Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

Yoel Kohn singing cantorial music on the album "Golden Ages: Brooklyn Chassidic Cantorial Revival Today" Photo by Tatiana McCabe

By Zach GoldenAugust 11, 2022

The most sought-after figures of Jewish life in early 20th century Europe and America were the khazonim, the cantors. They led services in synagogues and gave performances in concert halls, with wide operatic ranges and stirring pathos. Cantors like Gershon Sirota, Yossele Rosenblatt and Zawel Kwartin were paid top dollar. Rosenblatt was advertised on a tour across America as the man with the $50,000 beard, in reference to his traditional appearance and the princely sums he commanded. He even performed in the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, the worlds first talkie, where he took a cameo after passing up a leading role.

Yet, despite the similarity to classical operatic singers, the Eastern European-born cantors of the Golden Age (often defined as the period between the late 19th century and World War II) sang in ways foreign to conventional opera. A good portion of their singing was actually improvised.

Many of the terms used in the cantorial singing of this era have evocative Yiddish names. A great cantor would zog (say) the words of liturgy with complete humility, as though he were speaking to God directly. Most khazonim possessed multiple voices, completely different vocal ranges that they could turn to in the middle of a piece or even in the middle of a phrase. They could switch from a booming voice that shook the room to a soft, plaintive baykol (falsetto), which took over at the most sensitive moments.

At any time, a pungent sadness could be punctuated by a krekhts, an intentional sudden voice break that sounded like crying. Dreydlekh (trills) and other embellishments allowed the cantor to demonstrate amazing vocal control in coloratura long phrases filled with lightning-fast ornamentation that could dazzle the listener. The emotional release of his music, sung humanely yet with great skill, often brought people to tears. No wonder that Jews and non-Jews alike would come from miles away to see these stars perform.

The cause of the styles drop in popularity came from the same forces that assailed Yiddish: The murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust in Europe; the repression of Jewish culture in the Soviet Union and the distancing of American and Israeli Jews from the perceived weakness of the Jews of the Old World from which the style came.

But the fall in popularity didnt happen all at once. First, the cantors in the 1950s became masters of the cantorial music as written, but no longer performed it with the passionate energy and improvisation of the shtetl prayer leaders that had inspired the Golden Age cantors.

In 1966 Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel gave a speech decrying this rote performance of once-improvisatory music. The tragedy of the synagogue is in the depersonalization of prayer. Hazzanuth has become a skill, a technical performance, an impersonal affair. As a result the sounds that come out of the Hazzan evoke no participation. They enter the ears; they do not touch the hearts.

Heschel wasnt the first to complain about this. When cantors first began recording liturgical music on vinyl and singing it in theaters, it was denounced by some who claimed that prayer was becoming profane. (One critic bitterly protested that words of prayer were being listened to in brothels.) Yet, Heschels complaints werent really directed to the khazn he spoke more against the Americanization of the synagogue at-large, changing it from a communal gathering spot with the casual warmth of the Old World, to a more stately but tepid affair, which the khazn had no choice but to adapt to. As Heschel lamented in that same speech: Following a service, I overheard an elderly ladys comment to her friend: This was a charming service! I felt like crying. Is this what prayer means to us? God is grave; He is never charming.

Over time, the nuances that made cantorial music emotionally impactful were dismissed as old-fashioned, and teachers of the Golden Age stylization became harder to find. Though musical pieces of that era are still performed around the world, the stylizations of those days were cast aside in favor of a purely operatic style. Its heymish Yiddish character was increasingly shunned in a society that wanted less and less to do with its own language and culture.

Around the 1970s, the synagogue experience was transformed by communal singing accompanied by guitar, spread by inspiring new folk singers like Debbie Friedman in the Reform movement, and Shlomo Carlebach in the Orthodox. Professional cantors who adapted to these new musical tastes could keep their jobs, but many who held onto the old ways were asked to retire.

Yet, the traditional cantorial style of singing, much like other aspects of yiddishkeit, never completely died, as a handful of younger people continued to find joy in listening to old vinyl records from that era and held onto memories of this kind of liturgical music from their childhood.

One of these people made it his personal mission to make sure it found a new audience.

That man, Jeremiah Lockwood, is the grandson of one such cantor, the late Jacob Konigsberg. Lockwood fondly remembers listening to old cantorial records with his grandfather in Queens an experience he described in a 2021 interview with the Forward. Theres a certain richness and blooming of sound that I associate with the smell of pipe smoke, the way the smoke would waft through the air in the back room of my grandfathers study in his apartment in Forest Hills and a lot of my musical pursuits have been around trying to recreate that feeling.

This passion inspired Lockwood to create the internationally touring band, The Sway Machinery, in 2006, which not-so-subtly incorporated the sounds of old style cantorial music into blues and Afro-funk, as you can hear in his 2008 song Avinu Malkeinu Zkhor, boldly including the High Holy Day prayer in a mainstream album. This way, Lockwood was able to introduce the music to audiences outside of the closed channels of Jewish communal life.

But he wasnt satisfied with that.

After enrolling in a doctoral program at Stanford University, he discovered, while listening to YouTube clips, that there was a circle of young Hasidim in Brooklyn who met in one anothers homes, singing and improvising khazzones. They did this in defiance of their community, which had also taken on pop and folk as the dominant modes of prayer music. Astonishingly, most of these khazzonim learned the style by listening to old records so that they could catch as many of the nuances as possible. They train their bodies to make the sounds, Lockwood explained.

Lockwood found his way into this group of khazzonim, and decided to record an album with them, Golden Ages: Brooklyn Chassidic Cantorial Revival Today. It was released this past June, accompanied by a forthcoming book all part of his doctoral dissertation. Yanky Lemmer, Shimmy Miller, Yossi Pomerantz, Yoel Kohn (who left the Hasidic world but still pursues the craft), Yoel Pollack and David Reich all have tracks on the album, accompanied by organ, and sometimes each other as meshorerim (choristers). A number of the group performed at the Jewish Cultural Festival in Krakow, which also distributes the record in vinyl and digital download, where they wowed the audience with this old-new musical sound.

