SHEVAT / ADAR 5783

RUACH

Tu B’Shevat: Sunday, February 5 @ 1:00 PM

Robin and Mike are hosting a Tu B’Shevat Celebration, the New Year of the Trees. We may be outside for a bit, so be sure to dress warmly. We willl be planting a cedar seedling to replace a hemlock lost to the last two years of hot summer weather. Also, Robin has two rubber plant starts that need homes. Start your own tree indoors! They are already getting roots! Let Robin know if you want one!

We will be doing a short Tu B’ Shevat seder. If you are coming, please email me as to what you want to bring, or what is still needed.

The categories are 

1. Fruit with shells- things like almonds, cashews, etc

2 Fruits with soft outside and pits,- apricots, (dried are fine), dates, olives

3. Fruits that are entirely edible –  figs, carob, grapes

Also, white wine, red wine, and white grape juice

Please RSVP to Robin at:  robinhruska@gmail.com

Also, here is a short article from The Forward about the historical and agricultural reasons why certain fruits and grains were traditional for the holiday

https://forward.com/food/330692/why-we-eat-the-7-fruits-on-tu-bshvat/

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SHABBAT MEDITATION: Sat, Feb 4, 9:00 – 9:30.

Join us on-line for a silent meditation, led by the Goldens. A sweet way to start Shabbat. In the Zoom Room.

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FEBRUARY SHABBAT OR HAVDALAH:

Need a host for Shabbat (Feb 24) or Havdalah (Feb 25). Contact ruach@shirhayam.org

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CULTURAL EVENTS

Jews in India:

Continuing our tour of Jews in seemingly unlikely places. . .

In December and January we read books and listened to lectures about Jews in China. It was fascinating. In February and March we’re moving on to Jews in India.

We’ll be reading one (or both, for those of who are feeling ambitious) of the books below. We’ll meet by Zoom on March 19 at 11:00 to discuss what we’ve learned.

The book(s) to read are:

The Book of Esther by Esther David

The Book of Esther recreates in detail the lives of the Bene Israel in a small village on the Konkan coast, Danda, and charts their journeys. Beginning in the 19th century with Bathsheba, who awaits her husband’s return, Book of Esther tells the story of her adored grandson, David, a healer of great repute, whose eccentric animal-obsessed son, Joshua, is the author’s father. The fifth generation’s retelling of the clan’s tale goes back to the story of the origins of the community, and the last part about herself and her father’s zoo is as funny as it is moving.

The Walled City by Esther David

The Walled City is set in Ahmedabad and is a coming-of-age story about a young Bene Israeli girl growing up in the walled city, attempting to preserve her Jewish roots without understanding them. As violence engulfs the city, the concept of walls takes on a new layered epiphany.

Here’s some  background on the Jews of India:

The Jewish community has been living in India since 75 CE. 

Many Jews settled in India after fleeing coastal areas of what is now Israel after the fall of King Solomon’s second temple. They sought to avoid persecution from the Greeks. 

There are five Indian Jewish communities — the Bene Israelis of western India, the Bnei Menashe Jews of Northeast India, the Bene Ephraims of Andhra Pradesh, the Baghdadi Jews of West Bengal and the Cochin Jews of Kerala. 

Despite living in different corners of India, they are still bound by the common thread of food and religion. Over the years, members have stuck to the dietary laws and integrated Indian habits with their customs, leading to some unique ceremonies and rituals that have been passed down from one generation to another.

At its height in the 1940s, there were about 20,000 Jews in India. There are now about 5,000.

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From the Memorial Scrolls Trust:

View a short documentary – 15 minutes -in a New video about a “Mezuzah Trail” in Krakow, Poland, that focuses attention on the still visible traces where mezuzahs were affixed before WW2. Worth a view: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2023/01/19/poland-mezuza/?fbclid=IwAR20PQdAKR0V-_Wxa6k_0PYdTHDEFnbTTgTK2v4BIKcfZdoHJdOZaPpn-5M

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From Music of Remembrance:

Tune in to hear a newly commissioned work availabile for a special free streaming of composer Lori Laitman’s Wertheim Park, a a hauntingly beautiful elegy to those who were lost and a profound tribute to the power of memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5NGxFsQO0

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COMMUNITY NEWS:

Thank you to Sharon and BIll Rutzick who made a donation to the Tikkun Olam Fund, in honor of Denise Brown