and a dishonour to your future self. 

Yet another factor to consider when ruminating over your memory... Your future self. What will you even look like? Who is this future self? Many of us have an ideal version of our future selves in our minds, a flawless potential we hope to someday bring to fruition. While not always realistic, these visions of ourselves are essential, as they determine not what our own memories are, but how we will one day be remembered in the eyes of others. There is a concept that is widely paraphrased from the Talmud that reads, “a person is not forgotten until his or her name is forgotten”. This phrase does not appear directly in the Talmud; however, it stems from a combination of other pesukim that do.

בְּתַלְמוּד בַּבְלִי, מַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא, דַּף לֹ"ח עַמּוּד א', כָּתוּב, "זֵכֶר צַדִּיק  לִבְרָכָה… וְשֵׁם רְשָׁעִים יִרְקָב". בַּיַּהֲדוּת, הַזִּכָּרוֹן אֵינֶנּוּ רַק פְּעֻלָּה שֶׁל זְכִירַת הֶעָבָר. הַזִּכָּרוֹן הוּא דֶּרֶךְ לִבְנוֹת זֶהוּת, אַחֲרָיוּת וּמְחֻיָּבוּת לֶעָתִיד שֶׁל הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים. לְדֻגְמָה, הַזִּכָּרוֹן שֶׁל יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם מַזְכִּיר לָנוּ אֶת עֲבָרֵינוּ כַּעֲבָדִים, מָה שֶׁמְּחַיֵּב אוֹתָנוּ לִהְיוֹת רְגִישִׁים לַאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁסּוֹבְלִים, לַגֵּר, לֶעָנִי לְאַלְמָנָה וּלְיָתוֹם. זֶה לֹא רַק זִכָּרוֹן הִיסְטוֹרִי, אֶלָּא זִכָּרוֹן שֶׁמְּחַיֵּב אוֹתָנוּ לִגְמֹל חֲסָדִים, לִהְיוֹת אַנְשֵׁי צדֶק, וְעַרְבוּת הֲדָדִית

דָּבָר זֶה נָכוֹן גַּם בַּיָּמִים אֵלּוּ, כַּאֲשֶׁר כָּאן בַּקְּהִלָּה שֶׁלָּנוּ אָנוּ מְקַיְּמִים טְקָסִים מַשְׁמָעוּתִיִּים וַחֲשׁוּבִים לְמֹעֲדֵי הַלּוּחַ הַיְּהוּדִי. יָּמִים כְּמוֹ יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה, וְיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן, מַזְכִּירִים לָנוּ מִי אֲנַחְנוּ, וּמָה הֵם הָעֲרָכִים שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶם נֶחֱנַךְ אֶת הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים. אָנוּ זוֹכְרִים מָה הַמַּשְׁמָעוּת שֶׁל חַיִּים יְהוּדִים לְלֹא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא זִכָּרוֹן שֶׁל עֶצֶב; אֶלָּא קְרִיאָה לְאַחֲרָיוּת וּלְחַיִּים יְהוּדִיִּים בַּעֲלֵי מַשְׁמָעוּת 

The names of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the Jewish people will never be forgotten. They were upstanders, brave enough to follow through with something that many would deem far too tall a task. Their courage and strength act as a reminder to always keep pushing ourselves, even when faced with a seemingly impossible barricade. 

As for the Class of 2026, it is up to us to ensure that our names will not be forgotten. As we reflect upon what our core memories are, we must ask ourselves why we remember these instances. Evaluate what it is that we, or the people around us, did for that moment to become a core memory. Emulating these memorable acts is the most certain way to ensure that we hold a place in the memories of our future children, family, and friends. While it is impossible to know what exactly the future holds, we use our past, our fears, our memories, to lay the groundwork for what we hope the future holds. We will hold on tight to the moments that are most important to us, and at the same time, work to create the greatest opportunities for the next generation to form these same unique moments. Let us make it so that one day, our children can decisively answer when they are asked the same question: “What do you remember?”

מַזָּל טוֹב Everyone!

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