A song for Sinai
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Anny sings “Esah Einai,” flanked, at left, by Sam Fishman and, at right, by teacher Sharon Berkowitz. |
Emotion ran high at the Sinai Schools annual benefit dinner on Feb. 8. Not only did the special-needs day school celebrate its many achievements, but the evening saw the debut of a song representing the experience of its parent body.
With music by parent C Lanzbom (who performed it with his group, Fools for April) and Dov Rosenblatt – and lyrics by Sam Fishman, parent of an alumnus and the school’s consulting managing director – “‘The Arms of Sinai’ expressed my feelings as a Sinai parent and sentiments I hear expressed every day from other parents,” said Fishman.
Unveiled together with a video in front of 500 supporters waving flashlights (“like a rock concert,” said Fishman), the song is the tale of a transition. Recounting parents’ journeys – from “facing the truth and knocking on a lot of doors” to finding a home for their children at Sinai – it was both “personally emotional and a composite of what I hear all the time,” said Fishman.
Featured in the video is 7-year-old Anny, a visually impaired student who later took the stage for her own musical debut. After describing some of the difficulties the Fair Lawn youngster has encountered in her life, Anny later told her mother, Fishman said, “This is the best night of my life.”
The DVD and song can be accessed at the Sinai Website, www.SinaiSchool.org or right here
The Arms of Sinai.
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