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Jewish Journal

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September 17, 2014

Free High Holy Days services

Leave a Comment / California, Culture, Holidays /

Erev Rosh Hashanah: Sept. 24

Rosh Hashanah, first day: Sept. 25

Rosh Hashanah, second day: Sept. 26

Kol Nidre: Oct. 3 

Yom Kippur: Oct. 4

CHABAD

Los Angeles-area Chabads offering free services to the public during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur include Chabad of Beverlywood: (310) 836-6770; Chabad of Century City: (310) 505-2168; Chabad of Miracle Mile: (323) 852-6907; Chabad of Simcha Monica: (310) 829-5620; Chabad of Woodland Hills: (818) 348-5898; Chabad of Studio City: (818) 508-6633; and Chabad of Greater Los Feliz: (323) 660-5177. For more venues, visit chabad.org.

SAN FERNANDO AND CONEJO VALLEYS

ADAT ARI EL

A Conservative congregation in Valley Village, Adat Ari El holds a free Young Family Service (for preschoolers to second-graders and their parents) as well as a free Tekiah Family Service (for elementary school age children and their parents). Rosh Hashanah, first day: 8:45 a.m.-9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (Young Family Service), 11 a.m.-noon (Tekiah Family Service); Yom Kippur: 8:45-9:30 a.m., 9:45-10:30 a.m. (Young Family Service), 11 a.m.-noon (Tekiah Family Service). Reservations required. David Familian Chapel, Adat Ari El, 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village. (818) 766-9426. adatariel.org.

SHOMREI TORAH SYNAGOGUE

For families with third- to seventh-graders, these free services feature a full band, interactive stories, high-energy music and inclusive participation. Led by Rabbi Erez Sherman. Babysitting available for children ages 2 to 5. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Reservations required. Pomelo Elementary School, 7633 March Ave., West Hills. (818) 346-0811. stsonline.org.

TEMPLE ADAT ELOHIM

For parents who want to attend services with their young children (preschoolers to second-graders; older siblings permitted), these free 30-minute Reform services are for you. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 4:15 p.m. Yom Kippur: 3:30 p.m. No reservations necessary. Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. (805) 497-7101. adatelohim.org.

TEMPLE AHAVAT SHALOM

Geared toward families with young children (8 and under), these free, hour-long services offer opportunities for children and adults alike to join in both traditional and contemporary song and prayer while sharing in stories and special Torah readings reflecting the mood of the season. Erev Rosh Hashanah: 6 p.m.; Rosh Hashanah, first day: 8:30 a.m.; Kol Nidre: 6 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 8:30 a.m. No reservations necessary. Temple Ahavat Shalom, 18200 Rinaldi Place, Northridge. (818) 360-2258. tasnorthridge.org.

TEMPLE ALIYAH

College students and military personnel are welcome to attend these Conservative services for free. Please contact the synagogue for a list of service times and tickets. Student or military ID required. 6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland  Hills. (818) 346-3545. templealiyah.org.

TEMPLE JUDEA

The Reform community opens its doors to children and their families for Tot High Holy Days services on both Rosh Hashanah, first day, and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 4 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 3:30 p.m. No reservations necessary. Temple Judea, 5429 Lindley Ave., Tarzana. (818) 758-3800. templejudea.com.

TEMPLE KOL TIKVAH

The Reform community holds free family services on Rosh Hashanah, first day, and on Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 2:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 2:30 p.m. Temple Kol Tikvah, 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 348-0670. koltikvah.org.

VENTURA TOWNEHOUSE AND CHABAD OF VENTURA

For seniors. An array of High Holy Days programs for Jewish seniors include a Rosh Hashanah luncheon on Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah, first day, shofar blowing ceremony: noon; Yom Kippur service: noon. Free. RSVP. Services: Wyndham Garden Ventura Pierpont Inn, 550 San Jon Road, Ventura; Luncheon: The Chabad Jewish Center, 5040 Telegraph Road, Ventura. (805) 658-7441. chabadventura.com.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, HOLLYWOOD AND EAST SIDE

BETH SHIRAH CONGREGATION

These free services for the unaffiliated feature music, poetry, reflection, memorial candle-lighting services and more. Please bring canned food to donate. Led by Cantor Estherleon Schwartz. Erev Rosh Hashanah: 7:30 p.m.; Rosh Hashanah, first day: 10:30 a.m.; Kol Nidre: 7:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 10:30 a.m. No reservations necessary (limited seating). Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 653-7420. estherleon.com.

CONGREGATION KOL AMI 

The LGBT congregation welcomes the general public on Rosh Hashanah, second day only. 10 a.m. No reservations necessary. Congregation Kol Ami, 1200 N. La Brea Ave., West Hollywood. (323) 606-0996. kol-ami.org.

JEWISH LEARING EXCHANGE

The education center holds an abridged, beginners Rosh Hashanah service, open to everyone. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 5 p.m. Reservations required. Jewish Learning Exchange, 512 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 857-0923. jlela.com.

LAUGH FACTORY

The venerable Sunset Strip comedy club holds services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur. Everyone welcome. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 11 a.m., refreshments follow; Kol Nidre: 5:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 11 a.m., a break-the-fast follows. Reservations recommended. Laugh Factory, 8001 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 656-1336. laughfactory.com.

NASHUVA

Rabbi Naomi Levy and the Nashuva Band’s spiritual community is back at its larger location, the historic Founder’s Church of Religious Science in Koreatown, for this year’s services, and everyone’s invited. A Rosh Hashanah second-day hike and service will be held in Temescal Park. Erev Rosh Hashanah: 6:30 p.m.; Rosh Hashanah, first day: 9:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah, second day: 9 a.m. (hike), 10 a.m. (service); Kol Nidre: 6:45 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 9:30 a.m. Reservations required (suggested donation $350 per person). Childcare program available with reservation. Founder’s Church of Religious Science, 3281 W. Sixth  St., Los Angeles. Temescal Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. nashuva.com.

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD 

The historic Reform congregation holds free family services (toddlers through second-graders) on Rosh Hashanah, first day and Yom Kippur, and opens its doors to the general public on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 8:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah, second day: 10 a.m.; Yom Kippur: 8:30 a.m. No reservations necessary. Temple Israel of Hollywood, 7300 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 876-8330. tioh.org.

