An Italian Jewish Custom Kindles Hope on Tisha B'Av

So far, so good. It's the first quiet day we in Israel have had for weeks, and ironically it's Tisha B'Av -- the day that defines Jewish sorrow. After all that Israelis have been through over the past 4 weeks, I wonder if there is any cause for optimism, especially since it's Tisha B'av -- prime time for collective mourning.

I mentally conduct a quick historical survey. Tisha B'Av made its entry onto the Jewish calendar with the destruction of both Holy Temples 500 years apart. The irony of Jewish history stepped in with other catastrophes occurring on this date -- the first Crusade began on Tisha B'Av, killing 10,000 Jews in the first month; the Expulsions of Jews from England and France began on Tisha B'Av (1290 and 1306), as did the Spanish Expulsion; and let's not forget the Holocaust, with "The Final Solution" gaining final approval on Tisha B'Av 1941.

So, optimism? It's too early not to be jumpy over anything that sounds like a siren. I still surf the Israeli press every 15 minutes for news updates and can easily remain glued to the TV screen, listening to endless analysis. And then I remember an Italian Jewish custom that I discovered six years ago while researching my book Hanukkah Around the World.

Italian Jews connect Tisha B'Av with Hanukkah through a candle.

The same candle that provides them with enough light to read Eicha -- the Book of Lamentations -- on the eve of Tisha B'Av, is the candle they use as the Shamash for their Hannukiah. Once they finish reading Eicha they blow the candle out, wrap it up and put it away for safekeeping. Come Hanuukah they unwrap it and put it to work once again. By doing this they close the circle, for on Hanukkah we celebrate the rededication of the Temple.

So optimism on Tisha B'Av? Let's rekindle a much needed dose during these tumultuous times.

Photo Credit

On Storks, Sirens and Missiles

As I sit in my office, which also happens to be our safe room in our Kfar Saba apartment, I wonder how am I ever going to focus on the fact that my new book – Stork's Landing – will be hitting bookstore shelves in less than two weeks' time. I should be excited, but the existential question of the hour is far more pressing for me as an Israeli citizen.

Just this morning, as my husband and I sat down to breakfast, we were treated to two siren alerts. Nine hours later we “enjoyed” a bookend effect as we sat down to dinner. Lodged behind a heavy metal door, checking the minute-by-minute news on the internet, my mind wandered to the video that went viral two days ago, in which one Israeli pilot signaled another to pass over a target because children were clearly visible. I was struck by our humanity, a compassion clearly missing on the other side. Then it hit me. This is the connection with Stork's Landing. A touching nature tale set in Israel, it highlights the Jewish bent to reach out and care for the wounded through a focus on the Jewish value of kindness to animals.

It's a gentle story, beginning with the fact that Kibbutz fish farmers must place nets over their fishponds in order to shield their fish from ravenous birds flying above. To an extent, these nets are to the fish as what the Iron Dome is to our population. They are there to protect and preserve. Sure enough when a hungry stork comes in for a landing it gets caught in the net, breaks its wing to the serious extent that it cannot be operated on, yet the kibbutz members don't put it to sleep. They nurture and shelter it, providing a secure surrounding. A true parallel to the Palestinians being treated in Israeli hospitals, even during these worn, torn times. A fact rarely covered in the world press.

 So while we hover in what I smilingly call our “War Room,” I am now focusing on the fact that Stork's Landing is a Jewish everyman's tale and how lucky all Jews are to have the State of Israel. We live by the same book, we perpetuate the same values, and we will make sure we remain a safe haven for all Jews. In the meantime, come early autumn may only storks, not missiles, land on our shores.

One Smart Cookie Custom for Shavuot from Libya

Are you looking for a new, engaging way to get across the meaning of Shavuot? Try a Libyan custom that's certainly not cookie cutter but literally uses cookies to illustrate the essence of Shavuot.

