Boston Community Breathes Sigh of Relief

Mattisyahu Mehl, a Chicago resident and a talmid in the Mesivta of Greater Boston, recalls those tense hours. “We were sitting outside on Thursday night, enjoying a bowl of hot chulent, when we saw police cars whizzing down the street and heard a lot of shooting. At first, we were not quite sure what was going on, but the next morning, the lockdown was announced and we became very frightened. The in-town bachurim did not come to yeshivah on Friday, and there were few minyanim in town. Everyone was told to just stay in their houses. We were in yeshivah, with the dormitory and beis medrash in the same building, yet it was very, very scary.”

The entire city was at a standstill, as schools, stores and businesses were closed and few people walked outside.

Yaakov Fink, a bachur in the yeshivah from Olney, Maryland, recalls, “The menahel came in on Friday morning and told us that we should go to daven and learn, but there would be no shiur, because the rebbeim could not come. We usually eat at other homes on Shabbos, but since we did not know how long the situation would last, the bachurim gathered together and cooked food for Shabbos.”

The lockdown was lifted about 5:30 Friday afternoon, but since the criminals were still at large, the situation remained very tense until the news broke on Shabbos morning that Tsarnaev had been captured.

Another Boston resident describes those tense days. “On Monday, right after the bombing, there were police cars all over the city, and when we went to pick up the children from school, we were not allowed to get out of our cars — the children were brought to us. Everyone was suspect — the police did not know if there were more attacks planned. By Tuesday, life had basically returned to normal, yet there were warnings for all to be vigilant of any suspicious activity and there was a visible police presence in the city.

“At 6:00 Friday morning, I received an automated phone call: ‘Do not leave your house… Do not stand near the windows or doors… The men are considered armed, dangerous, and may be wired with explosives.’ That really shook me up, but I got to work getting ready for Shabbos. Luckily, I had the food that I needed to cook in the house; however, not everyone was so fortunate.”

Leaving one’s home was not illegal, just highly discouraged. In preparation for Shabbos, some organized small minyanim in their homes, to minimize exposure. However, by the time Shabbos began, the lockdown had been lifted, and the Boston residents breathed a sigh of relief.

The View From the Finish Line

Among the runners in the ill-fated Boston Marathon was Mr. Eli Chernin, a member of the frum community in Sharon, Massachusetts.

Mr. Chernin describes the events of the day. “It was quite an eventful day but, thank G-d, I am safe and sound, and my family is safe as well.”

April 15 started as a beautiful day in Boston; the weather conditions were ideal for running a marathon — sunny, but a bit cool and breezy. The Boston Marathon is considered one of the most prestigious races; 28,000 runners race for 26.2 miles. Runners are assigned one of three shifts, or waves, which are further divided into corrals, based on the runner’s performance in previous races. The most elite runners begin at 10:00, the second wave begins at 10:20, and the third begins the race at 10:40.

“I was in the third wave of runners, together with my good friend, Dr. Brian Silver, a seasoned runner, who assisted me all the way. I completed the race in three hours, 38 minutes and 57 seconds. I had remained with Dr. Silver during the entire race, and could not have done it without him. However, he finished 20 seconds ahead of me, and at the finish line, we became separated. There are two chutes at the finish line, sort of tunnels which are about two blocks long. After completing the race, the runners walk through either chute, as volunteers hand out drinks, medals and special blankets that prevent hypothermia after the race.

“While in the chute, I called my wife, who had been watching the race at Cleveland Circle, about four miles from the finish line, and told her that I had finished. She related that she and the children were about to board a train to come and meet me at the finish line. I told her, ‘It is ridiculous to come down here. I am ready to head back home. I will come and meet you at Cleveland Circle.’ Shortly afterwards, I had just come out of the chute and was looking for Dr. Silver, when I heard “booms” and saw two plumes of smoke. Some thought it was a scheduled event — perhaps a Revolutionary War re-enactment, such as is common in Boston. However, the police officer standing nearby did not know of any scheduled events. Then his radio starting going crazy with calls for back up, and I knew that something was terribly wrong. I soon realized that had my family come to meet me, they would have been right in the area of the bombing at the time of the explosion. I was very thankful to Hashem that we were all safe and sound.”

After the explosion, police tried to clear the entire area and send people back to their homes; however, closure of train service and crashes in cell phone service only complicated matters. Thousands of runners who had not completed the race were told to stop immediately. Brookline residents opened their homes to runners, some of whom came from foreign countries and were suddenly stranded and confused, until public transportation reopened and they were able to return to their hotels.

Dr. Silver, who was closer to the site of the bombing and felt the ground shake from the explosion, expressed shock and disbelief at the events of the day. “It was a terrible event, as a beautiful day of running became so sad, as many people were killed and injured. Although the criminals were caught, that won’t improve the lives of those who were injured. We must try to be vigilant and realize that we will never fully understand why people do these terrible things. Yet, especially for those who are familiar with the situation in Israel, we realize that we must go on with life.”

Mr. Chernin finally made his way back to Sharon, where he was reunited with his family. Drawing from words of inspiration of his Rav, Rabbi Nisson Dov Miller of Etz Chaim Congregation of Sharon, and Rabbi Yitzi Weiner, Rosh Kollel of Sharon Community Kollel, Mr. Chernin shares his feelings about that fateful day.

“These sorts of things only embolden us as Jews and encourage all good, honest people to better themselves. As the Rav said on Shabbos, we cannot become callous to these types of events; we cannot let them become commonplace. We must stand up in the face of terror, and let the world know that this will not be tolerated. Furthermore, we must understand that while we are not responsible, this happened for a reason. As it happened so close to our home, it is a sign that we are not living up to our full potential as Yidden. We must look in the mirror and work on ourselves — daven harder, give more tzedakah, check our mezuzos and our tefillin. In addition, inasmuch as nowadays we have a false confidence in all of the advances of medical science, events like this show that it is not up to us. It is 100 percent up to Hashem, and we must value every single moment, as there are absolutely no guarantees.”

This article appeared in print on page D1 of the April 24th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.