WESTSIDE

BETH CHAYIM CHADASHIM 

Rabbi Heather Miller leads the LGBT congregation’s free family services on both the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur in Temple Isaiah’s Social Hall (Temple Isaiah is moving to UCLA’s Royce Hall). These services are for families with children ages 1-12. Rabbi Lisa Edwards and Cantor Juval Porat lead a free service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah at BCC’s Pico Boulevard synagogue. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 10:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah, second day: 10 a.m.; Yom Kippur: 10:30 a.m. Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Beth Chayim Chadashim, 6090 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 931-7023. bcc-la.org.

BETH SHIR SHALOM

The progressive Reform synagogue in Santa Monica holds free afternoon children’s services for families with children up to age 7. Led by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels and Cantor Diane Rose. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 1:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 2 p.m. No reservations necessary. Santa Monica High School, Barnum Hall, 601 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 453-3361. bethshirshalom.org.

CHAI CENTER

These free services are in English, with meaning, melody and humor by Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz (aka Schwartzie). All ages welcome. Erev Rosh Hashanah: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Kol Nidre: 6:15-8:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 3-5:30 p.m. (“Stump the Rabbi” program). No reservations necessary. Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 391-7995. chaicenter.org.

HILLEL AT UCLA

Free to all students with a valid school ID. There are a variety of services: traditional, liberal egalitarian and Orthodox. No reservations necessary. Hillel at UCLA, 574 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. (310) 208-3081. ucla.hillel.org.

IKAR

Pray for free with the progressive egalitarian community on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Erev Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur from Yizkor through Neilah. Rosh Hashanah, second day: 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration and ID required. Westside Jewish Community Center, 5870 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 634-1870. ikar-la.org.

LEO BAECK TEMPLE

These free and lively family services feature music and storytelling for children (ages 7 and under) and their parents and grandparents. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 2 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 2 p.m. Reservations required. Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 476-2861. leobaecktemple.org.

OHR HATORAH

The independent community’s free services feature eclectic music performances reflecting on themes of the human condition and commentary by Rabbi Mordecai Finley. Second day Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur only. Rosh Hashanah, second day: 10 a.m.; Yom Kippur: 2 p.m. No reservations necessary. Rosh Hashanah service: Ohr HaTorah, 11827 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Yom Kippur: Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. Eighth St., Los Angeles. (310) 915-5200. ohrhatorah.org.

SHOLEM COMMUNITY 

The secular humanistic community holds a free family picnic and celebration with readings and songs on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and a discussion about ethics in our daily lives on Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., Yom Kippur: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. No reservations necessary. Rancho Park-Cheviot Hills picnic area No. 1, 2551 Motor Ave., Los Angeles. (818) 760-6625. sholem.org.

SHTIBL MINYAN

The traditional, egalitarian, lay-led minyan welcomes the general public to services. Erev Rosh Hashanah: 6:35 p.m.; Rosh Hashanah, first day: 8:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah, second day: 8:30 a.m.; Kol Nidre: 6:10 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 8 a.m. RSVP requested (donations encouraged). Workmen’s Circle, 1525 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 916-9820. shtibl.com.

SINAI TEMPLE

Rabbi David Wolpe leads Rosh Hashanah Live, a free musical celebration combined with a service on Erev Rosh Hashanah. There is also a more traditional service offered. On Yom Kippur, the Yizkor service is open to the public. Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah Live: 8 p.m., Ziegler Sanctuary; Erev Rosh Hashanah, traditional service: 8 p.m., Barad Hall; Yom Kippur, Yizkor service: 3 p.m. No reservations necessary (space is limited, arrive early). Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-1518. sinaitemple.org

TEMPLE EMANUEL 

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur, the Reform congregation offers free half-hour services for toddlers and preschoolers and their families, including lots of singing, dancing, stories and activities. A combination of Hebrew and English readings, a sermon from one of Emanuel’s rabbis, and a mix of classic High Holy Days choral music balanced with traditional and contemporary melodies highlight the congregation’s free service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 11:30 a.m.-noon; Rosh Hashanah, second day: 9 a.m.-noon; Yom Kippur: 11:30 a.m.-noon. No reservations necessary. Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, Bess P. Maltz Center, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 274-6388. tebh.org.

UNIVERSITY SYNAGOGUE

Music- and story-filled, these free, one-hour family services are a kid-friendly introduction to the High Holy Days. Rosh Hashanah, first day: 1:30 p.m.; Yom Kippur: 1:30 p.m. Reservations required. University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. (310) 472-1255. unisyn.org.

TASHLICH

SAN FERNANDO AND CONEJO VALLEYS

ZUMA BEACH, LIFEGUARD STATION 12

Temple Adat Elohim. Sept. 26. 5 p.m. Zuma Beach, 30050 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu. (805) 497-7101. adatelohim.org.

LAKE BALBOA

Temple Judea. Sept. 26. Approximately 11:30 a.m. Lake Balboa, 6300 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys. (818) 758-3800. templejudea.com.

CALABASAS LAKE

Temple Aliyah. Sept. 28. 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Park Sienna grass area entrance of Calabasas Lake, Calabasas. templealiyah.org.

HANSEN DAM

Temple Ahavat Shalom. Sept. 27. 11 a.m.  Hansen Dam Aquatic Center (picnic bench area). Bring a picnic lunch. 11770 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace. tasnorthridge.org.

MALIBU PIER

Shomrei Torah Synagogue. Sept. 28. 6:30 p.m. 23000 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu. (818) 346-0811.shomreitorahsynagogue.org.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, HOLLYWOOD, EAST SIDE

MARSH PARK

East Side Jews. Down to the river we go. Be a part of the High Holy Days transformative experience. Sept. 27. $40 (includes ritual, food and drink). 6:30-9:30 p.m. Marsh Park in Elysian Valley, 2960 Marsh St., Los Angeles. (323) 663-2255.eastsidejews.com.