Here's the deal. Libyan Jews create a child's cookie necklace by baking cookies in the shape of the 10 Commandments, a prayer shawl and even a ladder -- symbolizing Moses' climbing up Mount Sinai to receive the two most famous tablets in the world. Each cookie has a hole on top so that a cord can thread them together into an edible bauble. How many cookies? A baker's dozen? Your guess is as good as mine. What's important is turning each baking session into a fun lesson. For example, 10 commandment cookies (and I want to thank Bible Belt Balabusta for creating the cookies shown here). While baking, ask your students/children how many commandments they can name. Have a prize ready for the winner who can name the most. Now go to the next level -- what does each commandment mean? Can you create cookies in different shapes representing the meaning of the first five commandments? If the answer is yes, please send me photos.





Photo Credit

I Have a New Book Coming Out with a Tie-in to Israel

With Yom Ha'Atzmaut around the corner I can't think of a better time to tell you about my new book. Set on a kibbutz in Israel, it's called Stork's Landing and it will be coming out this August.

Stork's Landing is the story of Yaffa, a beautiful stork who breaks her wing on a kibbutz fishpond net and can never fly again. Discovered by a little girl named Maya, who together with her father and other kibbutz members carefully nurture and watch over her, Yaffa overcomes her disability and achieves a new, fulfilling role in life. This sensitively told nature tale focuses on the Jewish value of caring for animals, while at the same time subtly incorporates issues of adoption and acceptance of those with differences. 

I am very excited about this book and am flying to the States in November to promote it during Jewish Book Month. Right now it looks like I'll be in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Rockville (MD), and Houston. Please contact me if you would like me to appear in your school with an interactive presentation on the book, that naturally includes a reading of the story. In the meantime, Happy Yom Ha'Atzmaut.
Tami

Yom Ha'Shoah and Our Collective Memory

A month ago we celebrated Purim. Now Passover is coming to an end, and next week we're commemorating Yom Ha'Shoah?!

It's a breathless pace, but there's a reasoned explanation behind this "madness." It's called collective memory.

We Jews are more than a proud people. We are one of the few ancient civilizations still around, which is a major miracle considering that hate seems to haunt Jewish history. Oddly enough, it has strengthened us as a people and helped shape our identity by never forgetting each and every hate-filled event.

In fact, we are the pros at seamlessly fusing history, memory and peoplehood. Let's go back to the two "P"s -- Purim and Passover. They're prime examples of this synthesis. Holding a Holocaust memorial day a week after Passover ends seems a natural progression in our march over time.

I'm wondering if your students know that we have one of the longest memories around?  The recent shooting in Kansas City is an unfortunate stop on the road, but it won't be forgotten. The same way members of our immediate and extended families brutally killed by the Nazis won't be erased from our minds. Help your students remember their relatives by encouraging them to submit names to Yad Va'Shem, to be read out loud at this year's ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance . Want a follow-up? Encourage them to write up the story behind the name and submit it to Yad Va'Shem's Pages of Testimony project.

May the memories of their relatives be an added blessing to our collective memory.
























Photo credit

A Passover Custom That Was All Greek To Me Until....

I'm back in Israel after an eye-opening Jewish history visit in Greece.

Last week my blog dealt with the Jews of Thessaloniki and their Passover customs. This post will focus on the Romaniote Jews of Ioannina -- a city in north-western Greece.


No, I didn't travel to Ioannina. I found out about this dwindling Jewish community when I visited the Jewish Museum of Greece located in Athens. Since my focus here is on holiday customs, I won't go into the background of this unusual community, except to say that they are the original Greek Jews with a history dating back over 2,000 years. Their story is fascinating, so please click on the links above to read all about them.

Now, on the Romaniote Seder which isn't even called a Seder. Here's the interesting custom. For them, the Passover ceremony around the table is called Hova -- חובה -- which in Hebrew means obligation. The name Hova immediately gives seder/סדר -- order -- to the evening. It reminds us that we must fulfill the commandment to "tell your children" about the Exodus from Egypt. Consequently, as a reinforcement of this reminder, the Romaniote Hova begins by everyone placing their hands on the table while reciting the phrase  זה השולחן אשר לפני השם -- This is the table before God.

