The event began with an opening song performed by the girls and was followed by meaningful messages delivered by Seeach Sod’s CEO Rabbi Levy, Mrs. S. Kaufman, principal of Maoz Yerushalayim, and one of the mothers. A video was shown of the girls acting out a plot in which all kinds of workers tried opening a gate, to no avail. Three members of Ma’as Ashira participated in the performance and sang a song about their power to open up the gate with their pure tefillos.

After singing one more final song, the first graders received their siddurim, amidst much excitement. Their teacher commented proudly that the girls were ripe and ready for this occasion, noting their familiarity with a siddur and their ability to daven from it. Each girl, at her turn, kissed her siddur with emotion and then passed through a decorated archway while the audience sang the refraining chorus: “Come and get your siddur and with it you’ll open the gate…”

The mothers, sisters and grandmothers in the audience wiped away tears as they joined in with the precious girls’ tefillos and entreated the One Above to accept their prayers on behalf of klal Yisrael.