Category Archives: Judaism 101
VIOLINS OF HOPE
Meriam Nagel brought this to my attention.
In 1996, Israeli master violinmaker Amnon Weinstein began to collect and carefully restore violins that had extraordinary histories of suffering, courage, and resiliency. These violins are precious artifacts from one of the greatest human tragedies. Some were played by Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps; others belonged to the Klezmer musical culture, which was all but destroyed in the Holocaust.
Today, Amnon receives visitors bearing priceless instruments in shambles. The restoration process is complex, sometimes taking years to revive a single instrument. But when a violinist moves his bow across one of these instruments, the message resounds.
A project of national significance comes to Charlotte in April 2012
The Violins of Hope have never before been exhibited or played together in North or South America. With the support of the Charlotte community and our partners in the arts and education, the College of Arts + Architecture at UNC Charlotte presents a project that promises to inspire, illuminate, and educate.
In April 2012, UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts + Architecture will bring Violins of Hope to Charlotte for a series of exhibitions and performances focused on 18 instruments recovered from the Holocaust. Acclaimed musicians from across the country and around the world will play alongside Charlotte musicians, giving voice to the violins’ former owners and expressing the hope that comes with restoring to these instruments the power to play again.
For more information, please visit these web sites:
http://www.violinsofhopecharlotte.com
http://www.violinsofhope.org
http://www.shlomo-mintz.com/violinsofhope
Also search for violins of hope on YouTube.
SOME PASSOVER SONGS
(Sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music)
Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes
Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes
Fish that’s gefillted, horseradish that stings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Matzah and karpas and chopped up haroset
Shankbones and kiddish and yiddish neuroses
Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs
Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows
Matzah balls floating and eggshell that clings
These are a few of our Passover things.
When the plagues strike
When the lice bite
When we’re feeling sad
We simply remember our Passover things
And then we don’t feel so bad.
Elijah
(Sung to the tune of “Maria”)
Elijah!
I just saw the prophet Elijah.
And suddenly that name
Will never sound the same to me.
Elijah!
He came to our seder
Elijah!
He had his cup of wine,
But could not stay to dine
This year–
Elijah!
For your message all Jews are waiting:
That the time’s come for peace and not hating–
Elijah–
Next year we’ll be waiting.
Elijah!
The Seder Plate Song
(Sung to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”)
(By Dan Ochman)
Shank bone on my Seder plate
Helps to make the Seder great
Charoset and some wine to sip
Don’t forget the greens to dip
Bitter herbs and an egg complete
our Seder plate so now let’s eat!
Pharoh, Pharoh
(Sung to the tune of “Louie, Louie”)
CHORUS:
Pharaoh, Pharaoh
Oh baby! Let my people go! HUH!
Oy oy oy oy oy oy!
Pharaoh, Pharaoh
Oh baby! Let my people go! HUH!
A burnin’ bush told me just the other day
That I should come over here and stay.
Gotta get my people outta Pharaoh’s hands
Gotta lead my people to the Promised Land.
CHORUS
The Nile turned to blood! There were darkened black skies!
Gnats and frogs! There were locusts and flies!
The first born died, causing Egypt to grieve,
Finally Pharaoh said, “Y’all can leave!”
CHORUS
Me and my people goin’ to the Red Sea
Pharaoh’s army’s comin’ after me.
I raised my rod, stuck it in the sand
All of G-d’s people walked across the dry land.
CHORUS
Pharaoh’s army was a comin’ too.
So what you think that I should do?
Well, I raised my rod and I cleared my throat
And all of Pharaoh’s army did the dead man’s float.
CHORUS
Coda:
Pharaoh, Pharaoh
Oh baby! Let my people go! HUH!
Oy oy oy oy oy oy!
Pharaoh, Pharaoh
Oh baby! Let my people go! HUH!
I said, we gotta go.
I said, we gotta go now.
Let’s go!
PASSOVER POETRY
Passover / Pesach begins either in March or April, when the beauty of Springtime and the renewal of life blossoms before our eyes. This has inspired many Jewish people to write Passover poetry. Passover poetry / Pesach poetry consists of anything from a poetic description of the Passover / Pesach rituals performed, such as those for the festive meal(s) known as the Passover / Pesach Seder, to a poetic comparison of the Passover / Pesach festival with the magnificence of the Springtime season.
“Passover Suite” : Poems For Passover
by Ray Shankman
Why Is This Night Different?
