***Newsletter on hiatus through mid-September. Please check for upcoming event and High Holiday emails.***
The video of Noa Argamani being abducted to Gaza by Hamas terrorists on October 7th resonated viscerally throughout the entire world. As a journalist described the scene, “A hand outstretched, terror etched on her face, screaming as she is carried away on the back of a motorcycle, the roughly 10-second clip became an instant symbol of Israel’s hostage crisis.”
Born to a Chinese mother and an Israeli father, Noa grew up in two cultures much like many of our families here at the JCC. During his visit in December to push for Noa’s release, Yaakov Argamani was clearly taken by the rich tapestry of diversity unique to our community. He led the lighting of the candles during the annual Japan-Israel Friendship Association Hanukkah dinner at the JCC.
Yaakov described the experience to those present as one of the few moments he allowed himself to feel a semblance of joy since Noa’s abduction. He arrived in Japan on a mission. His wife, Noa’s mother, Liora lay dying of late-stage brain cancer in Israel. Liora’s last wish? To hold her daughter Noa, their only child, one last time.
In what continues to be the darkest period for Jews since the Shoah, an ephemeral ray of sunshine appeared in early June when Noa and three other hostages were rescued in daring operations by the IDF. The photo of Noa and her father Yaakov celebrating with Coca-Cola became an iconic image. It even graced the JCC newsletter several months back. Liora’s wish was fulfilled when she embraced her daughter Noa before passing away less than one month later.
Our prayer for Yaakov Argamani during his Hannukah visit was that he would one day return to the JCC with Noa. That dream, Baruch HaShem, will bear fruit next week.
Please join us this Tuesday, August 20th at 6:00pm for an event welcoming Noa and Yaakov Argamani to the JCC. RSVP is mandatory for security reasons.
Sign up on our events page: https://jccjapan.jp/event-registration/
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, August 16th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
Shabbat Nachamu – Parshat Vaetchanan
Kiddush sponsored by the Shaoul Family in celebration of son Einan’s Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, August 17th
10:00am Services
12:00pm Kiddush
Kabbalat Shabbat
Guest chazzan David Mirchin, former member of the JCC during the Rabbi Schudrich era
Friday, September 6th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
Kabbalat Shabbat
Guest comedian Kandi Abelson following dinner
Friday, September 13th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
8:00pm Comedy Show in the Lounge
Shabbat Parshat Ki Teitzei
Kiddush open for sponsorship
Saturday, September 14th
10:00am Services
12:00pm Kiddush
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, September 20th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo
Kiddush open for sponsorship
Saturday, September 21st
10:00am Services
12:00pm Kiddush
Friday Night and Dinner Reservations can made on our website: https://jccjapan.jp/shabbat-meals-sign-up/
Events
Argamani Family Visit
Tuesday, August 20th at 6:00pm
Mandatory RSVP for security reasons
JCJ Night at the Ballpark
Sunday, September 8th at 6:00pm
Event Registration Page: https://jccjapan.jp/event-registration/
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website: https://jccjapan.jp/event-committee-inquiry/
Announcements
Monday evening’s observance of Tisha b’Av saw the largest crowd in many years for the recitation of Eichah/Lamentations by Todd Walzer and Rabbi Aaron Shub. The screening of Gidi Dar’s Legend of Destruction in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy was deeply moving for all who attended.
Please join us this Shabbat as we celebrate the Einan’s Bar Mitzvah with the Shaoul Family. Half-British. Half-Iraqi. Half-American. Half-Ashkenazi. 100% New Yorker. Clearly, I wasn’t a maths (UK pronunciation) major but when you meet the Bar Mitzvah boy man it will all make sense. Not to steal thunder but we will also welcome back Japanese natives the Tokayer Family, specifically the daughter and grandchildren of the JCC’s first rabbi, Marvin Tokayer.
Want to hear what the JCC was like back in the swinging late Shōwa days of the Bubble Era バブル景気? Join us for Friday night service on September 6th with former JCJ member David Mirchin who besides leading the service just might answer whatever questions you have about ye olde JCC building, the composition of the community at that time and of course the pool a”h.
The following week on Friday night September 13th, we will be blessed to host another American oleh to Israel, comedian Kandi Abelson. An accomplished comedian (look her up on YouTube), Kandi will ‘sing for her supper’ after service and dinner with thirty minutes of her best material in the JCC Lounge or as the Bnai Mitzvah kids call it when the rabbi teaches Sunday School, Laugh Factory Tokyo.
Mazal Tov to the 21 Jewish athletes who medaled in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Based on what we see during the Hebrew School recess period, Japan is certain to have some Jewish Olympians in the next 5-10 years.
Mazal Tov to Jewish ballplayers Max Lazar, Joc Pederson and Garrett Stubbs. For only the third time in history, the pitcher, catcher and batter in a Major League Baseball game were all Jewish.
While the aforementioned statistical anomaly is significantly less likely to occur in the NPB, we live in hope that a miracle happens at the JCC’s annual Night at the Ballpark in Jingu Stadium on Sunday evening, September 8th. Given the ongoing Koshien High School Summer Tournament, it is timely to announce that our beloved Yakult Swallows will take on Hyogo’s storied Hanshin Tigers. I can’t speak for the kara age or the yakisoba but the beer will certainly be Glatt Kosher.
Yiddish Club with Jack Halpern: Please contact Jack at jack@cjki.org if you are interested to join. All levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced. Much more than just language, the club’s monthly meetings explore Yiddish culture as well.
Shabbat Nachamu – Parshat Vaetchanan
Candle Lighting: 6:11pm
Havdala: 7:08pm