Ilene Fruman Beckman IFDF Honoree of the Year 2015
Thank you so much to the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston for this extraordinary honor. It is such a
privilege to be recognized for doing something I love, in a community that means so much to me, and
that has had such a huge impact on my life. It would not be an overstatement to say that Israeli dance
is actually responsible for the entire personal trajectory of my adult life.
If you can imagine that there was once a time when a respectable girl always waited for a guy to ask
her to dance, one young woman took a bold step at an Israeli dance session, right on this very campus,
and, unknowingly, or perhaps knowingly, asked her future husband, David, to dance.
Soon after two boys, Aaron and Michael, now grown, were born into a family where, more often than
not, Festival finale music was playing in the car, rather than Raffi.
The Israel Folkdance Festival has always been central to our lives. From Committee meetings to
rehearsals, to dance sessions, we lived our lives according to the Israeli folkdance calendar.
In broader terms, Israeli dance has been a powerful point of entry to so much of what is dear to me:
 Jewish music,
 the words of our sacred texts,
 the history and beauty of the land and people of Israel,
 and a special feeling of community.
Israeli music and dance breathe life into Jewish learning and are vital to a vision of education which
values and nurtures Jewish learning in all its forms. For the opportunity to live this vision, I offer my
heartfelt thanks to Temple Emanuel of Newton where, in my role as Religious School Director, I have
been able to share this gift with all of our students, as well as with so many in our community who
have found a dance haven within our welcoming walls.
For nearly 40 years, the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston has served as the epicenter of these values.
Whether one enters the door as a dancer or an audience member, every participant has the possibility
of being transported by the sheer joy, ruach, and connection to the Jewish people, which transpire
each year in this space.
40 years is an important measure of time for us.
40 years in the desert was just the beginning; when we entered the land, we started anew. Thanks to
all of you, the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston will look forward to the same optimistic future. Next
year we hit 40---and with your support, that will be just the beginning!
If I can leave you with one bit of dance and life wisdom…don't ever be afraid to cross your right foot in
front of your left. You never know where that first step could lead you! Thank you so much!