WESTSIDE

SANTA MONICA BEACH

Beth Shir Shalom. Sept. 25. 3 p.m. Beach at the end of Pico Boulevard. (310) 453-3361. bethshirshalom.org.

Temple Isaiah. Sept. 25. 4 p.m. Bring a picnic dinner. 2030 Ocean Park Ave., parking at Lot 4 South. (310) 277-2772. templeisaiah.com.

Temple Israel of Hollywood. Sept. 25. 4 p.m. Meet at lifeguard station 12 (parking at Lot 3 North). (323) 876-8330. tioh.org.

IKAR. Sept. 28. 4:30 p.m. Bring a picnic dinner and meet at lifeguard station 26 (where Ocean Park Boulevard meets the beach). (323) 634-1870. ikar-la.org.

VENICE BEACH

Nashuva. Please dress casually in white and consider a sweater. Bring a percussion instrument and bread for throwing. Sept. 25. 5:15 p.m. Venice Beach (where Venice Boulevard meets the sand; approximate address: 1 N. Venice Blvd., Venice). nashuva.com.

Beth Chayim Chadashim. Sept. 26. 5 p.m. 2856 Ocean Front Walk (Santa Monica/ Venice border). (323) 931-7023. bcc-la.org.

WILL ROGERS STATE BEACH

Leo Baeck Temple. Sept. 25. 5 p.m. Will Rogers State Beach (intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road). Between lifeguard towers 5 and 6. (310) 476-2861. leobaecktemple.org. 

Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills. Sept. 25. 5 p.m. Will Rogers State Beach (intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road) Lifeguard tower 8. (310) 276-9776. tebh.org. 

MARINA DEL REY

Temple Akiba. Bike ride to Culver beach. Sept. 28. 1 p.m.  Meet at Temple Akiba: 5249 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. (310) 398-5783. templeakiba.net.

KEVER AVOT | SUNDAY SEPT. 28

EDEN MEMORIAL PARK

All are welcome — especially Jewish war veterans. Please bring a canned food item (peanut butter, tuna, meats, stews, soups, dried beans), nonperishable food, personal hygiene item or children’s book to be donated to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles’ SOVA Community Food and Resource Program. 10 a.m. Free. Eden Memorial Park, 11500 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills. (818) 361-7161. eden-memorialpark.com.  

HILLSIDE MEMORIAL PARK AND MORTUARY 

Service led by Rabbi John Rosove and Chazzan Danny Maseng of Temple Israel of Hollywood. They are joined by Rabbi Avivah Erlick (Jewish Burial Society of SoCal), Rabbi Sheldon Pennes (Temple B’nai Emet), Cantor Linda Kates (Leo Baeck Temple), and Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot (Temple Judea). Complimentary yahrzeit candles will be available. There will be a shomer to assist with Kaddish. 10 a.m. Free. Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, 6001 W.Centinela Ave., Los Angeles. (310) 641-0707. hillsidememorial.org.

HOME OF PEACE

Led by Rabbi Robert Elias. 11 a.m. Home of Peace, Chapel, 4334 Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 261-6135. homeofpeacememorialpark.com.  

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

Services will be led at two sites. There will be interpreters for the hearing impaired at both services. Donations to SOVA Food Pantry will be gratefully accepted. 10 a.m. Free. Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles; 1 p.m. Free. Mount Sinai Simi Valley, 6150 Mount Sinai Drive, Simi Valley. (866) 717-4624. mountsinaiparks.org.

SHOLOM MEMORIAL PARK

Led by Rabbi Alan Kalinsky and Cantor Jance Weberman. Refreshments served at 9 a.m. 10 a.m. (service). 13017 Lopez Canyon Road, Sylmar. (310) 659-3055. sholomchapels.com. 

Free High Holy Days services Read More »

Biden regrets making ‘Shylock’ reference

Leave a Comment / United States /

Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged that he made a “poor choice of words” in using the term “Shylock” to describe unscrupulous lenders.

Biden was reacting Wednesday to remarks by Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director, in response to the vice president’s use of the term this week.

Speaking to the Legal Services Organization, a group that funds legal assistance for the poor, Biden referred to the experience of his son Beau, the Delaware attorney general who has served in Iraq.

Beau Biden, the vice president said, had been approached by service members who had been preyed upon by unscrupulous lenders.

“People would come to him and talk about what was happening to them at home in terms of foreclosures, in terms of bad loans that were being — I mean, these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas,” he said.

Foxman, in a statement to Yahoo News, said the term was “offensive.”

“When someone as friendly to the Jewish community and open and tolerant an individual as is Vice President Joe Biden uses the term ‘Shylocked’ to describe unscrupulous moneylenders dealing with servicemen and women, we see once again how deeply embedded this stereotype about Jews is in society,” Foxman said.

In a statement emailed from his office to JTA, Biden agreed with that characterization.

“Abe Foxman has been a friend and advisor of mine for a long time,” Biden said. “He’s correct, it was a poor choice of words, particularly, as he said, coming from ‘someone as friendly to the Jewish community and open and tolerant an individual as is Vice President Joe Biden.’ He’s right.”

Biden regrets making ‘Shylock’ reference Read More »

Group Jewish wedding held in eastern Ukraine

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

The Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine held a group wedding for 19 Jewish couples.

Most of the couples that wed Sunday were already married under Ukrainian law but had not had a Jewish wedding ceremony, or huppah, the director of the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community, Zelig Brez, told JTA.

“It is a huge event in the spiritual sense, and, I’m not afraid to say it – historic,” he said, adding that the ceremonies were the largest group wedding performed in his city – where 50,000 Jews live – since before the communist era.

Ten rabbis conducted the marriages on a terrace at the Menora Center, Dnepropetrovsk’s $100 million Jewish community center, which opened in 2012. The couples received special preparation by Shmuel Kaminezki, the city’s chief rabbi and Chabad’s influential envoy to Ukraine, and his wife, Chana.

Under communism, Jewish life in the former Soviet Union was conducted underground, a reality that meant many Jews did not have a Jewish wedding. In many areas, a majority of Jews were not circumcised.

“The challenge was both logistical and halachic,” the community wrote in a report about the weddings. Special attention went to helping couples feel the moment in their own private context as opposed to a group activity, Brez explained.

