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 we start our Hanukkah preparations. Preceding all of them however is the Ethiopian-Jewish holiday of Sigd beginning Tuesday night. The Israeli Knesset has a great summary and the Jewish Agency a beautiful video about the origins and traditions of Sigd. At kiddush last Shabbat, we commemorated Sigd in true JCC fashion by polishing off three bottles of Tej, a drink closely associated with the Beta Israel/Ethiopian-Jewish community. Of course, for a New Yorker a holiday isn’t really official unless it means Alternate Side Parking is suspended but with the help of the Kessim/Ethiopian Rabbis we will get there.
Our community’s commitment to Ethiopia is enduring and long-standing. I’m not even referring to our resident Beta Israel and fellow Mazda owner Yonas Seme. Members of the JCC are deeply involved with the Ethiopia-focused NGO ‘HOPE International Development Agency – Japan’ including Rob Claar, Mike Alfant, Harry Hill, and Jeff Behr who serves as Executive Director. In fact, when I reached out to invite Jeff to Sigd Shabbat, he answered that he was in Ethiopia at that very moment. Jeff writes:
We all share the hope of living freely as Jews, as we can and do in Japan. Thank you to the people of Israel for welcoming home the Beta Israel communities who pray on Sigd to rebuild the Temple. Our love of Israel and that of our ancient shared heritage with Ethiopia is important for us to recognize on Sigd.
መልካም የስግድ በዓል חג סיגד שמח Happy Sigd!
Services
Family Shabbat
Friday, November 18th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 25th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Family Shabbat
Friday, December 2nd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Vayetze
Kiddush Open for Sponsorship
Saturday, December 3rd
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, December 9th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Vayeshev
Kiddush Open for Sponsorship
Saturday, December 17th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Events
Speaker Series: Ambassador Rahm Emanuel
Thursday, December 1st
6:45pm at the JCJ
Registration Details
Annual Family Tzedaka Project
Sunday, December 4th
11:30am at the JCJ
Community Hanukkah Celebration
Sunday, December 18th
3:30pm – 7:00pm at the JCJ
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website.
Announcements
Jewish Jazz Night with Selim Benba was a great success. Thank you Selim, Sherry Greenfield and the Events Committee for organizing.
Obligatory Thanksgiving tidbit: See if you can figure out which country consumes the most turkey per capital each year. America? Close but not quite. Turkey? Too easy. Israel! Thanks to the Israeli love of shwarma and lack of grazing land, the humble turkey fills the stomachs of our brethren in the Holy Land. Ironically, as a New World bird the turkey’s kosher status was not a foregone conclusion.
Thanks to a zoological and etymological misunderstanding, the turkey’s Hebrew name of תרנגול הודו Indian Chicken led the rabbis of that era to believe the bird was not a new species but rather a type of chicken. After centuries passed and later rabbis realized the error, they had no choice but to grandfather in the gobbler lest they denigrate the eating habits of previous generations. If you’re Spanish-Portuguese, no tachanun and Hallel without a bracha as per Sherith Israel. Happy Thanksgiving!
Yiddish Club with Jack Halpern: Meetings have started monthly in-person at the JCJ. 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 enjoys exploring Yiddish culture as well.
Shabbat Parshat Vayera
Candle Lighting: 4:14pm
Havdala: 5:13pm