To be honest, I heard about the hand custom years ago, but it was all Greek to me since my Greek-Israeli friend shrugged it off as something Greek Jews do without providing a reason as to why. I have to hand it to the museum staff member who gave me the explanation, making sure I would include it in my blog. I even purchased a copy of the Romaniote Hagaddah.

 

So, let's get on with our Hova. Make your Seder enlightening and enjoyable. To remind you how to keep everyone involved -- children and adults alike -- have a look at one of my first posts and have a חג שמח!



Hands Photo Credit

Passover Customs Direct from Thessaloniki

Greetings from Thessaloniki -- also known as Salonica, once home to one of the most thriving Jewish communities in the world.

It's wonderful being here in this historic city that many Jews called home for two thousand years. When did they exactly arrive? Good question. A Jewish presence in Greece is mentioned in the book of Isaiah (66:19). Some researchers claim that Jews lived in Thessaloniki when the city was first established in 315 BC. Others claim that Jews from Alexandria, Egypt settled in the city in 140 BC.  Regardless of the exact date, the most significant expansion of the community came during the Spanish Inquisition when 15-20,000 Jews called Sephardim were expelled in 1492 and found a safe haven in Thessaloniki. With 32 different synagogue communities, the Jews flourished and became an essential part of the city's economy, turning it into a first rate commercial center.

While the community's history is both fascinating and tragic, the holiday customs it developed are equally interesting and still practiced by the remaining 1,000 Jews. I visited the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki and met with its director, Erika Perahia Zemour. She told me about a few Passover customs that I want to share with you.
                                                           
 Have a look at the Haggadah in these two pictures.

 Erika pointed out that it is written in 3 languages: Greek, Spanish Hebrew -- better known as Ladino -- and Hebrew. Family members take turns reading from the Haggadah and do so in the language they feel most comfortable in. So, the children read their portions in Greek. The grandparents feel much more comfortable with Ladino, and the parents will either read the Hebrew or Greek text.

Next, take a look at the pan behind the Haggadah. Don't mistake it for a Seder plate.  It's a special frying pan for making Passover style burmelos. If you've read my book Hannukah Around the World, then you're already familiar with this fried doughnut made by Turkish Jews and other Sephardim for Hanukkah. Clearly, this is a holiday favorite for the Jews of Thessaloniki who have decided to give it a Passover twist by using ground matzah instead of flour. Erika even gave me the recipe:
Ingredients
1 cup ground matzah (count how many pieces of matzah you use for a cup)
water
eggs
oil
honey
Preparation
Add enough water to the ground matzah to make dough. Add one egg per slice of matzah that you've ground and mix into a smooth dough. Drop a spoonful of dough into hot oil and fry on both sides. Remove and pat dry.  Once the burmelos have cooled pour honey on top and serve.

Speaking of recipes -- Erika also shared a recipe for a unique matzah egg drop soup. I'm going to save it for my next blog post.
Bye for now from Thessaloniki....or as they say in Greek: αντίο.

Cochin Jews Put a Plague, or 10, on Pharaoh's House

Here's a DIY 10 Plagues seder project that you can adapt from a custom practiced by the Jews of Cochin, India.

In addition to placing Elijah's cup in the center of the Seder table, Cochin Jews place a Pharaoh's Cup filled with wine near the leader of the seder. Comes the section in the Hagaddah dealing with the Ten Plagues, this cup gets prime time exposure. As he calls out the name of every plague the seder leader dips his finger in Pharaoh's cup then drops the wine in a special plate. When he finishes saying all the plagues, he washes his hands.

Now for the DIY in this age of ready-made seder gimmicks.

Sketch a picture of Pharaoh. Older children can do it on their own. Younger children will have fun using the sketch as a coloring page.

