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

Book Time for Experiential Learning

Even though I live (at least) 6,000 miles away, I do travel to the States every year, keep up with many of you through email, and read about Jewish educational trends. While the PEW survey is the latest talk of the town, a careful examination of the results shows that there's a direct tie-in to another discussion -- the need for experiential learning in Jewish education.

I've heard from many of you about the latter and the need for it. All I can say is: you are so right! To make a positive Jewish impact on your children/students' lives you need engaging activities.  So, please excuse me if I take a week off from posting customs or interesting news from Israel for kids, and use this opportunity to plug my books. Much more than just a library title, they are alternative textbooks for the classroom, not to mention fun books to have at home.

I'll start with the Bible.

Tasty Bible Stories offers a delicious way of bringing the Bible to life. Read each story in the book (every one is written in a breezy, hip tone) and combine it with a cooking class by whipping up the matching recipes following each tale. It's definitely a way to get your students to sink their teeth into Bible stories.



Green Bible Stories for Children brings the Bible to a different level, making it relevant to 21st century ecological concerns. From bio-diversity to noise pollution, this eye-opening book shows that even long ago the Bible provided the original blueprint for environmental protection. This book consists of eight engaging stories told in a kid-friendly fashion, each of which is followed by 2-3 relevant, easy-to-do experiments or projects.

Next on the list -- Jewish Holiday Customs

My love for holiday customs did not start with this blog.  It all began with this book.

By reading Passover Around the World together with your students/children you will be able to create an unforgettable model seder in school or family seder at home. Take a trip across the globe by reading stories dealing with playful customs created by Jewish communities from as far as Iran to as close as your own backyard in North America. Can a child in the 21st century experience what it was like for the Children of Israel? In virtual terms, yes, if you follow the traditions in this book. And don't forget the delicious recipes accompanying each custom!

Hanukkah Around the World puts a different spin on this holiday that is so often referred to as the "December Dilemma" (fortunately, not this year). Why connect Hanukkah with Ho, Ho, Ho gifts when it has a story all of its own rooted to Israeli soil? Even better -- a variety of interesting, fun-loving customs created by Jews as far away as Australia and Italy. I especially love the Italian custom because it literally ties in with Tisha B'Av -- an important memorial day that never makes it to the Jewish school curriculum because it occurs during the summer. Finally, you will have a chance to make a meaningful connection but you'll have to get the book to find out how and why. Is there a food angle as well? Yum, yum, yes, with a recipe for every story.


Family Stories -- The Glue that Binds the Jewish People

Last week a friend of mine brought up an article recently published by the New York Times. Dealing with family stories, it reinforced the importance of giving children a sense that they are part of a larger family. Family tales ground children by giving them a feeling of stability and continuity -- exactly the ingredients we Jews need for the continuity of our people. For the past six years I have been going around the United States, giving presentations on my Jewish Heirloom Stories.

Each of these books -- Lotty's Lace Tablecloth and Mayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree -- deals with a specific Jewish value revolving around an unconventional heirloom and the story behind it.  My presentation on these books is one of my most popular "talks" because I give kids an assignment -- bring in a family heirloom and tell the story behind it. It's not just the kids who love doing this "homework." It's the parents as well. They are eager to tell family tales.  These books provide them with the perfect venue by offering pages at the back of each book to write down a personal story. How do I know these books are valuable additions to every child's personal library? Lotty's Lace Tablecloth was recently made a PJ Library selection.

Find out about my other books by taking a virtual book tour. Interested in a presentation on Shabbat Customs Around the World? Perhaps a virtual author visit? I offer these as well. All you have to do is contact me to get more information.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to explain how I can be part of your experiential learning program.
Bye for now. I'll be back next week with a new holiday custom.
Kol Tuv.
Tami

Tunisian Jews Remember Moses through an Unusual Seder Plate Custom

How many times have we heard that Moses -- the hero of our Passover story -- is never mentioned in the Hagaddah? Apparently Tunisian Jews try to rectify this situation through an unusual Seder plate custom. Instead of adorning their table with a variation of the Seder plate familiar to all of us, they use a reed basket (since I'm not sure of the size, I'll let you pick). They put all the Seder plate symbols inside the basket. Before reciting Ha Lachma Anya -- "this is the bread of affliction" --  the woman of the house takes the basket, and circles it over the head of each Seder participant while saying "we quickly left Egypt." The participants answer by reciting these words: "Yesterday we were slaves. Today we are free. This year we are here. Next year we will be free people in the land of Israel."

I think this subtle remembrance of Moses as a baby in a reed basket is brilliant. Similarly, so is the subtle reference to his mother Yocheved and sister Miriam by having the woman of the house take on this role. Finally, doesn't this custom complement the Bukharan Seder overture that I discussed two weeks ago? Start putting all the customs together that I have brought up and you have the makings of a Passover play.

Enjoy your Seder and Bravo to all the actors!

חג שמח

Photo credit

Southern Italy's Anousim Personalize the Seder Plate & Add A Symbol That Can't Be "Beet"!

This past October I introduced you to the Italian Anusim (Italians whose ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity) through a Shabbat custom related to me by Rabbi Barbara Aiello. We became e-quainted after I read an article about the Rabbi, so I recently turned to her once again about unusual Passover customs. Sure enough she had one, and it can't be "beet."

In addition to the traditional Seder Plate placed at the head of the table for the Seder leader, Italian Anusim make sure that each participant has his/her own personal Seder plate. It's plain glass and all of the symbols are placed on it, plus an additional symbol that they have developed. Italian Anusim also include a bietola -- a blood red beet -- to symbolize the lamb's blood put on their doorposts by the Israelites in order to save the firstborn in each family.

This definitely is a creative twist and should get all of us thinking about something unusual to enhance this year's Seder, be it at school or at home.




Photo credit

Bukharan Passover Seder Overture

No holiday is more colorful when it comes to customs than Passover. I thought I had covered all the customs in my book Passover Around the World, published in 2006. No way! I keep on discovering new, fascinating and fun traditions.

Today, I'm going to transport you to Bukhara, a Central Asian city located on the ancient Silk Road.  Its Jewish community claims they are descendants of the lost tribes of Naphtali and Issachar. They have a developed a tradition that I call the Passover Seder Overture. All the females tie packages of matzah to their backs. They choreograph a simple dance and sing the words (in Tajik -- the Persian dialect that is their native language) With Haste We Went Out of Egypt. What a wonderful opening act to the Seder night. Want to get a glimpse of a Bukharan Jewish song and dance? Have a look.
Want to continue the play? Read one of my earliest posts on Passover customs and you'll see that Seder night has a lot of home-made Broadway potential.

I'll be back with some more customs that will get you thinking.













Photo credit

Virtual Author Visits for Passover, Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Shalom from Israel:

Yes, that's me on a smart board at the Talmud Torah of St. Paul where I had a wonderful virtual author visit on January 9th. In fact, I've conducted several virtual author visits recently, and have found them to be a fun and enriching experience for the students and myself. My latest one was at the Religious School of Houston's Temple Sinai, during which I read Keeping The Promise, followed by a short Q&A.

This visit led me to an aha moment. Passover, Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha'Atzmaut are coming up and I have a book for each one:

Why not "invite" me to your school? Virtual Visits have numerous benefits: They create a sense of excitement, they're part of today's new technology, they eliminate the bother of transporting an author to your school, and most important for today's economy, they are the budget-wise way for creating an enrichment program. For more details, please visit my website.

Looking forward to hearing from you and meeting your students this Spring.

Le'Hitraot...Tami