***Please RSVP for Adam Berman’s Bar Mitzvah Lunch THIS Saturday 2/3 on our Events Page *** The Season 8 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry finalizes his divorce from Cheryl contains a hilarious scene where Larry’s lawyer Andrew Berg, who keeps a shofar on his desk and a mezuzah on his office door, is...
***Please RSVP for Adam Berman’s Bar Mitzvah Lunch next Saturday 2/3 on our Events Page: https://jccjapan.jp/event-registration/ *** Scholar. Soldier. Rabbi. Vegetarian. Japanophile? These and many other superlatives are often attributed to Shlomo Goren, the first Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces (1948-1968). Born in Poland 1917, Shlomo Goren emigrated in 1925 to the budding...
As Jewish fans of Sumo (no, we don’t call ourselves Jew-mos) get ready for the second week of Ryogoku Kokugikan’s January Tournament, the question inevitably comes up. Has there ever been a Jewish sumo wrestler? Although the JCC has not yet served the Sumo Stew known as Chanko Nabe, Judaism provides a substitute in the...
Yitgadal v’Yitkadash Shmay Raba… Even a less than occasional synagogue attendee is likely familiar with the four-word introduction to the Mourner’s Kaddish. The prayer whose centrality to the service cannot be overstated is a surprisingly recent addition to Jewish liturgy, arriving in its current form less than 1,000 years ago. While that may sound like...
Join us for an evening of soul nourishing jazz music with JCJ member Selim Benba. Back by popular demand, Selim will play popular jazz standards by famous Jewish composers such as Gershwin, Rogers & Hart, Victor Young, etc. as well as old Jewish favorites. Light refreshments will be available and wine can be purchased for...
Chag haBanot Sameach! Happy Girls Day! Do not adjust your dial. Today is not March 3rd, Japan’s Hinamatsuri celebrating the young ladies of Nippon. In the Jewish calendar, we find ourselves on Rosh Chodesh Tevet, the start of a new Hebrew month coinciding with the Sixth Day of Hanukkah. Unsatisfied with the dueling festivities of...
One of the JCC’s greatest strengths is how our members bring to Tokyo the traditions of their home communities. As opposed to a Long Island synagogue where Kiddush conversation revolves around how to beat the traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway, the Jews of Japan share with each other rituals and practices from the entire...
For those of us not young enough to join the Sunday school Hanukkah event but young at heart, please join for a night of Hanukkah fun on the Saturday, December the 9th. Let’s come together to light the Hanukkah candles and bring some light to these dark times. We will enjoy some wonderful food, drinks,...
Jews vs Greeks. Good vs Evil. Religious Freedom vs Persecution. The easily digestible version of Hanukkah many of us grew up with contains glaring omissions and even some outright falsehoods. Before you grab your pitchforks, know that patriotic Greek Jews are the ones most concerned with correcting the oversimplified narrative they believe does a disservice...
Join us for an exclusive movie screening on December 3 of the Israeli documentary “50 Broken Pieces” followed by Q&A with the director Micha Amitai and the producer Aner Preminger who will join us live from Israel via Zoom. (Micha is the cousin of JCJ member Raphael Sitbon). Movie plot: The film is an intimate...