That's right, add color. Ancient Egyptians liked color and makeup. Turn Pharaoh into a colorful character -- one that looks like this

Make sure the images can be taped to the front of a juice glass. Make as many as you like -- only one for the seder leader, or a Pharaoh cup for each participant and watch Pharaoh and his kingdom "drop out".

Pharaoh sketch credit
Colorful Pharaoh photo credit

A Tunisian Passover Custom Ties in with This Year's Oscars

Two hundred+ years a slave(s). That's how long it took the Children of Israel to be free of their bondage.

To remember this fact, Tunisian Jews refined the Moroccan custom of holding the Seder plate on top of each person's head. Instead, they touch the head of each person with the seder plate in order to remind him/her of the unimaginable oppression and hardship slavery entails.

How does this custom tie in with this year's Oscar winner 12 Years A Slave? During the American Civil War a song was composed in 1862 called "Oh! Let My People Go." Its purpose was to serve as the anthem for Contraband -- escaped slaves who joined the Union army. At the same time church and church services served as a center for hope and solace for the slaves, who often used Gospel songs as a means of expression. The Biblical story revolving around the enslavement of the Children of Israel, and their savior Moses helped provide a feeling of faith and trust in the future. As a result "Oh! Let My People Go" evolved into one of the most popular Spirituals sung by the slaves. It's name was changed to "Go Down Moses" and it is still widely sung today by Gospel choirs.

So here's an idea for reprocessing the Tunisian custom. As the leader of the Seder touches the head of each person with the Seder plate, how about everyone singing the first stanza of "Go Down Moses."

1. When Israel was in Egypt’s land,
   Let My people go!
   Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
   Let My people go!
   • Refrain:
     Go down, Moses,
     Way down in Egypt’s land;
     Tell old Pharaoh
     To let My people go!

Photo Credit

Hungarian Jews Hold a Purim Feast that Resembles the American Thanksgiving Meal

Remember the jokes we make at Thanksgiving about why we eat turkey? The typical answer is because we are giving thanks to god, which in Hebrew is 'הודו לה and the word הודו also means turkey.

It seems that for Purim, Hungarian Jews have the same sense of humor. At their Seudat Purim -- the Purim Feast -- they too serve turkey for the main course.  Why? Because Ahasuerus ruled from הודו עד כוש -- which means from India to Ethiopia.

You've got it.  The Hebrew word for India is הודו. And yes, American Indians play a major role in the Thanksgiving holiday but I'm not going there. This is a different India, part of a vast kingdom. Do you know that Ahasuerus ruled over 127 provinces?! Who was King Ahasuerus? The Talmud and the Biblical commentator Rashi have different takes on this question.

Here's another question for you to explore. Feasting plays a major role in the Book of Esther.  How many feasts were held and how long was each one?

Can you think of your own twist for a Purim feast custom? While pondering the answer to this question have a look at these Purim Feast menus.

חג שמח


Turkey image credit

A Bukharan Purim Custom for the Wintry Weather

Like you, I'm hoping that the extreme weather in the United States will make a turn around, but just in case you experience another snow storm, think about adopting this Bukharan Purim custom

Bukhara is the perfect combination of exotica and history. Located on the ancient Silk Road, this Central Asian city and surrounding region was once home to a vibrant Jewish community.

In fact, this is not the first time I've taken you to Bukhara. Last year I introduced you to the Bukharan Jewish custom of a Passover Seder overture. Sure enough, now I've discovered that this colorful community had a creative Purim twist as well.

There is always snow on the ground in Bukhara when Purim rolls around. While very few Jews remain in Bukhara and its surrounding areas, when this vibrant community was at its peak, they made the most of the snow by sculpting snowHamans like the one in this picture.

I know you're sick of the snow, but just in case you get another dumping, now you can creatively put it to use.  I've found 10 snow sculpting tips you might want to follow. If you want to go all the way, think about this: carve Haman's name into his torso, light a candle or two right next to him, watch him melt away and presto! You have a Purim variation of the Wicked Witch of the West.