Why is this night different
now that we are older
and our children are with us
each one of us crosses the same desert
helping the stragglers
lifting the forlorn and lost
helping life into life
helplessness into healing hope
we are here together
hearing each story as if it were our own
committed to keeping the story alive
the journey going
Dancing Into Freedom
Why is this night different
from all other nights?
Tonight we found Israel
in each other
and I danced with Deena
first daughter of Israel
giggling at our miracle
dancing leaps joyous
before the Lord
The wine was sweet
our eyes drank to eternity
every sip warmed our love
gave us life.
Even Elijah stayed for a dram
saying, “Your fare is simple, mere matzot and cheese
but that’s the way it used to be
when we truly wondered
in our freedom.”
Seder Renewal
Brothers and Sisters
let us order ourselves around this table
to negotiate new covenants;
let’s rewrite our tragedies;
let’s renew history;
let’s translate our enslavement into the freedom of this moment.
Together we endured suffering; now
let’s share a certain future:
past afflictions can be transformed
into renewed blessings;
let us break bread and sing praises to life;
let our Hallelujahs resonate deeply as a tikkun nefesh.
Heal my soul. O Lord heal others so I can be healed.
Let us sing on each cup of wine that zest for life
that brings us home to this table,
to the singing of this story,
our arms about one another
Dancing into freedom.
Source of the above Passover poems article: Canadian Jewish News, v.31(16) April 5, 2001, page B7. Re-printed with permission from The Canadian Jewish News.
—————————————————————————————————————-
The Telling
by Brenda Spigelman Ajzenkopf
Why is this night unlike all others
Are questions the youngest must say
We recline, we pray, we ask the Almighty
Please deliver us from Egypt this day.
Bitters and herbs are ours to consume
To remember the Exodus then
We eat, we drink, we cross the waters
Are pursued by Pharaoh and his men.
The Haggadah reading commands that we tell
How our ancestors toil, how they cry
We plead, we bend, we climb with Moses
And receive the tablets at Mount Sinai.
Elijah is here my father sings out
All bear witness as he flies
We tremble, we hide, we wait as he nears
We peer down through his ancient eyes.
Source of the above Passover poem: The Canadian Jewish News, March 31, 1999, volume 29 (13), page B2. Re-printed with permission from The Canadian Jewish News.
PURIM IN RHYME
The Book of Esther in Rhyme
By Fay Kranz Greene
It happened in the days of Achashverosh the King
A boor and a fool to boot
He made a great feast for the nations he ruled
To display his treasures and loot
He had no shame, did not fear G-d’s name
The fortune was not his to keep
It was stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem
Which lay in a sorrowful heap
Yet invitations were sent addressed to the Jews
At the palace to celebrate
Though they were warned, they did not stay away
And G-d’s anger was kindled, irate
The festivities lasted one hundred eighty days
The wine and the spirits flew
Destruction and deliverance were being prepared
But at the time, nobody knew
The drunken king ordered Queen Vashti to appear
She refused him unceremoniously
Upon advice from his court he cut her head off
And regretted it almost instantaneously
So a beauty pageant was quickly announced
To choose a new queen in her stead
All the maidens vied for this honor so great
But beautiful Esther was filled with dread
Her kinsman was Mordechai, a Jew so renowned
Her lineage from King Saul’s royal gene
She tried to hide, but fate would not be denied
Achashverosh chose her as his new queen
Mordechai gave her instructions precise
To the palace he came every day
Esther was not to reveal her nation of birth
Yet remain Jewish in every way
The stage was now set for Jewish salvation
Esther was a powerful force
She urged Acheshverosh to choose an advisor
The Jew Mordechai, of course
One day Mordechai heard two soldiers plot
To kill the king was their aim
He told it to Esther who saved the king’s life
But gave credit to Mordechai by name
Now an ill wind was brewing for the Jewish nation
In the guise of Haman the Aggagite
The royal ring was bestowed on him by the king
Though he was a wicked anti-Semite
Haman was proud, he preened at the gates
He commanded all to bow
But Mordechai refused, he said I’m a Jew
And my G-d does not allow
Haman wanted revenge on all the Jews
To annihilate them was his vow
He’d slaughter them all on one bloody day
The only question was how?