For this reason, the weddings were conducted in two groups and not all at once – first for 10 couples and then for the remaining nine.

“It was something special, and I’m happy that I saw my daughter, in the presence of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, finally get a huppah,” community activist Mina Dreitser said of the wedding of her daughter, Miriam Minutova, to Shlomo Skorokhod.

Group Jewish wedding held in eastern Ukraine Read More »

The Rabbi’s Daughter: A boutique butcher shop

Leave a Comment / Culture, Food /

For years, interior designer Nomi Feuerstein had her eye on a certain wallpaper made by British designer Louise Body. The print depicts pairs of water buffalo with mirror image reflections beneath, so that from a distance, the repeated pattern of the four-animal cluster takes on an abstract geometric effect. Finding the right placement for such a specific subject matter in a private residence was the tricky part. 

Lucky for Feuerstein, however, her husband, Israel, happens to be a butcher. So when the couple decided to open up a new kosher meat store in West Los Angeles, she had a few ideas of how it should look. 

Owners Nomi and Israel Feuerstein. Photo by Jessica Ritz

“The first thing was the wallpaper,” Israel Feuerstein recalled about how their plan for the Rabbi’s Daughter, “a boutique butcher shop,” as they describe it, started to take shape. 

Nomi’s father is Rabbi Joel E. Rembaum, rabbi emeritus and former senior rabbi at Temple Beth Am; she initially balked when a friend suggested the potential name. Israel, on the other hand, immediately thought the moniker was perfect. Nomi finally relented, and the store, located on Westwood Boulevard just south of Olympic Boulevard, opened on Aug. 6 with a modern approach to old traditions. 

The Rabbi’s Daughter offers a full suite of kosher chicken, turkey, beef, lamb and veal, with an emphasis on hormone- and antibiotic-free, organic and grass-fed products. It’s part of being “in keeping with the movements that have been happening in the non-Jewish world,” Nomi said. Sourcing locally is a challenge, however, because most kosher meats are imported from out of state. “That’s our dream, to have somebody do it in California,” she said. 

Israel was born in the town of Mukacheve in the Carpathian Mountains in what is now Ukraine, but his family, which identifies as Hungarian, moved to Israel when he was 2 months old; he grew up in Hadera, north of Netanya. He was an officer in the Israeli army and holds a degree in computer science. Nomi, a Los Angeles native who grew up in the community around Temple Beth Am, is a graduate of Hamilton High School. She continues to work in the field of interior design. Her mother, Fredi Rembaum, is assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. The couple has two small children. 

Israel worked at the now-shuttered Doheny Meats, which closed under a cloud of scandal after the owner was discovered not following kosher law. Israel already had been considering opening a family business independently, so the series of events that closed down his employer’s operation proved to be the bittersweet catalyst. “We wanted to do our own thing,” Nomi explained. After all, Israel comes from a line of avid cooks, and his grandfather was a shochet (ritual slaughterer). “He knows meat,” she said of her husband.

After considering various locations, late last year Israel found side-by-side spaces that had been a salon and a box-and-shipping store. The couple joined the two into one storefront on Westwood Boulevard in a neighborhood that didn’t have immediate access to quality kosher butchery. Then the couple got to work on  their respective areas of professional expertise. 

“He gave me every cut he could think of, and [showed me] how to prepare it,” Nomi said. She found a company to create two hand-written blackboards showing a vertical list of meats, along with a corresponding horizontal grid to specify which types of preparation best suit each cut, whether it be in the skillet, on the grill, stir-fried, broiled, roasted, stewed or braised. Whole animal butchery is practiced to the greatest extent possible. Nomi also said cooking advice and questions are always welcome at the shop, because “we grew up in a community where you knew your butcher, and he knows you.” 

The two boards are mounted on the rear wall in the main cutting area and set behind the counter, which is framed by a wall covered with the water buffalo wallpaper. Between the meat menus is a sign with the store’s logo made on a reclaimed wood background by a company Nomi found on Etsy, the online marketplace for independent sellers and small-scale makers. 

To round out the distinctive look and feel, Nomi selected retro details such as mint green aluminum pendant lighting fixtures inspired by vintage jadeite glassware, along with white subway tile walls and poured concrete floors. The corridor from the rear parking lot is lined with graphic artist Marcelle Heimdal’s illustrations referencing traditional butcher cut diagrams. As a fun nod to their kids’ sensibilities and interests, Nomi included a dinosaur diagram image that she bought on Etsy. 

In addition to an extensive roster of specific cuts, Israel also prepares convenient ready-to-cook proteins, from pre-pounded schnitzel to delicious slider-sized beef patties. Customers can buy fresh beef kabob skewers marinated in barbecue sauce, or Persian-style chicken koobideh to cook easily at home. Deli meats are always available. Freezer cases are stocked with grab-and-go cuts made in-house, as well as sausages and commercially produced kosher items. And because the Feuersteins base their inventory largely on what they like to have available in their own kitchen, there are enough dry kosher provisions on the shelves to fill any pantry.

Israel’s years of experience in butchery and customer service has made him well aware of the diverse kosher needs of the Diaspora, so he carries culturally and nationally specific foods, such as boerewors sausage and traditional kosher biltong jerky for South African customers who want a taste of home. 

Plus, in a move that will excite former New Yorkers who return to L.A. with heavy bags full of dense babka and rugelach from Green’s bakery in Brooklyn, the appearance of these items at the Rabbi’s Daughter are cause for celebration. 

Rabbi’s Daughter is certified by U.S. Kosher Supervision and supervised by Rabbi Yehuda Bukspan. The store is open six days a week and offers free delivery for orders over $70.  

“We love to eat, and we love to host,” Israel said. So, for the Feuersteins, having a venue to showcase his butchery and culinary know-how, along with the values they care about, is ideal. 

“We have kids, and we care about what we eat. It’s a family business. It’s a community,” Nomi added. “And it’s a place to put my wallpaper!” 

The Rabbi’s Daughter: A boutique butcher shop Read More »

‘With Jews we lose,’ reads one Senate candidate’s slogan in Ky.

