CTJC Bulletin Rosh Hashana 5772/2011 Â
In this issue… 2 - Welcome to the CTJC Rosh Hashana Bulletin 3 - Community news 3 - Communal Information 4 - Religious Calendar – festival and service times for the High Holy Days 5 - New Year, New Chair – a message from Gedalya Alexander 7 - Double the fun for twins – by Barry Landy 9 - The Woolf on our doorstep... – by Mark Harris 13 - Oranges are not the only fruit – by Barry Landy 15 - The Cambridge Mikvah – Rabbi Reuven Leigh 18 - Judaism and the profit motive – JABE 19 - Chaplaincy – there for Jewish students 20 - Cambridge Day Limmud 21 - Tell ’em about the honey, mummy – by Helen Goldrein 22 - Rosh Hashana art and craft 23 - Sweet as honey – honey servers shopping guide
Wishing you and your family
שנה טובה from everyone at the CTJC bulletin
Cover image: © Deror Avi. Shofars at the old city Market This page:. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shofar_for_the_Sabbath_from_the_Matson_Collection,_ca._1934-39_%28LOC%29.jpg
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Welcome to the CTJC Rosh Hashana Bulletin Bulletin Number 102.
Shana tova and welcome to the latest issue of the CTJC Bulletin. As you can see below, there have been some changes to the CTJC committee. We welcome Mark Harris as Secretary, and congratulate Gedalya Alexander as he takes up the post of Chairman. Both Mark and Gedalya have contributed to this bulletin and we hope you enjoy their articles. Thanks are also due to Simon Goldhill who steps down as Chair. We hope he will have now have more free time to write articles for the bulletin! The Bulletin is always happy to accept articles, essays, opinion pieces, travel journals, book/film/music/theatre reviews, reminiscences, recipes, photographs, knitting patterns... To contribute to the bulletin, email bulletin@ctjc.org.uk Thanks to those who have already contributed, and in advance to those who plan to send in a submission for the Chanukah issue. You can also read the bulletin online in full colour at http://issuu.com/ctjc/docs/roshhashana_2011 Wishing you a sweet and prosperous year and well over the fast, from all at the Bulletin. Small print… Views expressed in the bulletin are the views of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or of the committee of the CTJC.
CTJC email list CTJC has an email list. To join the list and receive regular updates about services, events, Shabbat times and other useful information, please email Barry Landy at bl10@cam.ac.uk or Jonathan Allin at jonathan.allin@nokia.com CTJC Officers Rabbi
Reuven Leigh
Committee 2011/2012 Chairman Treasurer Secretary Synagogue officer Education officer Welfare officer Bulletin/website officer Board of Deputies
Gedalya Alexander Jonathan Allin Mark Harris Barry Landy Rosalind Landy Sarah Shechter Helen Goldrein position vacant
Read the bulletin online in full colour! http://issuu.com/ctjc/docs/roshhashana_2011 www.ctjc.org.uk
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COMMUNITY NEWS Mazeltov To Priscilla Goldstein – her granddaughter Rose Dindol gained a BSc first class honours degree in Environmental Health from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, and a prize for top performance in the final year. Her granddaughter Naomi Dindol is going to Coventry University to read Dietetics. To Mrs Gertrude Landy on the birth of two great-great-grandchildren, Noa and Shifrah (and to Barry and Ros who are now great-great-uncle and -aunt). To Barry and Ros Landy on the Batmitzvah of their granddaughter Rebecca in London. To Stefan Reif on the Barmitzvahs of two grandsons, Roi and Zaki, in Israel. To Helen and David Stone on the birth of their grandson Eitan. To Jacob and Sharon Hassan on the birth of their granddaughter Evie Rose. Refuah Shlemah To Jonathan Goldman. Farewell To Helen and David Stone, who are moving to London.
COMMUNAL INFORMATION Shul services Friday evening In term:
Winter, Ma’ariv at 6pm Summer, Minchah and Ma’ariv at 7:30pm
In vacations:
Winter, Minchah and Ma’ariv just before Shabbat June-August, Minchah and Ma’ariv at 7:30pm September, Minchah and Ma’ariv just before Shabbat
Shabbat morning
9:30am
Sunday morning
8:00am (most weeks)
Learning Rabbi Reuven Leigh holds a Talmud Shiur at Chabad House, 37A Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AH, every Monday at 8pm. Parking is available in the Shire Hall car park. For more details email rl324@cam.ac.uk A Talmud Shiur led by Prof. Stefan Reif is held on a convenient evening in those weeks when Prof. Reif is in Cambridge. For more information email chevra@ctjc.org.uk Hospital Visiting Contact Sarah Schechter (329172), Helen Stone (357147), Tirzah Bleehen (354320) or Barry Landy (570417) if you need to organise visits, or would like to volunteer to help. Rabbi Reuven Leigh (354603) and Barry Landy can attend hospitals to read prayers. Due to concerns for personal privacy the hospital no longer informs us when Jewish patients are admitted, so if you or someone you know would like to be visited, please contact us. Chevra Kadisha Contact Barry Landy (570417), Brendel Lang (353301) or Trevor Marcuson (520045) in the first instance. Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, Brit Milah and other religious services Contact Rabbi Reuven Leigh or Barry Landy to organise.