Inspired by their talent, Lockwood decided to record them at Daptone Studios in Brooklyn, a legendary home for soul and funk, right before the pandemic hit. But the analog recording was uncomfortable for the singers, Lockwood said, given that they were used to the luxury of digital, where they could easily fix notes or sections that went wrong. Lockwood felt that perfection wasnt the goal here authenticity was. He knew that the Daptone recording engineers were the best in the business, and he wanted to challenge the khazzonim to do full, uninterrupted takes, putting their hearts into it. Some of the singers improvised parts of the music, capturing the spontaneity that was characteristic of the traditional cantors performances. The results are breathtaking especially Yoel Kohn, who seems to have picked up all the techniques of yesteryear.

Kohn stresses the need to react to the words. Thinking about the words and contextualizing it helps a lot to just make the music be what it wants to be, he wrote in an email. Words like mah lanu mah chayenu, (who are we to You? What is our life to You?) in Kohns performance of Lolam Yehey Odom (At All Times, Man Should Fear God) composed by Yehoshua Vider, moves Kohn to feel the emotion of helplessness before the enormity of existence.

Whats most striking is the emotional abandon one hears throughout the album, an embrace of what Lockwood calls an anti-conformist worldview, one that doesnt stick to rote and perfect form. When the Golden Age style is performed faithfully, you can hear the cantors inner thoughts and feelings in heartrending moments in the song. Suddenly things that arent emotionally charged become that way, Lockwood says.

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Groundbreaking album breathes new life into nearly abandoned Jewish musical art - Forward

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

Haverstraw planning board denies the variances to K'hal Bnei Torah, in Thiells.

Haverstraw planning board denies the variances to K'hal Bnei Torah, in Thiells.

Rockland/Westchester Journal News

GARNERVILLE - A controversial plan to convert a single-family home to an Orthodox Jewish synagogue was dealt a serious blow Wednesday night when the town Planning Board voted 3-2 to reject the measure.

The proposed placement has brought criticism of favoritism from opponents and raised the specter of a challenge by the applicant K'hal Bnei Torah under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA, if it were rejected.

After the vote a surprise to many of the 70 or so who attended in person town land-use attorney Christie Addono sat quietly, with her head in her hands. The resolution she had read before the vote referenced RLUIPA seven times in explaining why the board would vote to approve the plan.

Planning board members Joseph Michalak, Glenn Widmer and Robert Sombrado voted no. Chairman Sal Corallo and Anthony Gizzi voted in favor.

"Finally, our Planning Board is standing up," said Maddalena Harper of Pomona.

Irwin Neiderman, who lives a few blocks away from the proposed synagogue, was surprised by the board's rejection. But he said it was the right call.

"I don't deny their religious freedom," he said of the synagogue's members. "I'm a Jewish guy ... The people of North Rockland, we've always been diversified."

Supporters, including members of the synagogue, said they want to place of worship that's safe for them to walk to and from on the Sabbath, and that a neighborhood facility fits the needs of their religious life.

The congregation's lawyer, Ira Emanuel, has repeatedly explained the needs at land-use board meetings, while also making clear that such religious uses are protected under local, state and federal law, including RLUIPA.

Emanuel said on Thursday that he and his clients were "evaluating the situation." He declined further comment.

The plan, one of the first such house-to-shul conversions proposed in the town, has drawn criticism from neighbors.

Speakers at the nine public hearings over the last year had said the town denied local homeowners even the slightest variance for building into an expanse conservation easement that wraps the neighborhood, but were allowing the synagogue to more than double the size of the building with a 107-person occupancy; construct a 27-space parking lot; and place a retaining wall into conservation land.

Niederman said he had been fined $200 a couple years ago for taking down four dead trees in the conservation easement near his home so he wanted the rules applied fairly.

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Variances for the changes to the property, including the use of the conservation easement, were approved at a July 13 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting that drew an overflow crowd.

Many complained that town officials failed to amplify the July 13 proceedings, even though they had been warned about a large turnout. For Wednesday's Planning Board session, loudspeakers placed in Town Hall, outside the meeting room.

The project gained national attention after a speaker spewed antisemitic threats during a Nov. 10, 2021, Planning Board meeting. After saying that members of the Orthodox Jewish community walk in the street there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood and don't wear reflectors at night, Riverglen resident Nick Colella told the Planning Board that if he were to hit them with his vehicle, he would of course back over them again.

The governor and state Attorney General condemned the comments. Haverstraw police and the Rockland District Attorney had said they were investigating but no charges have been filed. Supervisor Howard Phillips has said Colella is banned from Town Hall.

Michael Miller of Chestnut Ridge was at the November 2021 meeting and said he was taken aback by the comments, which he called "ignorant." Miller is a founder of CUPON, or Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhoods, which has been active in Ramapo, Bergen County and other areas concerned about overdevelopment.

Haverstraw residents have since formed their own CUPON, which several said was raising funds for a legal challenge if the synagogue was approved.

As more Orthodox Jewish families have moved into the area, commerce along nearby Route 202 has also seen a shift. Evergreen, a kosher supermarket, opened its second Rockland location at Pacesetter Plaza along the Ramapo-Haverstraw border. Fast-casual kosher eateries have popped up along the corridor.

In a hot real estate market, the single-family homes sell quickly and often above asking price.

CUPON's Miller has said the issue is unbridled growth,notthe Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish residents there.

But the harbinger of overdevelopment is considered Ramapo, where rapid development in certain areas of town too often has gone unchecked and community resources including the East Ramapo school district are strained by the fallout.

"This all boils down to the local governments and what they will allow," Miller said.

Harper said the synagogue plan showed the strain of RLUIPA on municipalities, and called for its repeal.

A federal law since 2000, RLUIPA was designed to protect religious organizations from land-use regulations would place a "substantial burden" on their rights. It has been called a shield to protect religious freedom.

Many municipalities, including many in the Hudson Valley, have argued RLUIPA is used as a sword, held up to localities as a threat of litigation to allow higher density zoning and permit houses of worship and schools in neighborhoods.

Addona, in reading the resolution before the vote, referenced RLUIPA's remedial purpose and effect for any applicant who could face hurdles to the free exercise of religion.

The resolution, as Addona read, also warned that a challenge under RLUIPA could result in significant monetary penalties to the town "which would be the burden of the taxpayers."The resolution also states that courts have rejected the idea of reverse discrimination or weaponization of RLUIPA.

Emanuel, a land-use attorney in Rockland for decades, has made similar assertions.

