he women were planning a weekend retreat in Virginia Beach — a chance to gather in person, study, pray, talk, and enjoy one another’s company.
Wanting to include something fun and different, they thought of Israeli dancing.

None had previous experience with rikudim. They were simply curious and wanted to experience a small piece of a culture they had encountered through Scripture.

Suddenly, what initially sounded like a request for a dance instructor felt like something much bigger. I had the privilege of being a bridge.

The timing could hardly have been more complicated. The invitation arrived right in the middle of the Jewish holiday season, when our calendars seem to develop lives of their own. But somehow, we found a window. Just a few hours before Shabbat, I joined the women during their retreat.

And we danced.

We began, of course, with some context. Israeli folk dance is not simply choreography set to Hebrew music. The dances carry stories. The songs have words and meanings. Some come from biblical texts and prayers; others speak about Israel, love, hope, community, and the experience of building a shared culture.

Then came the movement.

Hands joined. Steps were learned. Mistakes made. Laughter was heard. Slowly, people who had never danced Israeli folk dance before were moving together in a circle.

And that circle stayed with me.

There is something powerful about the circle in Israeli dance. There is no front row. There is no most important person. We hold hands, we move together, and when someone loses the step, the people beside her help bring her back in.

For a little while that afternoon, our circle became wider.

It reached beyond a Jewish school, synagogue, or JCC. It included women who had come with genuine curiosity and respect, wanting to understand something that matters deeply to us.

At the end of their retreat, their leader wrote to thank me, noting that during their final sharing, nearly everyone mentioned how blessed they felt by the Israeli folk dancing.

We spend so much time thinking about how to preserve Jewish identity within our own community — and rightly so. We teach our children, celebrate our holidays, sing our songs, tell our stories, and work to ensure the next generation knows where it comes from.

But there is another beautiful responsibility: opening the circle.

There is tremendous joy in sharing our culture with people outside the Jewish community who approach it with curiosity, affection, and respect.
Sometimes that happens through a conversation, food, music, Hebrew, or a holiday celebration. And sometimes it happens when a group of women joins hands and tries to figure out which foot goes where.

For me, Israeli folk dance has always been about more than steps. It is culture, memory, community, and connection. It is one of the ways I learned to love Israel and Am Yisrael before I had the words to explain that love.

Last month, for one afternoon in Virginia Beach, I had the privilege of sharing a little of that love beyond our own community.

Perhaps that is one of the most meaningful things we can do with our traditions: cherish them enough to preserve them, live them proudly enough to make them visible, and open our circle wide enough to share their beauty with others.

Artists Support Grant are currently closed. Artists can email ArtsInfo@vbgov.com for updates on future rounds.

Marcia Futterman Brodie of Marcia Trains LLC, is a dementia caregiver educator, certified by Positive Approach to Care.

If you or someone you know could benefit from these home repair and modification services, contact Maryann Kettyle at Jewish Family Service at 757-459-4640 or mkettyle@jfshamptonroads.org to learn more or to apply for assistance.