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Religious Calendar Your guide to high holy day times EREV ROSH HASHANA Festival commences Evening Services
Wednesday 28 September 6.30 pm 6.30 pm
ROSH HASHANA 1st Day Morning Service Afternoon and Evening Services Candles for 2nd day are lit
Thursday 29 September 9.30 am 6.30 pm 7.28 pm
ROSH HASHANA 2nd Day Morning Service Afternoon and Evening Services Shabbat commences
Friday 30 September 9.30 am 6.30 pm 6:25 pm
SHABBAT SHUVAH Morning Service Shabbat ends
Saturday 1 October 9.30 am 7.23 pm
EREV YOM KIPPUR Shabbat and Fast commence Kol Nidrei
Friday 7 October 6.09 pm 6.30 pm
YOM KIPPUR Morning Service Reading of the Law Yizkor (approx) Afternoon Service Neilah Shabbat and Fast terminates
Saturday 8 October 9.30 am 11.30 am 12.00 pm 4.40 pm 5.55 pm 7.07 pm
EREV SUCCOT Festival Commences Afternoon and Evening Services
Wednesday 12 October 5.58 pm 6.00 pm
SUCCOT 1st Day Morning Service Afternoon and Evening Services Candles for 2nd day are lit
Thursday 13 October 9.30 am 6.00 pm 6.57 pm
SUCCOT 2nd Day Morning Service Afternoon and Evening Services Shabbat Commences
Friday 14 October 9.30 am 6.00 pm 5.53 pm
HOSHANAH RABBAH Morning Service Festival Commences Afternoon and Evening Services
Wednesday 19 October 7.00 am 5.43 pm 5.45 pm
SHEMINI ATZERET Morning Service (& Yizkor) Afternoon Services Evening Service Candles for 2nd day are lit
Thursday 20 October 9.30 am 5.45 pm 6.40 pm 6.41 pm
SIMCHAT TORAH Morning Service Afternoon Service Shabbat Commences
Friday 21 October 9.30 am 5.45 pm 5.38 pm
Shabbat Bereshit Morning Service Shabbat ends
Saturday 22 October 9.30 am 6.38 pm
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Rosh Hashana Communal Lunch – Thursday 29th September Please join us for lunch after the service on the first day of Rosh Hashana (approx. 1:45pm) at the synagogue, 3 Thompson's Lane. RSVP: rabbi@ctjc.org.uk or 01223 354603
There is no charge for the lunch, however donations will be gratefully received. Please make cheques payable to CTJC and send to 37A Castle Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AH.
New Year, New Chair A message from Gedalya Alexander Dear friends, It is time to reflect as Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are approaching once again. The most evocative of our liturgy and the most beautiful of our ancient melodies are reserved for these holiest of days. The Kol Nidrei melody is known to most, but the Keriat Hatorah also has its own Nusach (musical tradition) specific to the High Holydays, as do the Kaddish, repetition of the Amidah, the Kedushah and many of the other prayers. It is hard to be unmoved by the solemnity and majesty of the occasion, and above all by the sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana. In fact, the High Holydays are very different in nature to the other festivals. The festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Succot commemorate significant events in the history of the Jewish people: the exodus from Egypt, receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, and God’s protection of our ancestors as we crossed the wilderness. Not so Rosh Hashana, whose relevance extends to all of humanity, and Yom Kippur, which is a time for introspection for each and every Jew. No reason is given in the Torah for the commandment to celebrate the first day of Tishrei – referred to not as Rosh Hashana, but as “Yom Teruah” (Numbers 29:1). The Talmud teaches us that this day marks the anniversary of the world’s creation (Rosh Hashana 27a) and that it is also the day on which all of humanity passes before God as he sits in judgement over his creations (Mishneh Rosh Hashana 1:2). One of the 10 reasons given by Saadiah Gaon for the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana is a proclamation of God as king over the whole world, and this is one of the central themes of the liturgy of the day. We recall how the fate of nations and individuals is decided at that time for the whole year; “who will live and who will die, whether by water or by fire, by famine or by thirst, through earthquakes or through drought”. Our thoughts go out at this time to nations who have suffered from natural disasters – the tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Christchurch and the ongoing drought in East Africa. We are reminded that an act of God is no excuse for our inaction; on the contrary, it is a call to our responsibility as human beings (“But repentance, prayer, and charity remove the evil of the decree”). We also pray that wicked regimes be destroyed (“And all wickedness will evaporate like smoke, when you will remove evil’s domination from the earth”). Having seen the fall of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Gaddafi on the brink of defeat, we express our hope that the remaining despots around the world will follow before long. Following the fanfare of Rosh Hashana we turn the focus back to the individual on Yom Kippur. Realising that improving the world starts with improving ourselves; we admit our past errors and ask God to accept our repentance.