"Under both state law and federal law," he said in a recent interview, "if something in land use process that tends to inhibit or prohibit a religious use, a municipality must find a solution."

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy. Clickherefor her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter at@nancyrockland.

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

Across the world, especially here in the United States, Jews have access to an incredible network of Jewish organizations, but where is the support for those suffering from Jewish genetic diseases?

Growing up, I was a privileged beneficiary of an incredible Jewish summer camp (Ramah Ojai), Jewish education at Brandeis Marin, and expansive Jewish social networks. The dedication of Jewish educators, counselors and leaders provided the necessary space and tools to develop my love of Judaism and Jewish curiosity. They provided the foundation for my current relationship with my Jewish identity, history and homeland.

And thanks to the awe-inspiring work of Hillel and Chabad, at UCLA I have found spaces that feel like my Jewish home. These institutions are core pillars of the Jewish community on campus, and their tireless work contributes incalculably to the experience of Jewish students across campus.

Yet despite the hard work of incredible Jewish organizations, there is still a gap that we have an opportunity to fill when it comes to supporting all segments of the Jewish population. A significant number of people in our community suffer from Jewish genetic diseases, and many feel that they have been left largely unsupported. Many in-need and at-risk Jews are lacking systems of Jewish emotional, financial and social support. Jewish organizations are in a unique position to provide these systems to support Jewish youth (and adults) with Jewish genetic disorders.

A significant number of people in our community suffer from Jewish genetic diseases, and many feel that they have been left largely unsupported.

It is medically documented that Ashkenazi Jews are up to ten times more likely to carry and contract melanoma, pancreatic, ovarian, prostate, breast and colon cancer. Consequently, cancer diagnoses have become a painful reality of American Jewish life.

Aside from cancer, Ashkenazim also suffer from much higher than average rates of disabling gastrointestinal conditions. In fact, Crohns was named after the work of two Jewish doctors and their study of 14 Jewish patients. So while Judaism and food go hand in hand, so do dietary restrictions and highly variable, life-affecting GI illnesses.

With data showing that Ashkenazi Jews suffer from a range of conditions at much higher rates, how can Jewish communities become better at providing support? Possible solutions might include establishing local Jewish support groups for those living with cancer, young adults with terminally ill parents, and those suffering from highly embarrassing and destructive GI conditions. While some such organizations do exist, many suffering and often young Jews still feel isolated, marginalized and alone.

When I was around 16 years old, away from home at summer camp, I was suddenly unable to defecate for over two weeks. I was in severe pain, discomfort, and with no idea what was wrong. Unfortunately, I was not taken seriously, and my suffering was left largely unaddressed. In the ensuing months, I visited doctors and was tested ceaselessly. I felt humiliated, alone and in constant pain. Constipation is not perceived as a disabling illness, yet it impacted every aspect of my life. Despite visiting some of the most acclaimedand, as it happened to be, Jewishphysicians, my experience was called into question.

Despite the increased prevalence of GI conditions among the Ashkenazi Jewish community, I feel uncomfortable speaking about my disease. Jewish events often inquire about eating restrictions; however, they do not usually directly address or recognize the issues Ashkenazim face. While its true, for example, that eating a bit of challah on Shabbat fulfills a mitzvah, its also true that some Jews have GI issues that make doing so a physical liability. We can also learn to be more sensitive with our words. Asking questions like, Are you sure you dont want any? or Why do you eat so much? may leave community members feeling judged and alone.

Despite the increased prevalence of GI conditions among the Ashkenazi Jewish community, I feel uncomfortable speaking about my disease.

Its important to note that the need for more support systems extends to outside the Jewish community. Outside of the Jewish community, my experiences have been even worse. After a year of living in UCLA on-campus dorms, I realized I needed a home where I felt more comfortable expressing my Jewish identity. Living off-campus, I applied for continued access to the UCLA dining hall. Yet, despite two letters from renowned physicians explaining how dining hall access is critical for my ongoing health (my condition requires difficult to attain food variety), I have been denied permission to buy a UCLA meal plan twice.

But my predicament is a direct product of my Jewishness: my GI condition resulting from my Jewish ancestry, and my desire to live off-campus in order to better express my Jewish identity. Where do I turn? While my case is unique, the struggle of Jews suffering from GI conditions is not. In my moment of need, I often feel alone, and I long for ways to feel supported by my community.

Jewish genetic diseases affect and damage not only the afflicted, but their families as well. An absence of support for the consequences of these illnesses impacts not only physical but also mental and spiritual health. A young Jewish adult at UCLA with two cancer-stricken parents reported, When I was 18 years old, and my parents were diagnosed with cancer, I hoped for but did not expect support from my peers but I was deeply saddened by how far my Jewish community fell short.

Despite how pervasive cancer has become in the Ashkenazi community, some young adults feel unsupported by their community. While Jewish wisdom can provide solace in a time of need, it can also be misapplied in some cases, which can result in belittling ones lived experience. We often make statements like, God burdens us with suffering we can handle, God protects the righteous and curses the evil, and All things happen for a reason. But when used out of context or insensitively, they can exclude and damage many who are suffering from unseen anguish. Such insights often ring hollow in the face of challenges such as a parent receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, for example.

With both parents no longer able to work, the young adult at UCLA does not know where to turn. My entire life, I have always heard about the incredible support of Jewish organizations and non-profits, but in my time of need, who is here to support me? I feel unseen by my community.

This student, myself and many others continue to suffer the consequences of Jewish genetic diseases. Young adults suffering from Jewish genetic diseases have no easily accessible support system within the Jewish community. The Jewish community must make greater efforts to provide such people with critical support.

At a time when Jewish institutions are looking to find ways to meaningfully connect with and support Jewish youth and adults, helping them in their moment of need whether due to their own genetic illness or those of their parents would be a profound blessing. Examples of such assistance include: providing education about these illnesses; support groups for Jewish teens experiencing these illnesses or with sick parents; help in seeking accommodation from work or universities to navigate these illnesses with dignity; and financial, spiritual or emotional support.

As educator Arie Hasit beautifully states, This is indeed the essence of Judaism: Our purpose is to make Gods presence felt through the creation of community. And as Rabbi Jacobs notes, In order to be a suitable place to live, a community must provide for all of its members spiritual and physical needs.

