Bagels. Lox. Kreplach. Challah. Stuffed Cabbage.
Not all of the foods most closely associated with Jewish cuisine possess distinct Jewish origins. The forerunner to the modern bagel was first baked in the 14th century as a large, round and twisted piece of bread with a hole inside known as Obwarzanek. The boiled and baked doughy treats are as common in Krakow as mochi will be at this weekend’s Hanamatsuris.
Our Scandinavian members will tell you that their ancestors were curing salmon in salt for generations before lox was associated with any kind of schmear. Even what people casually refer to as lox nowadays is more often nova given the intense saltiness of lox compared to its milder Canadian cousin (nova originating from Nova Scotia). The combination of bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon does possess undeniably Jewish-American roots but each item on its own first emerged in the broader world.
Unlike the very Jewish kneidlach, the matzah balls which we will soon enjoy on Passover, kreplach/soup dumplings are for the most part indistinguishable from the Polish pierogi. At the risk of sounding heretical, even the plaited bread synonymous with challah did not reach a Shabbat table until the 15th century. Yemenite Jews had never once seen the braided bread, using the arguably yummier malawach instead.
Which gets us to another favorite of the Friday night dinner. Made famous on TV’s Seinfeld when Jerry’s girlfriend remarks “I think there’s a dead animal in the elevator” to which Kramer exasperatingly cries out “My stuffed cabbage!” the dish itself does not exactly whet the appetite upon sight or smell. The taste is shtetl chic, nostalgic but with a bit of a kick in the kishkes. Like many of the above stomach stuffers, you might think the dish originated in Eastern European, borrowed and made their own by Jewish chefs in the medieval period. However, a line in the Talmud tells us our people have been dining on this delicious delicacy for thousands of years.
‘Even if one ate boiled vegetables, but it is his primary sustenance, he recites Grace after Meals [as if he had eaten bread]. The Gemara asks: And is there a vegetable where its boiled state can be considered primary sustenance [on par with bread]? Rav Ashi said: This was taught with regard to a cabbage stalk, which is nourishing…Cabbage is for sustenance.’
In deference to Chazal/our Sages of Olde we invite each of you to this Saturday morning’s services and kiddush sponsored by the Lobel Family where, among other dishes, the pièce de résistance will be a platter of stuffed cabbage. To be clear, this is not your bubbe’s holishkes as they call them in Romania. The version of stuffed cabbage we are serving will be one that the ancient rabbis arguing over vegetables in Babylonia could have scarcely imagined. The filling will be rice and Beyond Beef, a modern meat substitute barely distinguishable from the more bovine variety.
Does it taste like the real thing? Come and find out. The beauty of using Beyond Beef is that it keeps us pareve, meaning the iced coffee and Bailey’s will make an appearance and just maybe some ice cream as well.
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, April 5th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat HaChodesh – Parshat Shmini
Kiddush sponsored by the Lobel Family of Tokyo, in loving memory of Sheldon Lobel, with heartfelt collaboration from Adele Lobel in New York.
Saturday, April 6th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, April 12th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, April 19th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Passover Day 1
Tuesday, April 23rd
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush Seder Leftovers: 12:00pm
Friday Night Dinner Reservations can made on our website: https://jccjapan.jp/shabbat-meals-sign-up/
Events
Passover Seder – First Night
Monday, April 22nd at 6:00pm
Passover Seder 2
Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:00pm
Reservations: https://jccjapan.jp/passover/
Film Screening: The Wolf of Baghdad
A graphic memoir by Carol Isaacs (The Surreal McCoy cartoonist), comes to life panel by panel as a motion comic (animated slideshow) with its own soundtrack of Judeo-Arabic and Iraqi music. A unique audio-visual journey through a Jewish family’s memories of their lost Iraqi homeland.
Followed by Q&A with the creator of the film Carol Isaacs moderated by the JCC’s Rachel Walzer.
Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00pm
Registration Details: 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
Passover reservations are open! Catch the early bird discount before it flies away on April 15th. Please see our website for details: https://jccjapan.jp/passover/
Mazal Tov to the Sitbon Family on the anniversary of Amos’s Bar Mitzvah. Hoping the reading in Shirokanetakanawa goes well and for a return to Hiroo next year.
As with Beyond Beef, the JCC is modernizing our offerings in other ways. For the first time in history, Gluten-Free Matzah is available for sale in Japan. We have a limited amount so if crackers made from tapioca starch and potato flour are your celiac bag, then please let us know that so we can help prevent any gastrointestinal ailments over the 8-day festival.
Habitat for Humanity hosts their Gala Dinner at Happo-en on Tuesday night, April 16th. JCCers Cecilia Melin and Liu Epstein serve on the board of this very worthy cause and invite all who to attend to sign up on the event page: https://habitatjp.org/en/charitygala2024
Had fun on Purim? So did we! Check out the night’s highlights on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jcc_japan/
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 Shmini – Shabbat HaChodesh
Candle Lighting: 5:48pm
Havdala: 6:46pm