Leave a Comment / United States /

Robert Ransdell, a write-in candidate for U.S. Senate from Kentucky, is campaigning with the slogan “With Jews we lose.”

Campaign lawn signs with the slogan began appearing in the Cincinnati suburb of Florence, Ky., in recent days. Ransdell said his campaign has posted about 20 signs and plans 200 more in the weeks ahead.

“Online we have had a lot of positive feedback,” Ransdell told WLWT, a TV news station in Cincinnati. “Like I said, we’re going to find out what kind of feedback we get once we go out and take it to the people here in the state of Kentucky.”

The major-party candidates in the race are Republican Mitch McConnell, the incumbent and the Senate’s minority leader, and Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. Neither is Jewish.

‘With Jews we lose,’ reads one Senate candidate’s slogan in Ky. Read More »

Recipe: The time of year to get your fill of kreplach

Leave a Comment / Culture, Food, Holidays, Recipes /

I am always impressed by the fact that food plays such an important role during the holiest of Jewish holidays, and kreplach — dough wrapped around meat and boiled, fried or baked — is certainly one of these dishes. Traditionally, it is served between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.   

During this period, it is believed that the fate of each individual is decided, and then sealed in the Book of Life for the coming year. The custom of serving kreplach alludes to the hope that kindness will overrule any strict judgment we may deserve. There is also the concept that a person’s good deeds are also sealed in the same manner as these stuffed savories.  

Kreplach are said to go back as far as the 12th century, and each country seems to have its own version of a filled, egg-noodle dough. It is recorded that meat-stuffed pasta, shaped like ravioli or tortelloni, were served by the Jews of Germany in the early 14th century. Later, a variety of fillings were developed including chicken, kasha, cabbage, cheese and even apples. European Jews also served kreplach stuffed with dried fruit and nuts for dessert. 

In Italy, near Mantua, where many Jewish families once lived, they still serve tortelli di zucca. These pumpkin- or squash-filled ravioli are served with butter and Parmesan cheese and said to be one of the foods brought by Jews to the area.  

My husband remembers when he was growing up in Boyle Heights, his bubbe (grandmother) made kreplach during the Jewish holidays, rolling out the dough on a wooden board and cutting each square by hand. He reminisced that Bubbe would serve these kasha- and roast meat-filled kreplach in a clear chicken soup.   

There seems to be some controversy about the shape of kreplach. At a recent dinner with friends, we discussed the various shapes and sizes that each family made. Some use a 4-inch square of dough that they fill and fold into triangles resembling tortellini. Others begin with rounds of dough, resulting in a crescent shape resembling potstickers. And still others use two squares of dough that end up resembling ravioli.  

Whatever the shape, everyone agreed on one thing: They are delicious.

BASIC KREPLACH

Ground Chicken Filling or Kasha Filling  (recipes follow)

3 cups flour plus additional for rolling out dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

Directions

Prepare Ground Chicken Filling or Kasha Filling; refrigerate until ready to use.

Place 3 cups flour and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade. Turn processor on and off once. Then, with processor running, drop in one egg and, the instant it is blended in, turn off processor. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, until the dough is crumbly or resembles a coarse meal. Add olive oil and water, processing just until dough begins to come away from side of bowl. 

Remove dough to a floured wooden board; knead just until smooth. Divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces for easier handling. While rolling out first piece, cover remainder with an inverted large bowl so dough does not dry out.

Roll each piece out on a floured board into thin sheet. Use plenty of flour to avoid sticking. Cut into 3- to 4-inch squares or rounds. Place a teaspoon of filling on each square. Brush edges with water and fold the corners to meet and seal. Bring 2 corners together and seal like a kerchief. For rounds, fold over, brush edges with water, and pinch to seal. Place a kitchen towel on a baking sheet and dust with flour. Place each kreplach on towel and cover with another towel. Refrigerate or freeze if preparing in advance. Serve in soup or brown in oil.  

Makes about 40 kreplach.

GROUND CHICKEN FILLING

3 tablespoons unsalted margarine

2 onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)

1 pound ground chicken, cooked (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions 

In a skillet, melt margarine; sauté onions, garlic and green pepper. Add the chicken, egg yolks, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Filling may be cooked and refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day before using.      

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

KASHA FILLING

4 tablespoons unsalted margarine

1 onion, minced

1 cup whole roasted kasha (buckwheat kernels)

1 egg

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions 

In a skillet, melt margarine and sauté onion until tender. Combine kasha and 1 egg; add to onion mixture. Sauté until the grains become dry and crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until kasha is soft and chicken stock is reduced. While cooking, uncover and stir to prevent kasha from sticking to bottom of pot. Add salt and pepper. Cool.   

Makes about 3 cups.   

TRADITIONAL KREPLACH WITH WONTONS

2 onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 pounds chuck roast

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

2 eggs

48 (4-inch) wonton wrappers    

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large roasting pot, place 1 sliced onion, garlic and chuck roast. Add salt and pepper. Bake, covered, 2 to 3 hours or until very tender. Sauté remaining sliced onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender. 

Remove fat from meat and grind meat with both onions; place in large bowl. Add 1 egg, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fill wrappers.

In a small bowl, lightly beat remaining 1 egg. 

Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface. Spoon a scant tablespoon of meat mixture in center of each. Brush two adjacent edges of the wrapper with lightly beaten egg. Fold dry opposite corner over to meet point to form a triangle. Press edges together, forcing air from center. Twist point at one end of fold to meet opposite point of fold, like a kerchief. Moisten point with beaten egg and press points together to stick. Repeat with remaining wrappers and meat mixture. (At this point, kreplach can be refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.)

Heat remaining olive oil in a non-stick skillet; fry kreplach on both sides until golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels.  

Makes about 48 kreplach.

APPLE KREPLACH

Apple Filling (recipe follows)

1 1/2 cups flour plus additional for rolling 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted margarine

3 tablespoons water

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Prepare Apple Filling; refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and powdered sugar. Using a pastry cutter, or two knives, cut in 1/2 cup margarine until mixture is crumbly. Blend in water until dough begins to come together. Do not over-mix. Knead dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for 5 to 10 minutes in refrigerator.

