A Parent’s View of Simchas Beis Hashoeva Policy

From the COLlive Inbox: A mother from the community says the organizers "could have done a better job explaining" the changes to Simchas Beis Hashoeva.

By Sara Cohen

I definitely understand the fun and excitement that comes with having stands at Simchas Beis HaShoeiva. For the kids, it’s exciting, and it adds to the carnival atmosphere. I know some families genuinely enjoyed that part of the experience and missed it last year.

That said, I think the organizers could have done a better job explaining the change last year. It wasn’t always clear to everyone why the policy was being implemented, and I can understand why some people were frustrated at first.

But after experiencing the night, I think the reason became pretty clear.

With all the stands in previous years came a lot of congestion, garbage and mess, and at times it felt like the focus was getting away from what Simchas Beis HaShoeiva is really about — the simcha, the dancing, and bringing the community together.

Last year was simply a more pleasant experience. It was clean and orderly, but still had plenty of energy and excitement. And the kids weren’t missing out either. The organizers gave out free light-up toys by the stage, so there was still something exciting for the children to enjoy.

No system is perfect, and there’s always room for improvement. But it felt like the organizers were looking at the bigger picture and thinking about the community as a whole — not just what would be exciting for a few minutes, but what would make the entire experience better.

We’re very fortunate to have an event like this in Crown Heights. A tremendous amount of time, effort and money goes into making it happen, and I’m very grateful to everyone involved for putting so much into creating a beautiful Simchas Beis HaShoeiva for the community.

Last year showed that we can have a tremendous amount of simcha without the extra chaos. For me, that made the night more enjoyable — and I hope we continue building on what worked.

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