The war in Ukraine continues to be on our minds and in our hearts. Many of our ancestors emigrated from Ukraine relatively recently after centuries of shtetl life. We have partnered with my rabbinical school YCT for a learning session on Monday, March 14th at 9:00am JST focused on the Torah of Ukraine. The event...
Once upon a time, the JCC held parties so raucous that people were literally led away in handcuffs. This is not hyperbole. In the 1950s during a ‘Monte Carlo Night’, the good people of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided our center and arrested two board members on suspicion of illegal gambling. We are all...
The below photo shows the 1955 JCJ Purim Party. Dapper suits and evening gowns…on a Tuesday night. It might only be 67 years ago but it feels like light years away from the modern iteration of the JCJ. Let’s reclaim some of that faded glory on Wednesday night, March 16th at our Purim bash to...
Our Purim extravaganza on March 16th is shaping up to be a night for the ages. Following the Megillah reading, we will dance to the musical stylings of an incredible, world-renowned Japanese Klezmer band. We would love to see you there so please RSVP by replying to this e-mail if you plan on joining. There...
To paraphrase the chorus of a title track from the late 90s (but still touring) Backstreet Boys: ‘The JCC is back. Alright!’ We’ve got some exciting events in the works including a Family Shabbat + Friday Night Dinner on 2/25, an in-person Saturday morning service on 3/5 and of course our big Purim bash on...
Greetings from the lovely APA Hotel Yokohama Bay Tower. I can’t help but note the irony in pointing out that of all the quarantine hotels available, your rabbinic family were brought to one whose owner unapologetically dabbles in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. But in either case, we are thrilled to be back in Japan and look...
*ありがとうございます/おおきに/תודה רבה/מירסי מונג׳ו/א גרויסן יישר כח* and a deep, heartfelt thank you to Sherry Greenfield for keeping the newsletter going during Rabbi Andrew’s parental leave. An additional debt of gratitude is owed to the JCC’s resident artist Peter Nadler and Sunday School instructor Adam Brownstein for their write-ups as well as Carmel Rosenthal for leading...
This week we hear from JCJ board member Sherry Greenfield I first arrived in Japan in 1989 for a one-year adventure to teach English (how many people have heard that story before?). Long story short, met my husband Masa the first month in a local community orchestra, got married in a Jewish wedding in Philadelphia...
This week’s parsha is one of the most dramatic ones in the Torah – the parting of the Red Sea. It’s a great one to explore so sharing a few interesting links to appeal to a variety of levels, including questions and reflections worthy of a good dinner debate. Enjoy! Hebcal – full text for...
Happy New Year! We hope you had a good year-end holiday and you and your loved ones are healthy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announces the official logo for the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the State of Israel in 2022.This logo expresses our desire to further advance...