Snow-Haman Photo Credit

A Different Purim Twist from Morocco: Haman's Eyes

Haman must have been a funny looking fellow. Ears that looked like triangles, and (now I've discovered) -- eye sockets that looked like unshelled hard boiled eggs.

You guessed it. Two hard boiled eggs in their shells are the key for baking a Moroccan Purim bread called Haman's Eyes. It can be a bread adorned with almonds, like the one in this picture, used as part of the Mishloach Manot.

Or...it could resemble this!

A fun class or home activity? You bet. Just follow this recipe and give that devil everything he deserves!



















Photo credit
Haman's Eyes Photo Credit

What Are You Doing for Rosh Chodesh Adar?

Are you leaping for joy because this year is a leap year on the Jewish calendar? Have you thought about the fact that one week from this coming Friday you can start singing the Doublemint chewing gum song Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun...?

Yup. This year we've got the twin Adar months of Adar Aleph and Adar Bet. Since Adar is the happiest month on the Jewish calendar, that means we can double our fun. And since Purim is celebrated during Adar Bet, we have an expanded heads up for planning this joyous celebration.

But first, what do you have planned for Rosh Chodesh Adar Aleph? Don't forget, it's the prelude to your Purim festivities.

Have you thought about a combined Rosh Chodesh-Shabbat feast?
Hmmm...let's play with this idea. Originally Rosh Chodesh was an important monthly holiday. The shofar was blown, followed by family festivities -- meaning yummy food. On Shabbat we welcome the Sabbath Queen with a sumptuous meal. So, a mini Friday/Shabbat-Rosh Chodesh banquet sounds like a natural. Here are some kosher kid-friendly recipe ideas.

Next, let's welcome Rosh Chodesh Adar with a little fanfare. Blow the shofar please.

This is beginning to sound like a royal procession -- which ties in as well since Rosh Chodesh Adar falls on Friday, and on Friday nights we welcome the Sabbath Queen. Before a royal monarch enters a banquet hall trumpets are blown and a royal flag parade precedes the monarch. A flag for this year's Sabbath Rosh Chodesh Adar Queen? With a coat of arms? Have a look at this. Not only will it get you in a Rosh Chodesh Adar celebration mode, but it will also get you thinking about Purim.

All of this is just for starters. The rest is up to you. Remember: It's your Purim rehearsal and the beginning of two joyful, happy, fun months.





Rosh Chodesh Graphic Credit
Shofar Blowing Photo Credit

Create a Personal Connection to Tu B'Shvat

Here's a question for you -- can you create a personal connection to Tu B'Shvat? Something that centers around trees? Perhaps you (and your students) are working on family trees? Even better, there's a surname in your family rooted to the word tree. For instance the last name Baum is a German Jewish name that literally means tree. Similarly, the name Nusbaum stands for nut tree and Baumgarten means a tree garden.

Why this question? It evolved from the fact that this year Tu B'Shvat has added meaning for me. With the recent birth and naming of our second grandchild I commented to my husband that "we now have two trees!"

Our grandson Alon is named for the mighty oak tree rooted to many stories in the Bible -- starting with a tree named the Oak of Abraham, where legend has it Abraham hosted the three angels. The saga continues today, with the trunk of that strong, impressive tree still standing -- with some help.

Four weeks ago our granddaughter Elah made her entrance into the world. The name Elah is associated with oak, pistachio and terebinth trees. Sounds like a multiple choice test, but this tree 

has a formidable presence as well. After all, the Valley of Elah -- where David fought Goliath -- is named after it. 

While I'm writing this post I'm smiling to myself. Our two grandchildren's names unintentionally continue a family tradition of naming progeny after Biblical trees. It began with my parents naming me Tamar -- the palm tree under which Deborah sat when she carried out her duties as a judge, and the same tree providing us with palm leaves for Sukkot. 

Am I barking up the right tree with my original question -- can you create a personal connection to Tu B'Shvat? There may be a new Tu B'Shvat custom that you can create around it.

Oak of Abraham Photo Credit

Elah Tree Photo Credit 

Palm Trees Photo Credit