Melton London Graduation Ceremony
10 July 2007 * 24 Tammuz 5767
Laughter and Tears
This is England, so one has to first comment on the weather, and that this was not the hottest evening of the year as we’ve had the last few years. But it did at least stay dry, and the sun came out – very unusual in this year of rain, hail and thunder.
An unusual year altogether, challenging in many ways, the graduation ceremony remained a jewel of an evening. 37 graduates surrounded by friends and family, board members and faculty.
Gerald Rothman, Chair of Melton since opening in London in 1998, welcomed everyone and introduced keynote speaker, Michael Wegier. Michael has worked at UJIA for 5 years and is about to return to Israel as Executive Director of Melitz. A great supporter of Melton through UJIA, he has been a substitute teacher here, and has also taught in Baltimore. His keynote drew much on the Melton experience and stressed that all educatees were also educators and urged them to realise their potential. Drawing on numerous examples and research he commended their achievement and urged them to further learning.
Director Judy Trotter then spoke about the year that had passed:
“This year has been book-ended by tragedy. Our Melton community has had sadness both among the faculty and the students.
Just before the year started, Angela’s daughter Esther died which rocked us all. Angela’s strength and determination in her teaching this year has shown amazing spirit and inspiration. We didn’t know how much she would be needed. In the last month we have been rocked again, within one of the second year morning groups, a few weeks ago Edna Turnberg’s son Daniel was killed in an air crash in Milawi. Just over a week ago Racheli Wolfson’s daughter Rivka died in an accident close to her home. Our hearts go out to all those who have suffered loss this year.
This is also the first graduation to take place since the death of Florence Melton, our grand doyenne, who died this February. At 95 years old she was still sending us messages. Her vision was of a learning community that shared the good and the bad together and that is what we strive for. She was an inspiration to the global Melton community, writing poems and ditties that winged their way round the world. At the beginning of this year there was but one large group of morning students. They persuaded us to split them back into the groups they’d been as first years and spent the year proving how right they had been. We are honoured this evening to have both groups presenting to us. The first group will come up now and prove how the Jewish Melton spirit cannot be squashed. Please give them a huge round of applause.”
Each member of this affected group spoke differently and movingly, some in rhyme, some with ditties and some from the heart. They spoke of friendship and sharing, of intellectual exercise, of life given a new Jewish dimension, of humour and sadness.
Michael Wegier then presented each graduate with their certificate and gift of a book to tumultuous applause. Judy thanked the faculty for their dedication and inspiration and presented Daniel Rynhold with an Azoulay mezuzah bought in Jerusalem as he moves to New York to take up a professorship at Yeshiva University.
The final presentation brought the house down as the second morning group gave arousing rendition of their own version of “Those were the Days” (See words below.)
Once again, the ceremony confirms how much these students have gained from their two years with Melton.
Judy Trotter
July 2007
To the tune of "Those were the Days"
Once upon a time, there was a classroom
Where we would while away an hour or two
Remember how we hardly knew each other
And Hymie quietly sat and studied too
Those were the days, my friend
Now Melton’s at an end
We’ve read our Tanach and some Talmud too
We’ve all got different views
Of where we are as Jews
But look how much we’ve learnt along the way
Di di di di di etc
Every week we covered different topics
Learning at a gallop not a trot
Somehow we always felt we needed longer
When Judy came and shouted ‘Time to Stop!’
Chorus
Then the first year was already over
Suzanne had us hooked right from the start
Now we knew when Hymie was just kidding
He really was a feminist at heart!
Chorus
Year 2 brought us Angela and Evelyn
A drama queen and ethicist supreme
Discussions that were full of real passion
A syllabus that really is a dream
Chorus
Women and Torah is quite a challenge
Now we know how threatening for men
But even though we frightened off the others
Hymie stuck there with us to the end
Chorus
Through the door, there comes familiar laughter
There’s still some time for a final hug
Next year we’ll be older and much wiser
And back at Melton ‘cos we’ve got the bug!
Chorus
(as you may gather from the above this was a class with only one male remaining)
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