While dough is chilling, line a baking sheet with foil. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; use it to brush the foil. 

Divide dough into 6 parts. Working with 1 part at a time, roll out on a large sheet of floured waxed paper, 1/4-inch thick and cut out a 6-inch circle, using a cake round or lid as a guide. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the apple filling on half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Carefully fold circle in half, pinching the edges together securely; press edges with tines of a fork to seal. Place filled kreplach on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. (If preparing kreplach ahead, they can be covered with foil and stored in refrigerator or freezer at this point.)

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Using a metal spatula, transfer to dessert plates. Drizzle honey over the top.  

Makes 36 to 48  kreplach.

 APPLE FILLING 

5 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon

Directions 

In a large bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap.  

Makes about 4 cups. 

 

Judy Zeidler is a food consultant, cooking teacher and author of “Italy Cooks” (Mostarda Press, 2011). Her website is judyzeidler.com

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The Kosher Palate sets up shop in South Bay

Leave a Comment / Culture, Food /

When Michele Grant was scouting locations for T.K.P. Provisions, her new kosher restaurant and specialty foods shop, she looked at several neighborhoods with established kosher scenes and large Orthodox populations.

But customers of her food truck, The Kosher Palate, kept telling her they craved hechshered eats in the South Bay.

“If you want to take your kids out for pizza,” Grant heard again and again, “you have to pile everybody in the car. It becomes an endeavor, rather than just going to grab a bite.”

Grant already had been making periodic stops with her truck in cities such as Tujunga and San Pedro to expand kosher food access. So when she found a property in Redondo Beach that had housed delis for decades, she decided to set up shop with her smoked meats and fancy salts.

The South Bay has long had a Jewish population, but today, increasing numbers of observant Jews are living and working there.

Rabbi Yossi Mintz of Chabad of the Beach Cities said the area’s Orthodox population has increased slowly but steadily for the past decade, with the biggest gains in the last three to five years.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles President Jay Sanderson said his organization doesn’t have recent statistics on Jewish demographics in the region, but he confirmed the growth.

Mintz’s synagogue — one of four Chabad centers in the South Bay — has around 170 children in its preschool and the shul is preparing to found a day school serving children in grades one through five, and is hoping, Mintz said, to expand to older students in the future.

Chabad of the Beach Cities opened a mikveh in 2008. Community member Josef Gorowitz said there also has been talk of establishing an eruv.  

T.K.P. Provisions is the South Bay’s third kosher restaurant. The Bagel Factory has a location in Torrance, and Chayo Eatery opened there last year, offering dairy sandwiches, salads and pizza.

With the launch of Grant’s restaurant in July, kosher diners now have their first South Bay meat option — and one with artisanal ambitions.

T.K.P. Provisions smokes and roasts its own beef and turkey, and Grant hopes to create duck or goose pastrami in the future.

She has reimagined traditional deli favorites, stuffing pita with beef tongue and serving roast beef with horseradish oil. She especially likes to incorporate Middle Eastern flavors such as pomegranate curry mustard and zhug, a Yemenite hot sauce.

Salads feature yellowfin tuna, pickled trout and glazed tempeh.

Grant also sells fresh-pressed juices and T.K.P.-fermented kombucha, as well as a host of specialty kosher groceries, many of them made in-house. Customers can buy cashew cheese, gourmet olive oils and the spicy-sweet tomato jam The Kosher Palate serves on its burgers.

T.K.P. Provisions is part of a larger wave of Jewish artisanal delis around North America. Wexler’s Deli, which opened this April in downtown L.A.’s Grand Central Market, has become the darling of local foodies. 

But most of the new delis are not kosher.  

Grant started serving kosher food in 2012, at her Kosher Palate farmers market booth that focused on vegetarian and vegan dishes. Her business grew into a food truck the following year. (The truck is still operating on a limited schedule.)

Before that, Grant helped run The Grilled Cheese Truck, and she cooked privately for people with special dietary needs. 

Some of her biggest culinary passions revolve around sustainable sourcing and homemade, healthy meals. Those ideas are trending in the secular food world right now, and Grant hopes to encourage the observant Jewish community to adopt them into their diet habits. 

“I’ll know we’re a success if someone comes in and they’re engaging with what they’re putting in their bodies,” she said.

Redondo Beach resident and Chabad of the Beach Cities member Jeff Gelb said he is very happy to see another kosher restaurant opening in the area and that he would love it if a fancy sit-down establishment, like Pat’s in Pico-Robertson, would come to town.

Knowing that much of her clientele comes from Chabad, Grant uses the Lubavitch-slaughtered meat and pas Yisroel bread that many prefer.

But Gelb stressed that his community is very diverse, a mix of Jews ranging from the not-particularly observant to many varieties of Orthodox. Some people walk three miles to reach a synagogue on Shabbat, he said.

That’s a relatively new image in the South Bay, where Jewish residents historically have been a fairly unaffiliated bunch.

They’re usually more interested in the area’s schools or beaches than in finding a religious community, and some of them may even be trying to avoid it, said Robin Franko, a longtime Rancho Palos Verdes resident who once led Federation’s former South Bay Council.

“If they wanted to live in a highly identified Jewish community, they would have stayed in L.A. or maybe the Valley,” Franko mused.

Grant, for her part, is still settling in. 

Her staff is not able to do major cooking at the restaurant right now, shuttling meal components from a prep kitchen in Gardena. They hope to begin construction on a heavy-duty, in-house heating and ventilation system in the fall. Grant chose to open before that because she wanted to catch the summer beach crowd, both kosher and not.

“We’ve already been incredibly embraced by the Jewish community down here, and also more and more by the neighborhood just coming by to check us out and see what we’re doing,” Grant said.

“The more I looked at it and the more I looked around, it really became the most logical place to be.” 

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Interview with Avigdor Lieberman: ‘About our PR, I completely agree, it is very, very bad’

Leave a Comment / California, Is Featured?, Mobile, Mobile-Homepage, News /

The meteoric rise of Israel’s Russian-speaking, Moldova-born immigrant and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman may be proof, as he told an admiring Jewish National Fund (JNF) crowd in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, that Israel is more like America than even America.

