Open Search form

Shayndel Plotkin

Executive Director, Liumi, Inc.

Apply for a Blog

For Such a Time as This…

Mar 4, 2026, 7:31 AM

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
Report this post.

From the hidden to the revealed
Esther then and Esther now

Esther wrapped in silk and trembling faith— Yet stronger than the king’s unwanted embrace

“For such a time as this”
Her courage crossed the Scepters hiss
This moment Her legacy would not let her miss

Choosing her people over comfort and place  Her voice grew loud with a power and grace

And now— a different time yet here she stands

Now she is Israel standing strong and brave
Our Daughters keep our soil sacred and safe

Young women with steady hands and eyes— Guardians over our children’s lives

Like Esther, they do not seek the scepter and sword—
But they carry it when they must defend the world

To shield all from evil  To stand against dark
To guard like Esther and leave their mark

And the fragile thread of humanity
It wavers and wains and
Struggles to be set free

Oh our Esther’s today, Courage wears many faces—

A crown in a palace-
A helmet beneath desert stars-
A safe room under the stairs—

Yet our hearts are the same-
We rise when history calls
And we stand tall

Even when afraid
Even when it’s dark
Even when sirens blast
Even when the present seems too much
like the past

Oh our Esther’s today-
Courage wears many faces
and yours shines so bright

About the Author

Co-Founder and Executive Director of Liumi West Retreat. As a teacher, writer, and facilitator of Jewish educational seminars and curriculum, Shayndel Plotkin is passionate about working with women, children, and families to help them grow and develop – spiritually and personally. Her background in the Jewish community, Jewish education, and Israel advocacy began in the South Florida community more than twenty years ago as a writer for the Jewish press, and then as the Israel Experience Director for the Commission for Jewish Education. She has recently been certified as a female farmer in the state of Florida. Shayndel is a writer of novels, children's stories, a professional memoirist, and writer for several international magazines. She holds a Master of Arts in Jewish Education from the Pardes Institute and Hebrew College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communications from Florida State University. Shayndel is a graduate of Midreshet Rachel Seminary in Jerusalem, where she studied Jewish texts and philosophy for three years. Shayndel is married to Rabbi Baruch Plotkin and together they have seven children.