The World Cup semifinals did not leave Jews with a lot of great options. Croatia? Despite the embassy’s geographical proximity to the JCC, they are basically fascist until today. No tears were shed in Israel on their loss to… Argentina? Home of the world’s only kosher McDonald’s outside of Israel to be sure but also...
It is by now common knowledge that many popular Christmas songs you hear being piped through shopping malls the world over were written by Jews. ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ by Johnny Marks, ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’ by Mel Torme, ‘White Christmas’ by Irving Berlin represent just a few in the panoply of jingles...
Freddie Roman (born Fred Kirschenbaum)5697-5783; 1937-2022 As the world mourns the loss of an icon, it behooves us to reflect on the fast-disappearing world that was the Borscht Belt. The current nostalgia driven by the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel stems from how much of today’s comedic landscape was inspired by Jewish comedians performing in mid-20th century...
Are Jews permitted to celebrate Thanksgiving? While nowadays the question seems anachronistic or even borderline absurd, there was a time in recent memory when the answer was not so simple. For one, Thanksgiving could lead to the dreaded ‘mixed dancing’ threatening millennia of Jewish propriety. But in another, slightly more serious way the concern exists...
Next week brings no shortage of holidays. Of course, we are blessed to celebrate 勤労感謝の日 on Wednesday followed by American Thanksgiving on Thursday. And just in case you’re in the 3-5% of JCC families with little nexus to Japan or the US, we will also welcome Rosh Chodesh, the new Hebrew month of Kislev when...
With tourism to Japan open again, we are happy to announce that the JCC has gotten back to hosting visitors from all over the world for Friday night services and dinner. They love our sanctuary, cuisine, ambience and of course Izaki-san’s famous challah rolls. The one thing missing? Y-O-U! As much as folks from overseas...
As much as the JCC is back to our post-High Holidays ‘normal’, we find ourselves blessed with the unusual, extraordinary, and increasingly rare opportunity to learn with a Holocaust survivor and educator this coming Saturday night on 10/29. You can find a blurb about the speaker, Hedy Bohm, her fascinating presentation, and registration details on...
While normally the busiest time of year in a synagogue revolves around Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur, the JCC was rocking and rolling over Sukkot. We were fortunate to test just how many people could comfortably gather in our Sukkah on more than a few occasions. We hosted Sukkah decorating, multiple meals and a touching visit by...
Although the Torah was not written in chronological order, the newsletter usually is. So before we get to Simchat Torah, please help make the minyan this Shabbat morning at 10am if for no other reason than it is the only time all year that Kiddush will take place in the Sukkah. Simchat Torah, literally translated...
Two Ambassadors and a Member of the Knesset walk into a Tokyo synagogue for Kol Nidre. No, that’s not the start to a terrible rabbi joke. It really happened! The JCC was honored to host everyone who passed through our doors for the first Yom Kippur with Chazzan Yoni Roth since 2019 capping off an...