Not quite a pristine Cinderella story, though, at 56, Lieberman is as notable for his political successes as for the political and media controversies that surround him.

When Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly offered Lieberman the option of switching to either the minister of defense or finance in 2012, Tzipi Livni, who used to hold Lieberman’s current post in the Foreign Ministry, was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying that his becoming Defense Minister would be “an existential threat to the State of Israel.”

Lieberman, 56, signed on for a second term as Foreign Minister in the coalition government led by Netanyahu’s Likud and his own Yisrael Beiteinu party. And to Livni’s chagrin, Lieberman’s political fortunes may be headed north, perhaps one day as far north as Prime Minister—at least if he can continue to emerge unscathed from the occasional scandals that involve his name (see: his off-the-record trip to Vienna last weekend to meet with businessman Martin Schlaff, as reported by Haaretz.)

The so-called “Lieberman Plan” that he proposed in 2004 would have redrawn Israeli and Palestinian borders so that many Israeli-Arabs would be included in an eventual Palestinian state—and likely lose their Israeli citizenship. In March, an internal Foreign Ministry legal brief argued that such a move would be legal if the Israeli-Arabs consented and if they did not become stateless.

In 2006, he likened Arab-Israeli Knesset members who met with Hamas to Nazi collaborators who were executed for their crimes. The Arab-Israeli collaborators, Lieberman said at the time, should meet the same fate.

Willing to speak his mind, Lieberman — as he told the Journal in an interview shortly after his address to JNF — prefers to be honest, even if it means damaging his (and thus the Israeli government’s) reputation in international media. As he admitted to the JNF crowd, somewhat surprisingly, Israel is lacking in the media relations department: “First of all, about our hasbara, about our PR, I completely agree — it is very, very bad.”

How much that has to do with his insistence on speaking his mind, well, that’s a question he addressed in the interview.

In fact, during his address, there were two points where he appeared to have fun with the monstrous role that he, and often Israel, are assigned in world opinion. Nine minutes into his 30-minute speech, when he was discussing the importance of religious education for Jewish children in the United States, three young female protestors from the left-wing group CODEPINK stood up and shouted, “What about the children in the schools in Gaza!” Security — and the crowd’s boos — quickly put an end to their interruption.

Smiling, Lieberman joked that he “was surprised that this provocation took so much time.” Perhaps he is used to anti-Israel protestors hijacking his speeches before the nine-minute mark.

Later in the address, the Foreign Minister played devil’s advocate, suggesting that even if he really were the bad guy that he is painted as, and even if politicians such as him are roadblocks to peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians, then why haven’t “nice guys” like Ehud Olmert, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak been able to reach peace? The answer, as Lieberman implied, is that Palestinian leaders, from Yasser Arafat to Mahmoud Abbas, aren’t interested.

In the interview, Lieberman was careful to not overly criticize Netanyahu and played down Netanyahu’s frosty relationship with the Obama Administration. When asked about Israel’s poor PR, he indicated—in a quite unsatisfactory response — that Israel has too many other budgetary concerns to allocate what’s needed for effective marketing, but countered that he feels the government did a sufficient job of justifying its Gaza operation.

An edited version of the interview follows:

Jewish Journal: Looking back on the war in Gaza, what would you like to have been done differently?

Avigdor Lieberman: They [Hamas] survived, they are in power and they continue to run the Gaza Strip. It was the third operation in the last five-and-a-half years and as long as Hamas remains in power it’s only a matter of time until we will launch the next operation because Hamas will impose on us the next operation.

JJ: Would it be different if the Palestinian Authority ran Gaza?

Lieberman: Israel never interferes in the domestic issues of any other country. It’s not our matter, it’s not our policy. Hamas fired rockets on Israel; Hamas kidnapped our teenage boys and it’s impossible to accept the reality when you have rockets on Tel Aviv or on Jerusalem or in the south of Israel. You cannot imagine rockets on L.A. or on New York. I don’t know any other country [that] would accept this reality. It’s not [a matter of] who’s in power in Gaza but [what matters is that there are] no military capabilities; no missiles; no tunnels.

JJ: If Hamas were toppled, then what?

Lieberman: It’s their choice, the choice of the people of Gaza to create the real peace or at least to create conditions of coexistence. Every country, every government — our first obligation is to provide security and safety for our citizens.

JJ: You said in your address to JNF that Israel’s PR is not good. What do you think is the reason?

Lieberman: I think it’s impossible for our budget. Because today it’s also first of all a matter of money. We devote very small money because we are facing too many challenges around the whole region — Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas, [Islamic] Jihad, ISIS. Everything is burning, we are in the midst of an ocean of bloodshed and violence. We have priorities but still despite … I think that we have succeeded to explain our position. Everybody knows the reason for the last operation; everything started with the kidnapping of the three boys and their execution. Hamas started with rockets on Israel; they used the civilian population as human shields.

JJ: Does it bother you that much of the international media view you as extreme right-wing and people like you as the cause of the conflict?

Lieberman: It’s impossible to handle all the prejudiced views with people that have their vision without any background. Even if I agree [with my critics] that I am a bad guy and radical and a settler and everything, why since the Oslo agreement [has peace not been achieved with] so many “good guys” in power? Shimon Peres and Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert … Ehud Barak was ready to divide Jerusalem and to evacuate all settlers. Sharon undertook the same process called disengagement; evacuated 21 settlements and we transferred more than 10,000 Jews — and what is the bottom line?

JJ: Do you not care that the sound bytes that you say to the media are then used around the world to basically hurt Israel’s image?

Lieberman: I don’t think so. I think that the best policy is to say the truth.

JJ: Are you concerned about the American-Israeli relationship? It has appeared to be very cold of late. Will it continue?

Lieberman: I think it’s a misunderstanding. It’s very stable. Our relations [have been] based since the first day on many, many factors. First of all we are sharing the same values and second, of course, it’s the ties between the Jewish community in Israel and [in America]; it’s strategic interest and military cooperation between the United States and Israel. At the end of the day Americans know that the ones they really can trust in all the Middle East, it’s only Israel.