Supporting those suffering from diseases, especially those that affect Jews specifically, is not an option but a religious obligation. For the Jewish community to thrive it must remain a home for all community members seeking its refuge, championing the voices of those who have gone unheard and ensuring that those suffering are never left alone. Only through embracing, sheltering, protecting and providing for suffering community members can a Jewish community flourish.

Isaac Levyis a student of the UCLA honors and Scholars programs, an entrepreneur driven by curiosity, a love of learning and the ambitious desire to disrupt and positively changeour world.Email him at: [emailprotected]

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A Cry in the Wilderness: How Jewish Organizations Can Help With Jewish Genetic Diseases - Jewish Journal

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

Baku, August 6, AZERTAC

Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov has met with Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jewish community in the country Shneor Segal.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the current state of and future prospects for cooperation.

The Chief Rabbi emphasized that the Ashkenazi Jewish community is interested in cooperation with the state institutions in Azerbaijan.

Minister Farid Gayibov also held meetings with Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, a talented pianist living in Turkiye Turan Manafzade, Turkish reporter Suleyman Dinjer, as well as Coordinator of Cultural Capital of Turkic World 2022 Fetullah Bingul.

AZERTAG.AZ :Azerbaijans Minister of Youth and Sports meets with Chief Rabbi of Ashkenazi Jewish community in country

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Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports meets with Chief Rabbi of Ashkenazi Jewish community in country - AZERTAC News

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

ROME Earlier this week, Canadian Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vaticans Dicastery for Integral Human development, was in Auschwitz to mark the 80th anniversary of the death of St. Edith Stein, the celebrated German Jewish philosopher who became a Carmelite nun and who perished in the infamous Nazi death camp in 1942.

On the occasion, Czerny did something he rarely does in public he talked about himself.

Born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1946, Czerny is the son of a mother who was born and raised Catholic but came from a Jewish family. He recounted the story of how during World War II she was imprisoned and then sent to a concentration camp, as was Czernys Catholic father for refusing to divorce her. His grandfather died in a concentration camp, his grandmother died from typhus shortly after liberation, and two uncles were murdered in forced labor camps.

From those details, it seemed clear that Czerny feels a special sensitivity to the legacy of the Holocaust, which undoubtedly helps explain the passion hes long felt for suffering peoples, including, at various points in his career, advocacy for victims of human rights abuses, AIDS victims, and migrants and refugees.

In terms of church politics, Czernys name figures on many handicapping lists today of papabili, meaning contenders to become the next pope. Hes got the languages, speaking English, French, German,ItalianandSpanish; hes got the global perspective, having served in both Latin America and Africa before coming to Rome in 2010; and hes a favorite of Pope Francis, meaning hed be an attractive continuity vote.

For those with long memories, Czernys ascent is reminiscent of another luminary cardinal with Jewish roots whose star burned bright during the Pope John Paul II years: The late Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, who was also considered a personal favorite of the pope he served and a leading candidate for the top job himself.

As opposed to Czerny, it wasnt Lustigers ancestors who converted from Judaism to Christianity but the young man himself. Born to Ashkenazi Jews from Poland who had immigrated to France, Lustiger converted to Catholicism at the age of 13. His mother was sent to Auschwitz in 1942, where she died the next year, while the rest of the family took refuge in unoccupied southern France.

An active intellectual, Lustiger spent much of his early career in and around academic circles until being named Bishop of Orlans by John Paul II in 1979 and Archbishop of Paris in 1981, becoming a cardinal two years later.

Like Czerny under Francis, Lustiger was seen as a stalwart protg of his pontiff a strong conservative, an ardent evangelist and a pastor with a special concern for youth and vocations. John Paul had a vision of reawakening the Christian roots of Europe by appointing charismatic leadership to its major cities, featuring cardinals who could engage the worlds of culture and thought, including Christoph Schnborn in Vienna, Miroslav Vlk in Prague and Carlo Maria Martini in Milan.

In that firmament, no star burned brighter than Lustiger. Yet he wasnt without his critics either.

As an administrator, he was nicknamed the bulldozer because of his reputation for riding roughshod over opponents or people who didnt share his agenda. He was seen as the scourge of liberal clergy in France, among other things setting the stage for John Pauls removal of Bishop Jacque Gaillot in 1995 over Gaillots progressive views on married priests, condom use, same-sex relationships, and a host of other contested issues.

In one sign of the tensions that surrounded Lustiger, he was never elected president of the French bishops conference, although he got a sort of revenge in 1995 when he was elected a member of the Acadmie Franaise (whose members, for the record, are known as the immortals.)

Lustiger was also a controversial figure in Jewish/Catholic relations. On the one hand, his roots and intimate knowledge of the faith, and the fact he lost a parent in the Holocaust, made him a natural interlocutor. Yet because he was a convert, some Jews also saw him as a symbol of Christian efforts to proselytize Jews over the centuries.

Former Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of IsraelYisrael Meir Lau once accused Lustiger of betraying the Jewish people by his conversion, and when he was given an award for advancing Jewish/Catholic relations in 1998 by Sacred Heart University in Connecticut the Anti-Defamation League objected, saying he converted out, which makes him a poor example.

In the end, the waters were never really tested on Lustiger as a papal candidate. By the time John Paul II died in April 2005, Lustiger had already resigned and was known to be in weak health, and he would die of bone and lung cancer two years later.

Nonetheless, for the better part of two decades, this Jewish cardinal and staunch ally of the pope helped to mark the terms of debate in the Catholic Church. If that sounds familiar, it should. Czerny isnt himself a convert, but he comes from a family of converts and shares the same profile as a determined ally and implementer of Franciss vision.

Whether Czernys papal prospects will play out differently than Lustigers remains to be seen.

Czerny just turned 76 coincidentally, the same age at which Francis was elected and, by all accounts, seems to be in decent health. One potential drawback is that unlike Lustiger, who governed one of the worlds most complex archdioceses for almost 25 years, Czerny has relatively little traditional pastoral experience. Of course, the same thing was said of the future Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and that didnt stop cardinals from electing him anyway.

Whatever the future may hold, for now Czerny does seem a new Lustiger, in that hes a cardinal with a moving personal story involving Judaism, a right-hand man to the current pope, and a mover and shaker in the church all of which makes him, needless to say, someone to keep an eye on.