But this evil man thought of a plan
He devised a kind of lottery
To determine the date for the poor Jews’ fate
The thirteenth of Adar it was to be
Now Haman pleaded his case to the King
That the Jews were of no use at all
Achashverosh agreed, and it was quickly decreed
That our people were slated to fall
When Mordechai learned of this treachery
Sackcloth and ashes he donned
Weeping and wailing he ran through the streets
Knowing Esther would surely respond
Dear Esther, he said, your time has arrived
For this you were chosen as queen
To plead on the throne on behalf of your folk
Divine providence can clearly be seen
For her people Esther would risk her life
She had but one request to make
For three days the Jews must fast, regret their past
And all other gods forsake
Esther and her maidens would likewise fast
Then make a move so bold
To see the king unbidden was forbidden
Unless he extend his scepter of gold
Dressed in royalty and cloaked in Divinity
Esther was grace personified
Her prayers were answered, hope was at hand
The king invited her inside
Half of my kingdom is yours he said
Esther should have been delighted
But she was waiting for a sign Divine
So to a party she invited
Not only the king but Haman too
A move calculated to distress
The Jews would put their trust in G-d
And the king would become jealous
Esther waited for an opportunity
But there was no sign in sight
She had to stall and risk it all
With a party a second night
Haman was gloating ‘the queen chose me’
It was just the King and I
But his bubble bursts and his anger spurts
When he sees the Jew Mordechai
His wicked wife Zeresh comes up with a plan
Build a gallows about fifty feet
Go ask the king, to let Mordechai swing
And your joy will then be complete
What a night was ahead, the kingdom’s astir
No one is sleeping it seems
Esther is planning, Mordechai is praying
And the king has disturbing dreams
In the very heavens the angels are weeping
G-d hears his children in need
The king is awakened, his sleep is forsaken
From his royal book he begins to read
The pages turn as if on their own
To an entry long ago recorded
Mordechai the Jew saved the life of the king
But his loyalty was not rewarded
Achashverosh hears Haman in the courtyard
And calls him in post haste
How can I honor a man who’s deserving
I have no time to waste
Haman lays out a course of grand action
All the while thinking it’s he
A gala parade astride the king’s horse
Who else would he honor but me?
But his downfall was near, his end was in sight
Imagine his horror and dread
When the king said go do, to Mordechai the Jew
Exactly the things that you said
When Esther heard this turn of events
She knew it was her cue
And that it was right at the party that night
To reveal that she was a Jew
If I have found favor in the eyes of the king
And your highness will agree
Please spare my life and the lives of my people
From death by an evil decree
Who would dare to threaten my queen
Asked Achashverosh in a great fright
It is none other than your trusted advisor
Haman the Aggagite
The king was enraged, he needed air
From the room he quickly fled
And on the gallows intended for Mordechai
He had Haman hanged instead
Now letters were swiftly dispatched
To all the kingdom near and far
For the Jews to prepare, their foes to beware
On the thirteenth of Adar
The Jews were triumphant against the enemy
They fought bravely for their nation
And the days that were slated for destruction
Became days of celebration
Now proclamations were sent to all the Jews
Rejoice and be of good cheer
Remember these days of Purim
And commemorate them every year
By sending mishloach manot, food gifts to your friends
And eating a feast galore
By reading the megillah not once but twice
And giving charity to the poor
Purim means ‘lots’ chance and conjecture
G-d’s name was absent, concealed
But Esther means hester hidden, obscure
Unmask and all is revealed
HAPPY PURIM
GOOD SHABBOS!
If you like Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence, you’ll love this 2-minute music video.
URJ Webinar on Un’taneh Tokef
| Meanings and Melodies of the High Holy Days, Part 1: Un’taneh Tokef | |||||||||||||||
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THE THREE WEEKS
Posted in The July Ram’s Horn with permission from Rabbi Chaim rabbi@jewishmontana.com
The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks is an annual mourning period that falls out in the summer. This is when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and our launch into a still-ongoing Exile.
The period begins on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a fast day that marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 69 CE. It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the 9th of Av, the date when both Holy Temples were set aflame. This is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, and it is also the date of other tragedies, spanning our nation’s history.
Debate on Patrilineal Descent on Greaterfalls.com?
One of the most interesting aspects of our new online technologies might just be the advent of “blogs.” In this writer’s opinion, these websites are today’s equivalent of the town squares and cafes of yesteryear, where interested people discuss subjects ranging from aardvarks to zymurgy.
One local blog, greaterfalls.com, often discusses Great Falls politics, the weather and photos of geese. Today, however, it discusses what it means to be a Jew and a subject of common debate here, patrilineal descent.
I encourage you to take a look at the discussion, which can be found here. If you think the subject interesting, you might also want to join the discussion by posting a comment!
Lag B’Omer, a Jewish Holiday with No Food?