JJ: Is there comfort within the Israeli government over the cooperation with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan?

Lieberman: [This is] the first time that the moderate Arab countries and leaders understand that the real threat for them is not Israel, is not Zionism and is not Jews — it’s the radical Islamic wing … What we’ve seen over the last meetings and discussions within [the] Arab League and between Arab leaders and the Western world — there are three issues. First of all it’s the Iranian threat, it’s [the] Muslim Brotherhood and [it’s] the spillover from the Syrian crisis.

JJ: Follwing Gaza do you have faith in the Prime Minister’s ability to lead the country?

Lieberman: First of all, he’s the leader and I supported him during the last election and during the coalition negotiations. I think I have a right to my opinion and of course he has a right to his opinion. He has a majority in cabinet and I respect the democratic decision. It’s impossible always to be with the majority in coalition government, especially when it’s a very complicated coalition.

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Poem: Birthday of the World – A psalm for Rosh Hashanah

Leave a Comment / Culture, Poetry /

Today is the birthday of the world.

But the world knows nothing

of this invention.

 

The world just keeps moving about itself,

buzzing and humming, exulting and keening,

birthing and being born,

 

while the mind keeps on its own way—

form-craving, metaphor-making,

over and over, giving birth and being born.

 

Reprinted with permission from “The Days Between: Blessings, Poems, and Directions of the Heart for the Jewish High Holiday Season” (Brandeis University Press, 2014).

Marcia Falk is a poet, scholar and translator from Hebrew and Yiddish. Her books include “The Book of Blessings,” a re-creation of prayer from an inclusive, nonhierarchical perspective, and “The Song of Songs: Love Lyrics From the Bible.)

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Are Jews losing their story?

Leave a Comment / David Suissa, Mobile, News, Opinion /

As we look back on the triumphs and failures of the past year, let’s reflect on one of the perennial shortfalls of the Jewish world — how we consistently overlook the importance of teaching the extraordinary story of the Jewish people. 

When I say “the story of the Jewish people,” I don’t mean biblical stories like Moses splitting the Red Sea or modern stories like the tragedy of the Holocaust or the miracle of Israel. Those are obviously important, and we hear about them often.

What I’m referring to instead are the fascinating stories of the “in-between” period — the 18 centuries of Diaspora history between the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. and the beginning of the Holocaust. When’s the last time we heard any of those stories?

Seriously, where did those 1,869 years go? How did they become the big, black hole of mainstream Jewish learning? 

Try this test: Ask any bar or bat mitzvah kids if they know the story of their ancestors. Ask a Persian kid if she knows the epic story of Persian Jews. Do the same with Polish Jews, South African Jews, Moroccan Jews, German Jews, Iraqi Jews, Russian Jews and so on. Then ask the grownups the same question.

Chances are you’ll find that few Jews today know their own history. This shouldn’t surprise us. Compared to other items on the Jewish agenda, the story of pre-Holocaust Diaspora Jewry is simply not a priority.

This is a shame. As historian Deborah Lipstadt writes, “Those who do not know from whence they have come often have a hard time knowing where they are or where they are going.” Yes, we come from our patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, but we also come from a long line of bubbes and zaydes.

It’s one thing to hear legendary stories about King David slaying Goliath during biblical times, but it’s quite another to hear about your great-great-grandfather David who studied kabbalah in Marrakesh.

The story of Diaspora Jewry is history with a family name — it’s a history we can feel and touch and own in a personal way. For too many Jews, though, it’s also a history full of mystery.

Where did our ancestors go after the trauma of losing the Second Temple? How did they split up? How did they forge a Jewish tradition without their holy Temple? 

Why did Maimonides study with Muslim philosophers? What ignited Reform Judaism? How did the Chasidic movement start, and why was it so vehemently opposed?

How did anti-Semitism come about and unfold over time? How did Jews adapt to their surroundings? 

Perhaps most important, how did Diaspora Jewry contribute to their adopted societies?

We’re always talking about building Jewish pride. What better way to do that than to teach our people the amazing Jewish contributions to humanity?

It’s sad to think that so few Jewish kids today are learning about the great Jewish scientists, artists, social activists, philosophers, musicians, rabbis, poets and writers who for centuries made such a mark on their world. 

Our Diaspora ancestors didn’t have the epic drama of our biblical heroes, or the tragic drama of Shoah victims, or the triumphant drama of Israeli pioneers. Maybe that’s why we’ve had a tendency to overlook them. But these ancestors are the resilient, unsung heroes who persevered and kept the Jewish flame alive for 18 long centuries.

Teaching our history need not conflict with teaching Jewish tradition or talmudic discourse. On the contrary, history provides a narrative context that enhances appreciation for that very tradition and discourse. History also enhances our humanity by shining an honest and candid light on our communal conflicts.

What about the critique that “history is boring”? Well, is it any more “boring” than any other subject? As historian and former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren once said to me, when you turn history into “story,” you make it a lot more interesting. Any Hollywood screenwriter will tell you that what makes the industry tick is the power of the story. We may be the people of the book, but are we not also the people of the stories?

It’s understandable that the horror of the Holocaust and the subsequent miracle of Israel have dominated our collective memory. If the Shoah represents the deepest darkness and Israel the brightest light, they both conspired to overshadow the formative journey that preceded them.

But, as much as the Holocaust and Israel are defining Jewish moments, they are the culmination of 18 eventful centuries that have shaped who we have become as a people, a nation and a culture.

We are blessed to be living in a generation where those 18 centuries of Jewish history can be felt right here in America, where Jews from around the world have gathered to create a phenomenal diversity. 

Just look around your own communities. See all the different countries and cultures that are represented, and imagine all the stories. How sad it would be to let those stories go. How great it would be to rescue them and share them with one another.

My wish for the New Year is that our schools, synagogues and outreach groups reignite the flame of Diaspora history. After all, how can we ask our people to continue the great Jewish journey if we skip over 1,869 incredible years?

David Suissa is president of TRIBE Media Corp./Jewish Journal and can be reached at davids@jewishjournal.com.

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