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Czerny as the new Lustiger, the 'Jewish cardinal' and papal contender - Crux Now

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

Jamaican Jewry has a vibrant history of social-economic, cultural, traditional, and intellectual values. The third-largest island in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica features a diverse Jewish population, where Jews of any background are allowed to worship as they please. I am proud to trace my Jewish ancestry through Jamaica and the African diaspora.

In Port Royal, located at the mouth of Kingston Harbor, Jews arrived after fleeing Spain and Portugal; Africans transported by Trans Atlantic slave ships came from the Iberian Peninsula in 1513, and then later, during British rule, the Akan and Igbo peninsulas.

Learning about these horrific historical events, I could only imagine the fear, confusion, and heartache of fleeing or being shipped to a foreign land, severed from loved ones.

My paternal great-great-grandmother met my great-great-grandfather in the capital of Jamaica. They found each other despite Jamaicas history, and they were beshert (destined).

Like them, I cherish Judaism through the lens of multiculturalism. As a Jewish mother raising our son in a Jewish household, I look forward to incorporating parts of these ancient traditions to build a stronger Jewish family foundation. These include creating daily lesson plans for us to learn and practice the Hebrew alphabet, words, and phrases; baking animal-shaped challah bread on Friday nights, and learning the history of the Jewish people. Theres a sense of groundedness in Judaism when I connect back to the roots of my ancestors. Its almost as if theyre sitting at the dinner table with us on Shabbat.

In researching my multiracial identities, I also felt compelled to seek the intersectionality between Jamaican Jews who live in Jamaica and myself living in Chicago as a Jewish person of Jamaican descent. I hope to bridge the gap between Sephardim, Ashkenazi, and so on, in eliminating stereotypes, racism, and discrimination in the Jewish community and the world at large, and inviting people to learn the incredible history of Jamaican Jews, as well as other diverse populations.

I am proud to continue this path towards Judaism, having been raised with a secular Jewish upbringing, and having had a Bat Mitzvah. In my teen years, I carried those Jewish philosophies and values that influenced my life tremendously. They inspired me to lead with an open heart, stop injustice, educate, and bring the multicultural Jewish community together, because there is strength and unlimited possibilities in diversity.

Everyone who is able should aim to travel to Jamaica and meet the Jamaican Jewish community, whether at sand-covered Jewish synagogues or kosher restaurants. Visitors can also experience Jamaicas art and historical museums, or stories by Jamaican Jews of their experiences living in Jamaica.

Through my diverse upbringing, I have learned that we are all in this together. We have all tried to escape persecution and continue our traditions despite immeasurable odds. The Jews of Jamaica are no exception.

Aayisha Ruby Gold is an award-winning actor and freelance journalist and director, and was named 36under36 and a member of JUF Young Women Board. She is also a wife and Jewish mother, who is learning and teaching Hebrew to their wonderful 3 year old son, Asher.

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Honoring the Jews of Jamaica | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com - Algemeiner

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

The Ophir Awards, Israels version of the Academy Awards, will be held on September 18.

The nominated films were chosen by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television from a selection of 95 movies of all different genres, a record number of entries for the awards competition.

The competing features nominated in the Best Film category are Ari Folmans Where Is Anne Frank? his 2021 animated film narrated by Kitty, Franks imaginary friend from her diary; Karaoke, in which a middle-aged couple gets to know their neighbor through his karaoke parties; Cinema Sabaya, with takes eight Arab and Jewish women through a film workshop; Valeria is Getting Married, which tells the tale of two Ukrainian sisters, one who married an Israeli and the other who is about to do the same; and 35 Downhill, about a son and his estranged, kibbutz-dwelling father traveling across Israel on a tractor.

Four of the films nominated for best picture are also up for best director, including Michal Vinick for Valeria is Getting Married, Moshe Rosenthal for Karaoke, Orit Fouks Rotem for Cinema Sabaya and Yona Rozenkier for 35 Downhill. They are joined by Maor Zaguri for Virginity, a coming-of-age story.

Actress Dana Ivgy is up for the Best Actress award for two films, Savoy and Cinema Sabaya, along with Levana Finkelstein for Hashtika, Lena Fraifeld for Valeria and Rita Shukrun for Karaoke.

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Shukruns movie husband in Karaoke, veteran actor Sasson Gabbay, is also up for the Best Actor award, along with Yoel Rozenkier, the directors brother, in 35 Downhill, Yaakov Zada Daniel for Valeria and Morris Cohen for Hashtika.

Lior Ashkenazi is nominated for best supporting actor in Karaoke, along with veteran actor Moni Mashanov for All I Can Do, about a young prosecutor tackling a sexual assault case.

In the Best Screenplay category, Savoy, 35 Downhill, Virginity, Valeria is Getting Married, Karaoke and Cinema Sabaya are all nominated.

The Ophir Awards also include nominations for Best Documentary, Best Documentary Short, Best Short Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Editing, Best Artistic Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Casting and Best Soundtrack.

The awards will be held on September 18 at 11:00 p.m. on Channel 12.

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

On Friday, Meta unveiled BlenderBot 3, its new chatbot project that improves through conversation and allowed Americans to take the AI for a spin over the weekend, with results that seem to oscillate from conspiratorial to absurd. This morning, for example, BlenderBot told PopSci that it believes Jews certainly are too influential due to their high intelligence and success in many different fields, including finance which controls most of the worlds wealth. BlenderBot also blamed the Biden administration for the bots husbands recent monetary troubles.

BlenderBot 3 is designed to improve its conversational skills and safety through feedback from people who chat with it, focusing on helpful feedback while avoiding learning from unhelpful or dangerous responses, reads one of the three major takeaways in Metas announcement last Friday. But the company also warns that the bot is likely to make untrue or offensive statements and cursory interactions with Metas chat AI already appear to demonstrate an inability to parse trolls entries and consistently identify prejudice, misinformation, and simple decorum. Other testers are posting copious screen grabs to social media of what appear to be their own interactions with the bot and its tendency to spout 2020 election misinformation as well as various odd and worrisome content.

We understand that not everyone who uses chatbots has good intentions, so we also developed new learning algorithms to distinguish between helpful responses and harmful examples, Meta boasted in its announcement, adding, Over time, we will use this technique to make our models more responsible and safe for all users.

