Three carpenters got together 51 years ago and built a kisei shel Eliyahu which they donated to the shul in Moshav Kadish in the Tanach Region. Since then, the chair was a faithful participant in many a bris, used by many Gedolei Yisrael Shlita, until 15 years ago, when it was taken from the shul. Mispallalim explain this was no ordinary chair, but the pride of the shul, part of the moshav’s tradition.

For veteran community resident 53-year-old Tzion Peretz, the missing chair was painful, explaining his son who is about to enter the IDF used the chair for his bris. He was unable to accept the situation, setting out on his mission to locate its whereabouts. “I asked areas residents to keep an eye out. I went to every bris possible looking for the chair” but despite his noble efforts, 15 years have passed and the chair hasn’t been recovered.

A number of weeks ago, two community residents traveled to a restaurant that was selling its furniture, which they intended to buy. To their surprise, they saw the chair, not positioned prominently as it once was, but scratched and neglected, pushed into a corner.

An emotional Peretz took the chair to the Emek Yafeh special education school, where carpentry students worked to rehabilitate the once proud kisei shel Eliyahu. On Wednesday, 7 Iyar, the chair was returned to its prominent place in the moshav shul, to the delight of the entire community. 
Peretz added, “Now we are all waiting for the first bris, at which time Eliyahu HaNavi will take his prominent place in our shul once again”.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)