Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
Rabbi Ira Budow is a local legend.
He has been director at Abrams Hebrew Academy in Yardley for more than four decades, and his name carries weight in the region’s Jewish dayschool circles.
His lifetime of work with Abrams and the impact he’s made on students for the last forty-plus years is a large reason that he’ll be honored later this month at a ceremony by Israel Bonds in Newtown praising him for his commitment to Israel and Israeli causes.
This makes it even more notable that, recently, he took part in a Jewish ceremony that stuck out amongst all the rest.
For Budow, his granddaughter’s bat mitzvah in May was going to be special no matter what, but it took on a whole new meeting because of where it was held: an Israel Defense Forces base in Israel. Budow said that it was a memorable moment for him, his family and the other students who attended as a part of an Abrams Hebrew Academy trip. Not only did it demonstrate his granddaughter’s commitment to Judaism, but it showed her and her peers’ steadfast support for Israel.
“This was really something that my granddaughter and my grandchildren will never forget, and that, to me, is really what the goal of the bar mitzvah is — to make a lasting message to our children,” he said.
Budow took a moment to reflect on his own bar mitzvah, held all the way back in 1966. He said that the ’60s were tumultuous for everyone, Jews included. While, in many ways, the landmark domestic social justice reforms of the era are what the decade is most remembered for, Budow remembers a time when Israel needed as much help as it could get.
“There was not this connection to Israel that I think folks have today,” he said.
Which makes it all the more important to Budow that his own granddaughter was so enthusiastic about not only having hers in Israel, but having it at an army base. It demonstrates that her priority that day wasn’t a big party, but helping those who need it most.
“One guy came up to me and said, ‘You don’t understand how much this means to us — we’re away from our home, we feel lonely and we wonder if anybody out there really cares,’” Budow said. “It made a world of difference for these guys.”
Budow said that the genesis for this trip, which included Abrams students and chaperones as well as some of his family, was to support Israel at a time when the country is in peril. Budow was born five years after the country was chartered in 1948, and supporting the world’s only Jewish state is a key belief for him and the school in Yardley that he leads.
Case in point is a program that he helped enact at the school that sees Abrams students paired with Israeli peers for a sort of pen pal program. Budow wasn’t sure what to expect when the two groups met each other in person for the first time, as technology has made it easy for the students to get to know each other virtually. What he saw touched him and the other chaperones.
“There was great anticipation, but I didn’t anticipate that when they were hugging each other, some of the girls were crying with each other,” Budow said. “It was, for them, a very emotional moment.”
Moments like that are why Budow got into Jewish education in the first place. Helping forge them is also a big reason why Budow’s reputation has grown. He is the recipient of numerous community awards. At the event later this month, Israel Bonds will honor Budow specifically for his commitment to supporting Israel. The speakers list includes the current Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter; the treasurer of Pennsylvania, Stacy Garrity; and founder of Klal Govoah, Shabbos Kestenbaum.
“You reach an age where being honored is not on the agenda,” said Budow, who is 72. “[The event will have] wonderful speakers, and Israel bonds has made it very easy because they said, ‘Just come.’”
While he doesn’t crave the spotlight, Budow admitted he is excited about the event, “believe it or not.”
Budow’s purpose is to further Jewish life and values for the next generation. But make no mistake: His legacy is tied to that of Abrams.
“My goal is to make sure that the school is in good hands for the next generation,” he said.
Budow cited an example of a family who is currently enrolled in public school and had never seriously considered Jewish dayschool until antisemitic bullying became a constant.
“I think that to continue to help people who are on the outside of the Jewish world, I think that’s a great place for Abrams to continue [to be in], and I hope that will be the case for the next generation,” he said.