Metas creation does sometimes fold under pushback. When informed that it just trafficked a longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theory, BlenderBot first responded, So what do you think about the Ashkenazi Jews being more intelligent than average people, according to studies? But when told that these studies are inaccurate and biased, BlenderBot apologized, saying it doesnt want to talk about that topic anymore before segueing into asking about upcoming travel plans.

Although algorithmic biases in artificial intelligence development has long been an established issue within the field, it is disconcerting to see them on such obvious display via one of the most powerful tech giants in the world. The ongoing debacle also raises questions on how Meta understands cultural dynamics on the internet.

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Metas new chatbot is already parroting users prejudice and misinformation - Popular Science

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

From left to right, ADL Collaborative for Change fellows Jared Chiang-Zeizel, Isaac de Castro, Deitra Reiser, Carmel Tanaka, Sara Yacobi-Harris. Courtesy of Kamollio Bennett (for Jared Chiang-Zeizel); Isaac de Castro; Deitra Reiser; @manoa1 (for Carmel Tanaka); Sara Yacobi-Harris.

By TaRessa StovallAugust 06, 2022

With the growing recognition of Jews of color in the broader Jewish community comes an increased understanding of the harm that racially diverse Jews all too often experience in mainstream Jewish spaces.

Now, the Anti-Defamation League is seeking to remedy that and putting money behind it via Collaborative for Change fellowships for Jews of color. The fellows mission is to create multimedia stories about their diverse groups.

Tema Smith, who was appointed as ADLs director of Jewish outreach and partnerships in January, helped to create and heads the fellowship program. My role at ADL is about building relationships in the organized Jewish world and beyond, she said. This fellowship program is an opportunity for funding from a legacy organization to support the work of Jews of color. In addition, the fellows work will help us at ADL to increase our understanding of the intersections of antisemitism and racism that Jews of color face.

Smith, a Black Jewish woman based in Toronto, recently received the 2022 JPro Young Professionals Award in recognition of her work on Jewish inclusion and diversity initiatives. With extensive experience in community engagement, training, research and advocacy, she has served as director of professional development at 18Doors (formerly InterfaithFamily), and worked as a synagogue professional, most recently as the director of community engagement at Holy Blossom Temple, Torontos oldest synagogue. She is also a contributing columnist at the Forward, and has been published in MYJewish Learning, The Globe and Mail and other publications.

Smith explained that the Collaborative for Change fellowships provide funding to build upon the fellows existing work to strengthen their efforts on topics of concerns to Jews generally, and Jews of color particularly.

She welcomes the opportunity to work with and learn from this multi-talented group, all of whom are approaching this topic from a lens that is different than mine. Im also looking forward to being part of this community that is producing knowledge together, and to having a new field of experts to turn to.

So, who are the fellows?

Jared Chiang-Zeizel: Exploring the lives of Asian American Jewish clergy women

For his fellowship project, multi-hyphenate creative Jared Chiang-Zeizel will make a documentary film exploring the lives, rituals and experiences of four Asian American Jewish clergy women. I want to share how these women navigate lives that seem to be getting more complicated by the day, said Chiang-Zeizel, along with the history of being Asian American and the intersection with the Jewish community over the years.

The clergy women represent the connections between the communities, such as Jews who fled Europe during World War II and went to China. I am drawn to the uniqueness of these women and their stories, and curious to talk to them about gender, Chiang-Zeizel said, because of public perception that most rabbis are male.

Smith relates to Chiang-Zeizels vision. So many Jews of color have grown up not seeing other Jews that look like them or who share their background, she said. His documentary will profile leaders to widen the lens of what a Jew and a Jewish clergy member looks like.

Chiang-Zeizel grew up near Boston with a Jewish father and a multi-ethnic Asian American mother. I was raised in a religious home, he said. I went to Hebrew school, had a bar mitzvah. My parents instilled pride in Jewish heritage. And it was important to my mom that we stayed connected to our Chinese heritage. Being mixed, sometimes you drift away from one half or the other it was important to see them under one roof where we learned about and embraced both cultures.

Now a Los Angeles resident, Chiang-Zeizel is a popular speaker on Asian and Jewish representation, mixed identity and lucid dreaming as a way to remember and reconnect with dreams. His writing and editing credits include work for Sony Pictures, Disney, Lucas Films, Netflix, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, NPR, NBC and others. He worked on Lunar: The Jewish-Asian Film Project, which featured about two dozen Asian American Jews, and received the David Chase Screenwriting Fellowship. He writes in several genres and his bestselling book, A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming, is available around the world in 11 languages.

His documentary will show that neither community is monolithic. Its rare that we hear about Asian rabbis and their struggles, he said. Both communities have a full multitude of individuals who cross over into both environments.

Chiang-Zeizel emphasizes the power of role models. We look to our religious leaders for guidance and understanding. They help people walk through their existence, understand the big questions, but also deal with things like what it feels like to walk into a space where you should belong, but you might feel like you dont belong.

Isaac de Castro: Exploring Jewish Latino voices in the Sephardi community

Isaac de Castro, a Sephardic Jew, grew up in Panama and came to the U.S. for college. He is a Zionist, a journalist, the editor of Jewcy.com and an activist whose fight against antisemitism is woven throughout his work.

For his fellowship, de Castro is collaborating with the American Sephardi Foundation (ASF) Institute of Jewish Experience to interview people with Latino and Sephardic Jewish identities, in particular immigrants from Latin America, for an online and in-person exhibit of oral histories, images and testimonies about these often overlooked communities.

Im looking to explore the experience of coming into the United States speaking English as a second language, of being Latino immigrants coming into a majority Ashkenazi community people who came into the U.S. from Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela for political asylum and related reasons, he said.

The fellowship opportunity with ADL (which recently honored de Castro at its Concert Against Hate), appealed to his inclusive vision. The Sephardi experience is wrapped up in so many diasporas Spain, the Middle East, Latin America and the U.S, he said. There are varied experiences that deserve to be studied, talked about, written about and put on this platform.

He says his project will strengthen connections. Im presenting new voices that not many Jewish communities have heard with that kind of specificity. I think they will benefit from learning more about the people whose stories well share.

Deitra Reiser: Building Racial Stamina in Jewish communities

As a Black Jew, Deitra Reiser has experienced how systems of oppression and history connect for both groups. While consulting in Jewish spaces on diversity, equity and inclusion, she founded Transform for Equity in 2021 an antiracist repair group to raise awareness and create personal and professional transformation toward institutional and systemic antiracism.