By Joy Breslauer
What holiday is not mentioned in the Torah or any other Jewish source until the 13th century, and has no particular foods associated with it? The answer is Lag b’Omer. This year, Lag b’Omer falls on Sunday, May 22. The Torah commands us, in Leviticus 23:15-16, to begin on the second night of Passover to count the Omer, the seven-week period between Passover and the next ancient pilgrimage holiday, Shavuot. The word Omer means sheaf and was a measure of grain from the new barley harvest cutting that the ancient Israelites brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover. The barley was processed into flour; some of it was burned and the rest was eaten by the priests.
Counting the days between the two holidays provides a bridge between Passover, the day commemorating the Israelites being freed and Shavuot, the day commemorating the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The seven week period is a period of mourning when many traditionally observant Jews do not shave or get haircuts or hold marriages or public festivities.
The “lag” in Lag b’Omer is a combination of the Hebrew letters lamed which stands for the number 30 and gimmel which stands for the number three. The date was significant in the second century Jewish rebellion against the Romans under the leadership of Bar Kochba, though the retelling of the event in the Talmud is confusing. In that story, students of Rabbi Akiva, who supported the rebellion, were supernaturally healed from a plague on the 33rd day of the Omer.
Since Jewish holidays nearly always have symbolic foods associated with them, why didn’t anyone create something with barley or flour for this holiday? We’ll never know. Instead, we have another food tradition. Joan Nathan, in The Jewish Holiday Cookbook, calls Lag b’Omer “a time for picnicking.” She suggests roast chicken, eggplant salad, German potato salad, Moroccan carrot salad, fresh fruit and cookies.
One cookbook that actually devotes an entire chapter to Lag b’Omer food is A Taste of Tradition by Ruth Sirkis. She says the traditional bonfires of Lag b’Omer mark the beginning of the outdoor cooking season and recommends pickle dip, tehinah dip, mini relish trays, mixed grill (shishlik and kebab), pitah, baked potatoes, baked corn, fruit and lemonade.
Here are some tips and recipes for grilling on a skewer:
Kebab Tips
1) Flat or square skewers will keep food from revolving.
2) If you spray the grill with vegetable spray before cooking, foods will not stick.
3) Partially cook vegetables before threading on a skewer so foods cook in the same amount of time.
4) If you use wooden skewers, soak them in tepid water for at least 30 minutes beforehand.
Meat and Potatoes Shishlik (6 servings)
2 lbs. cubed beef
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cilantro or parsley
12 small red or white potatoes
2 small onions, quartered
In a plastic bag, combine balsamic vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, soy sauce and meat. Close and let marinade 2 hours or refrigerated 8 hours.
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Pour off some marinade into the bowl of potatoes and toss. Thread six skewers with meat cube, potato, meat cube, onion quarter, meat cube, potato, meat cube. Thread remaining potatoes and onions on extra skewers. Grill skewers 3 inches from the heat 5 minutes on each side (for medium rare), more for well done, basting with marinade before turning.
Lamb Kebab (6 servings)
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 ½ lbs. cubed lamb
2 red bell peppers
2 green peppers
2 quartered onions
12 mushrooms
½ cup chopped cilantro
Place olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, herbs and lamb in a plastic bag, close, shake and set aside.
Core and seed peppers, cut into 1×2 inch pieces. Add to marinade along with mushrooms. Place in refrigerator at least 4 hours.
Place onion quarters on a plate and brush with some of the marinade.
Thread meat on skewers, alternating with vegetables and allowing 3 pieces of lamb per skewer.
Grill 3 inches from the heat for 5 minutes per side for medium rare, brushing with marinade when turning.
Grilled Vegetables (8 servings)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp dried basil or oregano or Italian seasoning
2 quartered red onions
1 red bell pepper cut in 1 ½-inch strips
1 green pepper cut in 1 ½-inch strips
4 halved plum tomatoes or 8 cherry tomatoes
4 zucchini or summer squash cut in ½ inch pieces
1 eggplant cut in ½-inch pieces
In a plastic bag, combine olive oil, wine vinegar, garlic, mustard and spices. Add vegetables, close bag, toss and let marinate at least 3 hours.
Using one skewer for each vegetable, thread onto skewers allowing ½ inch between each.
Grill 3 inches from heat source 3 to 5 minutes, turning carefully.
Place marinade in a bowl. Slide cooked vegetables off skewers into marinade and toss.
The Aitz Chaim Ram's Horn 