***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 if not yet buzzing village of Kfar Hasidim just outside Haifa. Sent to study in Jerusalem’s famous Etz Chaim and Hebron Yeshivas, Rabbi Goren was quickly labeled an illui/child prodigy, publishing a book on an esoteric area of Jewish law and receiving rabbinic ordination at 17 years old. Embodying a Religious Zionist outlook synthesizing religious observance with the pursuit of worldly knowledge and love of Israel, Rabbi Goren volunteered for the Haganah, forerunner to today’s IDF, and enrolled at Hebrew University of Jerusalem to study philosophy, mathematics and classics.
Israel’s victory in the War of Independence dramatically altered Rabbi Goren’s life trajectory and thus his impact on the role religion would play in the IDF and State of Israel writ large. From his time in the war’s Jerusalem sector where he snuck behind enemy lines to retrieve bodies of deceased soldiers for Jewish burial, he endeared himself to the then-dominant secular community. Concurrently, the Ultra-Orthodox establishment reviled him for what they viewed as overly permissive rulings going so far as to publish posters denouncing Rabbi Goren throughout Jerusalem.
The most famous photo of Rabbi Goren, exemplifying his commitment to Judaism, service to country and love of every Jew, shows him at the Western Wall immediately after its retaking from the Jordanian Legion. Proudly wearing his uniform and holding a Torah scroll in his left arm, Rabbi Goren blew the shofar and passed it around to the paratroopers who fought alongside him. A fierce opponent of IDF units segregated by religious observance, Rabbi Goren emphasized achdut/unity above all else leading to his elevation to Chief Rabbi of Israel between 1973-1983.
That sense of Jewish togetherness transcending time and space may have been the reason why Rabbi Goren was no stranger to your JCC. After developing a close personal friendship with Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, who served in Tokyo from 1968-1976, Rabbi Goren paid a visit to his chaver/friend with a place in Hiroo at least once. How did he keep kosher here? Following a kosher audit at a Canadian slaughterhouse in 1967, Rabbi Goren took on vegetarianism which surely made his life easier when traveling to far off locales like Japan where kosher meat was then a scarce commodity. Fascinated by Japanese religion, Rabbi Goren attended a lecture down the block from the JCC at Kokugakuin University where he was astounded to discover how much the Shinto Temple service shares with the Jewish Temple service from over 2,000 years ago. Despite his many commitments, Rabbi Goren found the time to officiate the wedding of a current JCC member many moons ago.
Please join us Friday after next, February 9th at 8:30pm to hear a guest lecture by Professor Marc Shapiro on the life of Rabbi Shlomo Goren and the formation of the IDF Code of Ethics. We are beyond fortunate to welcome Professor Shapiro who holds the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies at the University of Scranton. It is impossible to overstate the breadth and depth of Professor Shapiro’s scholarship. His knowledge of modern Jewish history and specifically the interplay between different spheres of the Jewish world both in Israel and the diaspora spanning centuries and continents is second to none. Professor Shapiro will also lead a discussion after kiddush on Saturday. No registration necessary for the lecture but if you want to reserve dinner, please do so on our website.
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, January 26th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, February 2nd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Yitro
Bar Mitzvah of Adam Berman – All Are Welcome!
Please reserve on our Events Page: https://jccjapan.jp/event-registration/
Saturday February 3rd
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat – Guest Speaker Professor Marc Shapiro
Lecture on Rabbi Shlomo Goren and the formation of the IDF’s Military Ethics open to all regardless of dinner reservation
Friday, February 9th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Lecture: 8:30pm
Shabbat Parshat Mishpatim – Rosh Chodesh Adar I – Two Torah Takeout
Kiddush open for sponsorship
Saturday, February 10th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, February 16th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, February 23rd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Tetzaveh – Shushan Purim Katan
Kiddush open for sponsorship
Saturday, February 24th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Link for Friday Night Dinner Reservation: https://jccjapan.jp/shabbat-meals-sign-up/
Events
Stay tuned for film screenings, cooking classes and of course Purim with the world’s best klezmer band.
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
The JCC regrets to announce the passing of longtime longtime member David Caplan. A son of the Bronx and Sydney, Australia, David founded Mita Arts Gallery in 1963 specializing in Ukiyo-e. His wit, charm and good humor will be sorely missed. May the Caplan family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Kudos to those who baked the world’s longest challah clocking in at 35 feet. The over 10-meter loaf, described as ‘doughy in parts’ represented an interdenominational effort between the Orthodox Union, Jewish Federations of North America and Congregation Rodeph Sholom. How they didn’t bake an extra foot to get to the Jewishly significant number of 36 feet I’ll never understand.
Condolences to the Jewison Family on the loss of patriarch Norman. Despite the heavily semitic surname, the director of Fiddler on the Roof was raised Methodist in Toronto. When interviewing for the role, Jewison quipped to the producers “what if I told you I’m a goy?” Whether they didn’t believe him or were just very forward thinking, Jewison directed a story that continues to resonate with audiences throughout the world including of course in Japan.
Carmel Tanaka, founder of the Jewpanese Project, will be visiting in March 2024. The Jewpanese Project is an oral history initiative recording lived experiences and stories at the intersection of being Jewish and Japanese or what we at the JCC like to call our everyday lives. If you are interested in participating, please visit Carmel’s website: https://www.tinyurl.com/jewpanese
As part of running the Yamaneko Marathon on Iriomote island in Okinawa, JCCer Peter Harris is raising money for charities dedicated to providing relief for those affected by the earthquake. If you would like to contribute, you may do so on his fundraising page: https://gogetfunding.com/running-for-noto-peninsular-earthquake-relief/
Thank you to the Sitbon Family for sponsoring last week’s kiddush. Those in attendance heard a riveting tale of Raphael’s grandfather Jacques Lazarus who in addition to his time in La Résistance, served as director of the World Jewish Congress office in Algiers. Thank you to the Siegel Family for the always delicious onion rolls and chocolate cake baked fresh in Chicago.
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 Beshalach
Candle Lighting: 4:43pm
Havdala: 5:43pm