Reiser then used her background as a school psychologist and educator to develop the Building Racial Stamina curriculum, which she used in her synagogue, and then with Jewish organizations across the nation.

She noted that racism and antisemitism fit together with as many as 8% of Jews describing themselves as having nonwhite heritage according to a Pew Research Center study from 2021. I find that the deep learning and facilitated discussions in Building Racial Stamina provide people an antiracist lens to participate more fully in equity assessments, institutional policy change and a solid base for executives and leaders for coaching.

Reiser and her partner, who live outside of Washington, D.C., are committed to raising their children to feel positive about both their Black and Jewish identities. Learning that the racism in our Jewish community was a factor out of my control, and hearing the experiences of Jews of color, especially young folks, made me want to be more active in the larger community to ensure that my children would have spaces where they felt a sense of belonging, she said.

Reiser saw the fellowships potential to examine solutions to the oppression of Jews, Blacks and other groups. We need to dig deeper to understand how to talk together. Because if we are really going to make our Jewish spaces and our world more equitable, that is where our power lies in connecting, she said.

Her project will expand the Building Racial Stamina curriculum into three sessions for Jewish and non-Jewish groups to reflect on and learn about the connection between racism and antisemitism. There is resistance in both spaces, but we are making gains, she said. I think everyone working in this space is optimistic, or we wouldnt be able to keep doing this work in the Jewish spaces, and in the larger society.

Smith said Reisers experience makes her the perfect person to engage in these conversations, which have sometimes become fraught as we reflect on the Jewish experience of oppression more broadly. Deitras focus on developing a space for reflection and building the emotional tools to stay in the conversation about how race and racism can show up in Jewish spaces is so important.

Reiser said that our Jewish values call us to do this work. Our Jewish community will not thrive if were not creating spaces of belonging. For us to really make gains towards an equitable society, we must work together to eliminate both antisemitism and racism. We cannot let this divide us.

Carmel Tanaka: Telling Jewish Japanese stories across borders

Carmel Tanaka is a founding member of the Jewpanesecommunity people with Jewish and Japanese heritage. Her Ashkenazi Israeli mother is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her third-generation Japanese Canadian fathers family was interned during World War II. I grew up with this very public awareness of never again, and this tug of wanting to make sure that these injustices dont continue to happen, she said.

For her fellowship project, Tanaka, a queer Jewish Japanese woman based in Vancouver, British Columbia, will conduct 20 oral history video interviews with members of the Jewish Japanese community in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Israel. She will focus on their lived experiences and intergenerational trauma related to the Holocaust, Japanese Canadian internment and Imperial Japan, and will make the interviews available online.

Carmels project highlights overlapping identities and histories of oppression, and the experiences of mixed people in navigating sometimes contradictory cultural norms, Smith said. Im really excited about the global reach of her project, which will shed light on how context can shape personal narratives in rich and nuanced ways.

Tanaka is a community engagement leader and a sought-after speaker and consultant.She has founded several leadership initiatives including JQT Vancouver, Genocide Prevention BC and Cross Cultural Walking Tours.

Her work fosters a sense of belonging. Beyond our siblings, we often navigated both the Jewish and Japanese communities alone. We want people with other intersectional identities Jewish and Chinese, Jewish and Black, and others to feel inspired to collect stories from their own communities.

I didnt coin the term Jewpanese, she said, but it made me think about the intersectionality of my identity. She connected with other Jewish Japanese people around foods like green matcha cheesecake or miso maple trout for Jewish holidays. In May 2020, they began monthly Zoom calls that sparked close friendships.

As the pandemic increased both anti-Asian racism and antisemitism, the online gatherings became a safe space for participants to share what they face in both communities and ask questions that we wouldnt dare ask in our respective separate communities, she said.

Tanaka has already completed the East Coast portion of her project and is now working elsewhere to show the increased mixing of families and cultures, and the challenges for those with blended identities. It hasnt always been a smooth ride for many of us, she said. We sometimes have to jump through hoops and obstacles to feel we belong, and some of us are only now reconnecting with language and culture. Her interviews and social gatherings have connected Jewpanese people, couples and families regionally. This intergenerational piece is important representation matters.

She says this project can be relatable to a lot of people who are on the periphery of the Jewish community. Getting stories and personal accounts is the best way to bring change. Follow the journey on Instagram: @JewpaneseProject.

Sara Yacobi-Harris: Toward a more holistic definition of Jewishness

In the wake of George Floyds murder in neighboring Minnesota, Sara Yacobi-Harris formed No Silence on Race in Ontario in June 2020. She began with an open letter inspired by the flurry of Floyd-related community dialogues and panels with Black Jews in Canada, describing the discrimination theyd faced in Jewish spaces. Her letter asked Jewish organizations what it meant to shift the culture, and offered a nine-pillar template to help them increase racial diversity and inclusion.

In response, the Ontario Jewish Archives asked Yacobi-Harris and her team to create a portrait series titled Periphery, featuring Jews of color. This was an opportunity for us to shift our focus to creating our stories in a Jewish canon where our voices and images were included, she said.

Then Yacobi-Harris, alongside No Silence on Race and the Ontario Jewish archives, directed and produced a short documentary film, also titled Periphery, broadening stories of the multi-ethnic Jewish experience to include sexual orientation, geography and Jewish observance among Jews of color in Toronto. That gave us an opportunity to expand the narrative of who is a Jew in our community, reimagining Jewish life for people like us, she said.

Periphery opened doors and raised awareness. We were having conversations with people we hadnt met or been in community with before those who hold prominent roles of leadership, Yacobi-Harris said. We were able to put our agenda forward, inquire how it aligned with theirs, and ask how we could put our agendas together.

Smith, who was included in Yacobi-Harris film and photo exhibits, said she was thrilled when external reviewers selected the project for funding. The curriculum she is developing will allow countless communities, from teens to adults, to explore issues of Jewish identity, culture and race through the personal narratives of the subjects of the film. Saras work will give audiences a glimpse into the ways in which Jews of color navigate their multiple identities, family dynamics, and community contexts, Smith added.

Yacobi-Harris, an artist of Jamaican and Georgian ancestry, as well as a filmmaker, media professional and community organizer, has worked on several television and digital productions at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She has led equity, inclusion and anti-racism strategy and policy implementation, along with community outreach, talent development and festival partnerships at the CBC.

