Our hearts are in Israel. Our thoughts never leave Israel. The tenor of the newsletter will certainly change during such a tragic period for the Jewish people. At the same time, this week we are blessed to celebrate Kenny Schamisso’s Bar Mitzvah. With the intention of bringing more light into what is at the moment a world filled with darkness, we wish the Schamisso Family a hearty Mazal Tov.
If you’ve ever met the family patriarch, Michael, his accent might have left you guessing. Not British nor Dutch. French maybe? But in a way that is wholly different than the Parisian members of our community. No instead, the Schamisso Family traces its roots back many centuries to Belgium, specifically Antwerp.
Dating to the Roman Empire, the Jewish sojourn in the area now known as Belgium was not always a happy one complete with the expulsions and persecutions tragically common throughout European history. However, the allure of the Low Countries proved too irresistible and so even before Belgian independence in 1830, Jews from across Europe had already begun to settle there, building strikingly beautiful synagogues along with myriad other infrastructure including day schools which today are attended by 95% of the community.
As the opening scene in Guy Ritchie’s epic Snatch (2000) makes clear, there is no talking about Belgian Jewry without mentioning the diamond trade. Diamonds, an asset that allows an itinerant people to flee persecution at a moment’s notice with their business intact, are synonymous with Antwerp and the Jewish community of Antwerp synonymous with diamonds. As such, Antwerp boasts the second largest Hasidic population in Europe after London.
But it’s not only precious stones that make Belgium’s Jewish community shine. If you ever sat on a bench at the Modern and Contemporary Art department at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, you have Antwerp-born Henry Geldzahler to thank. Geldzahler’s landmark 1969 exhibition, New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970 opened the Met’s stodgy Renaissance-era collection to new artists and ideas. With ‘eyes that could be offended’, Geldzahler was known to carry a selection of paintings with him to place on the walls of hotels he stayed at replacing the canvases that adorned his room prior to taking occupancy.
Despite having exquisite taste in precious stones and art, Belgium’s kosher airline meals produced by local caterer Stogel leave much to be desired. Although diamonds are commonly reported as the hardest known material in the world, Stogel’s mystery meat gives the gems a run for their money. If you are the unfortunate soul to receive such matter masquerading as food, do yourself, your taste buds and your stomach a favor and politely decline.
While the JCC cannot promise Saturday’s kiddush lunch will rise to the level of Belgium’s finest waffles and pommes frites, we can assure you that our food taste better than Stogel (low bar) and that the Bar Mitzvah boy Kenny and his entire family will sparkle even brighter than the Hope Diamond with simcha and good cheer.
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, October 27th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Lech Lecha
Bar Mitzvah of Kenny Schamisso
Saturday, October 28th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush Luncheon: 12:30pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 3rd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 10th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Chayei Sarah
JCJ 70th Anniversary Kiddush Lunch sponsored by the JCC Board of Directors
Saturday, November 11th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 17th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
High Likelihood of Turkey
Friday, November 24th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Events
JCJ 70th Anniversary Kiddush Lunch
Our Story: A Community 70 Years Strong
Saturday, November 11th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Storytelling program: 1:30pm
Registration Details
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website.
Announcements
Thank you to Masha Raykhman for an inspiring performance last week that touched the souls of everyone who attended.
Unfortunately, the nonstop El Al flights between Tokyo and Tel Aviv have ended several weeks prematurely. We hope the twice weekly flights connecting Japan and Israel will return as scheduled in March.
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 Lech Lecha
Candle Lighting: 4:34pm
Havdala: 5:30pm