One of the JCC’s greatest strengths is how our members bring to Tokyo the traditions of their home communities. As opposed to a Long Island synagogue where Kiddush conversation revolves around how to beat the traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway, the Jews of Japan share with each other rituals and practices from the entire world.
One such example is the Tunisian-Jewish sanctification of the shortest Shabbat of the year when measured by how early candle lighting and havdala take place. The story begins in the town of Sfax, Tunisia where a Jewish woman named Juliette was known to take an easygoing approach to life. She never rushed, always kept her spirits up and refused to be bothered when things would pile up.
On an early Friday afternoon in December, Juliette finally decided to start cooking for Shabbat. She was missing a turnip for the couscous marka* and for the msiyer* salad. She went around to the neighbors, asking if they had any turnips to spare. After an exhaustive search, finally a compassionate housewife gave her a turnip and asked her if it was for salads? Yes, but also to cook the couscous marka, she replied. Too late, my darling. It’s time to light the candles…if you hurry. Since then, the shortest Shabbat of the year earned the sobriquet Turnip Shabbat.
Is it the best story in the world? That’s not the point. Juliette’s tale brings us a breath of southern Mediterranean air to our western Pacific community. Instead of this week being just another Shabbat, if not Shabbat Chanukah, we add another layer of significance to our Jewish practice we would have never known otherwise.
Although turnips will sadly not be on the menu, we very much encourage everyone to ‘Turn Up’ for Shabbat this week when we will dine on latkes/potato pancakes, sufganiyot/jelly doughuts and the very timely, always delicious Maccabee Beer flown in direct from Israel.
Marka*: Vegetable and meat soup accompanying couscous.
Msiyer*: Turnip salad, carrots, peppers, lemon and salt.
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat – 2nd Night of Hanukkah
Friday, December 8th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Parshat Vayeshev
Kiddush anonymously sponsored in memory of Robert Kirschenbaum and his years of service to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan
Saturday, December 9th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, December 15th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Events
Hanukkah at the JCJ : A Night of Lights and Laughter
Saturday, December 9th at 7:00pm
Registration Details
Hebrew School Hanukkah Candle Lighting
Sunday, December 10th at 4:30pm
Registration Details
The Situation for Jewish Students on the American College Campus
Presentation and Discussion led by Dr. Laura Shaw Frank, Director of AJC’s William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life Department
Monday, December 11th at 9:00pm
Zoom Link
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website.
Announcements
Condolences to the Lear Family on the passing of patriarch Norman at 101 years old. Before Norman Lear’s groundbreaking All in the Family, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood was “If you want to send a message, try Western Union.” Wholesome television shows like Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver failed to speak to the increasingly charged American political environment. Norman Lear stepped into the void with a show that dared to bring to the surface the generational divide unfolding in the 1960s and 1970s. In the words of Edith Bunker, ’Those Were The Days’.
There will be a Menorah Lighting at Tokyo Tower on Monday evening 12/11. For more details and the registration link please reply to this e-mail.
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 Vayeshev
Candle Lighting: 4:09pm
Havdala: 5:09pm