100 years ago this week, the Jewish Community of Nagasaki put their building up for sale.
For us in Tokyo and the even earlier Jewish Community of Kobe, Japan’s original Jewish community in Nagasaki is viewed mostly as an esoteric oddity, a historical anomaly. Who were these Jews of Kyushu? Did they debate over which pun was better? Jewyushu or KyuJew? Did their rabbi also beg people to sponsor kiddush?
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the founders of our JCC were still in safety pin diapers, the Nagasaki community, ably led by Messieurs S.D. Lessner and Haskel Goldenberg, established a Jewish cemetery, Beth Israel Synagogue, a Jewish benevolent society, a branch of the Anglo-Jewish Association and finally the Nagasaki Zionist Association. While Lessner arrived with his Austrian-born father, Russian-born mother and sister via Constantinople, Goldenberg deserted the Tsar’s army in Siberia, walked to the Sea of Japan and eventually found his way to Nagasaki.
Foreshadowing past JCC President Ernie Salamon’s decision to build Wakabaryo Orphanage, Lessner adopted a young Jewish boy named Pessi Abramovich who arrived on a ferry knowing nothing besides his Jewish identity. Foreshadowing our community’s current makeup of primarily bicultural families, Goldenberg married a Japanese woman named Ide Kita of Obama who zealously took to Jewish practice and raised their kids in the faith. Foreshadowing current JCC member Stewart Bailey’s escapades in East Asia’s nightlife industry, 23 of Nagasaki’s Jews owned ‘grog shops’ or pubs that catered to sailors on port call. Foreshadowing our upcoming Purim Party on Monday night, March 6th, the community held an annual Fancy Dress Ball, albeit likely without hummus and falafel.
So what made the board sell the synagogue? According to a February 1923 article in the Shanghai-based ‘Israel’s Messenger’, the community ran out of Jews. Yokohama and Shanghai became more important trading posts. No different than today, as goes the expat community so goes the Jewish community. Well, that combined with the Governor of Nagasaki threatening to seize the building due to Goldenberg, a now-German citizen and donor of the land where the synagogue sat, being deemed an ‘enemy subject’ resulting from Great War politics. To avoid this fate, the last Jew of Nagasaki authorized to act on behalf of the community, Mr. S. Cohn, appointed the Shanghai Zionist Association as the synagogue’s sole trustee whereupon a decision was made to auction off the land with the proceeds going 60% to Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Shanghai, 20% to Keren HaYesod and 20% to the Jewish National Fund.
The last services to be held in Beth Israel must have been bittersweet. Was there talk at kiddush as to whether this was really it, the end of something that had flourished until only recently? Would another Jewish community ever arise in Japan? What would happen with the Levy Bar Mitzvah scheduled for the following Shabbat? As the spiritual inheritors of Beth Israel, I hope the souls of the Nagasaki community take solace in our JCC’s keeping alive the eternal flame of Judaism in Japan. May we live our lives as honorably as S.D. Lessner who was described in his obituary as “ever ready to help those in distress…For many years he has been head of the Jewish community, but his purse knew no religious distinctions.”
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, February 24th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, March 3rd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Zachor/Parshat Tetzaveh
Kiddush Sponsored by the McCormack Family in honor of Yokota’s Jewish Community
Saturday, March 4th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, March 10th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, March 17th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei
Kiddush Sponsored by the Bleiweis-Fischer Family in honor of Dr. Nathan Fischer’s first visit to Japan
Saturday, March 18th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, March 24th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner with reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Vayikra
Kiddush Sponsored by the Greenfield-Ichikawa Family in honor of Rina’s Tokyo Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, March 25th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Events
Purim with Japanese Klezmer Band CICALA-MVTA
Sponsored by the Bleiweis-Fischer, Nadler, Sitbon, Tseinyev and Anonymous families for their sponsorship of our Purim festivities. Izaki-san’s famous hamantaschen sponsored by Kenden Alfond of Jewish Food Hero. (Check out her recent Instagram post featuring Izaki-san baking challahs)
Monday, March 6th
Megillah Reading in the JCC Sanctuary
Time: 7:00pm
Donation: 1,000 yen
Registration Details
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Announcements
Happy 63rd Birthday to Naruhito-san. Two more years until Medicare and Social Security although I’ve been hearing whispers at Kiddush about the benefits of waiting until 70 to claim the latter benefit. The only journalist to interview Naruhito-san’s grandfather, Hirohito, was longtime JCC’er Bernie Krisher of Newsweek. Can current JCC’er Ben Dooley of the (Failing) New York Times score the coveted Naruhito scoop? We certainly hope so! #freemasako
Happy 291st Birthday to George Washington, for whom a state, a capitol city and a university where yearly tuition clocks in at an impressive $74,549 (including room and board!) are named after. Newsletter aficionados can turn back the clock to July 2022 for GW’s letters to various synagogues on the establishment of the United States of America.
Yiddish Club with Jack Halpern: Monthly meetings have been taking place for quite some time in-person at the JCJ. Please contact Jack at jack@cjki.org if you are interested. All levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced. Much more than just language, the club enjoys exploring Yiddish culture as well.
Shabbat Parshat Terumah
Candle Lighting: 5:13pm
Havdala: 6:10pm