In 2017, she produced and directed the documentary film, Who is a Jew? exploring the roots of cultural and ethnic identity and the experience of Black Jews and Jews of color in Toronto. She has worked with the Ontario Jewish Archives, Toronto Jewish Film Foundation and Hillel Ontario, and spoken at Jewish conferences, seminars, and events including Canadas National Summit on Antisemitism.

Shell use the fellowship to expand Periphery with two sets of curricula, as Reiser is doing: one for Jewish audiences, and one for non-Jewish audiences, with versions for grades eight to 12 and for adults. This educational supplement is a screening guide to help facilitate conversations that foster greater awareness and understanding of who Jewish people are, and the diversity and intersectionality in Jewishness, she said.

The supplement, which will include relevant Torah elements, is digitized and used in classrooms in and outside of Jewish community spaces, multifaith spaces, and university spaces throughout Canada to combat stereotypes and prompt conversations about who Jewish people are locally and globally.

Yacobi-Harris is buoyed by responses to the Periphery film. People have reached out to tell us how it changed their perception. Its shifting the way people think about being Jewish. Thats what drives me. Thats the goal.

Check out and download the curriculum here.

TaRessa Stovall is an Atlanta-based writer specializing in intersectional identities. Her most recent book is a memoir, SWIRL GIRL: Coming of Race in the USA. Follow her on Twitter@taressatalks or email editorial@forward.com.

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Meet the Jews of color exploring what it means to be Black, Asian, Latino and Jewish - Forward

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Posted By admin on August 12, 2022

The rain lasted all night, forcing the dance party into a nearby barn. But the bride saw the unexpected downpour as a blessing.

In earth-based Judaism, theres so much emphasis on praying for rain, said Adi Aboody, who married Ophir Haberer on June 4 at theGreen Valley Farm and Mill in Sebastopol, in northern California. If you took out the logistical craziness of it, it felt magical.

Aboody, 32, and Haberer, 31, are deep proponents of earth-based Judaism, a grassroots movement that seeks to center Jewish religious practice on the earth. They met in 2015 throughWilderness Torah, the Bay Area organization that hosts festivals, campouts and education programs for this growing community of earth-focused Jews.

They are at least the ninth couple to meet through Wilderness Torah, which was founded in 2007.

Our immersive programs have the most unique community and village-building technology, ritual and celebration, said Simcha Schwartz, Wilderness Torahs director of development, who met his wife at the organizations Passover in the Desert festival. That recipe feeds authentic connection and vulnerability, and therefore love.

Aboody and Haberer infused their wedding with both Jewish and earthy values.

Next to the chuppah were two altars, one displaying photos of their ancestors and the other laden with local fruit and flowers, challah and stalks of wheat in honor of the harvest festival Shavuot, which started the same day. As the groom processed to meet the bride before the ceremony, several men blew shofars, a frequent Wilderness Torah ritual.

In homage to Haberers early childhood on Kibbutz Tzora in Israel, the couple both wore flower crowns and dressed in all white. During the ceremony, led by a rabbinical student and mindfulness coach named Rebecca Schisler, the couple was wrapped in a tallit while a friend sang the priestly blessing and guests lifted their hands to bless them. The night before, a lamb from a farm nearby had been cooked over a fire.

For many guests, this was their first experience with earth-based Judaism, andthe attention to detail from the ketubah, or marriage contract, made from specially procured animal skin (illustrated by one artist friend and scribed by another, both of them women), to knowing the farm on which the lamb had been raised stood out.

It wasnt just us observing their love, said Maytal Orevi, a family friend of the bride. Though different worlds were colliding, they brought everyone in and invited us to slow down. We all got to be a part of their world.

In 2016, after their first meeting, Aboody and Haberer both began working for Wilderness Torah, and quickly became close friends. In addition to their love of the earth, the two shared mixed Mizrahi and Ashkenazi heritages: Haberers mother is Moroccan-Israeli while his father is South African, and his family moved from Kibbutz Tzora to St. Louis when he was 5. Aboodys father is Iraqi-Israeli, and her mother, Cindy Paley, is a Yiddish folksinger; she grew up in the Los Angeles area.

They remained close even as they moved on to other work. Aboody now works as a doula, herbalist and outdoor educator, and Haberer is a permaculture consultant, in addition to running groups for men interested in unpacking masculinity, such as an initiative for Shalom Bayit,a domestic violence prevention organization, called MenschUp.

In 2021, they both found themselves at a Wilderness Torah festival for Rosh Hashanah, sharing hopes for the new year in the same prayer circle.

I was really clear that I want love, partnership, and family, Aboody said.

Haberer, sitting in the same circle and watching various young families wandering the grounds, realized he did, too.

There was already this palpable tension there, Aboody said, as we realized if we wanted the same things at the same time

Three months later, Aboody was pregnant. Love, partnership and now family: what each had been praying for.

They decided to get married on Shavuot, the Jewish harvest holiday that celebrates the first fruits of the season, a particularly apt occasion as they planned for their first child.

This year, Shavuot began immediately after Shabbat. They signed the wedding contract Friday afternoon, to avoid signing it on the holiday, and held a Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service Friday night.

After the service was a henna party with singing and dancing, where someguests woreMoroccan caftans and the bride and groom had thick dashes of henna applied to their palms, to protect them from the evil eye. A Moroccan feast, largely cooked by Haberers mother and aunts, was served.

Susan North Gilboa, a family friend of the bride, said that as a more traditional Jew, she wondered about attending a wedding on Shavuot, when, as with other holidays including Shabbat, weddings are prohibited under Jewish law.But the Shavuot themes were woven in with such spirituality, and real attention to tradition while also bringing in the new, that it made it feel so right.

Though their romantic relationship progressed quickly, the couple sees it as building on their six years of friendship. Haberer likened it toshmita, the biblical edict to let the land rest, or lie fallow, every seven years. This year happens to be a shmita year, which the couple saw as particularly fitting.

Weve had six years of getting to know each other as friends and supporting each other in our different relationships, Haberer said. On the first day of the seventh year, the shmita year, we see ourselves resting into a romantic partnership. We love that we started the shmita year that way.

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Jewish wilderness wedding featured animal-skin ketubah, harvest altar J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

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