I am thrilled to be taking up the position of chairman of the Cambridge Traditional Jewish Congregation from Simon Goldhill at what is now a very exciting time for Jewish life in Cambridge. Through the efforts of the Cambridge Mikvah Trust and our Rabbi, Reuven Leigh, we are close to having a Mikvah in Cambridge for the first time since, I believe, the Middle Ages. We also have a thriving cheder on Sunday run by Rochel Leigh, a weekly Talmud shiur given by Rabbi Leigh, a Kiddush following most Shabbat morning services and, thanks to Helen Goldrein, a revamped website and magazine. I would like to thank the past chairman, Simon Goldhill, for his charismatic leadership of the community over the past six years and the members of the committee who have been involved in the running of the shul. With your help and input we will achieve even more over the coming year! Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year, Gedalya Alexander Chairman CTJC
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Above and below: Feast of Trumpets by Aleksander Gierymski (1850-1901). The painting, from 1884, shows Hasidic Jews performing tashlikh (ritual washing away of sins) on Rosh Hashana, on the banks of the Vistula River in Warsaw.
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Double the fun for twins Barry Landy reports on his granddaughter’s batmitzvah in Israel
It may not be well known but there is a continuing emigration of Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. They come in relatively small numbers at a time to make the process of absorption easier and for the first year or two of their life in Israel they live in an absorption centre in Safed. Since 1996 the UJIA have run a programme of twinning bar- or bat-mitzvah children among these olim with children from England. Our granddaughter Rebecca was Batmitzvah this year, in May 2011. She decided to participate in this UJIA twinning programme and was put in touch with an Ethiopian girl, Takwanda, of the same age from the absorption centre. As we found out later on, the family had been in Israel for about eighteen months. In Ethiopia they had been farmers with cattle and land, but had left this to come to Israel. They travelled for two days by bus from their locality to Gondar, the second town in Ethiopia, expecting to leave shortly for Israel, but from that point the process took about four years. The family is a large one; the father has married twice and has grown sons, who remain in Ethiopia, from his first marriage, and five or six children from his second marriage of whom the youngest was born in Israel. The climax of the twinning process is a three-day programme in Israel where the English and Ethiopian children and families get to meet. Our son Aron took Rebecca on this trip and they invited us to come with them. As a precursor to the visit the children get to know each other a little by email and there is a sixmonth programme to educate the Ethiopian children in their heritage. Communication by email is not the simple process it would seem to us. First of all the Ethiopian child has to learn how to use a computer, and then how to send email. Secondly, since the Ethiopian children speak Amharic and some Hebrew there has to be an intermediary who can translate into English, so all the emails go through the UJIA. With the help of skilled madrichim (instructors) this process succeeds in its purpose. By this means Rebecca and Takwanda got to know each other a bit before meeting in person and for Rebecca this was very exciting.
Above: Twins Takwanda and Rebecca.
The programme in Israel started on the Sunday morning with a get together in an informal setting, at which the children and their parents met in person for the first time. In the afternoon there was a
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ceremony at the Western Wall. The children gathered under chupot (one for boys and one for girls) and processed from the gate to the Kotel plaza; there they recited Shehechayanu as for many of the children it was the first time they were there. Then they proceeded to the Wall to recite some prayers. After that there was a party at the Begin Centre with a lovely buffet meal and dancing. This really broke the ice. On the Monday there was a formal service at the Great Synagogue. All the fathers were called up for Rishon, all the grandfathers for Sheni, and finally all the Barmitzvah boys for Shelishi. For the Ethiopian boys this was really their Barmitzvah and in many cases also the first time they wore tefilin. Once the service was over there was a good meal in the main hall with a lot more dancing, including some wonderful Ethiopian drumming and dancing which included a lot of complicated shoulder and body movements. The highlight in many ways came on the third day. We moved to Safed in the morning and after lunch went to the absorption centre where each English family was entertained by the family of their twin. Because of the language problems there were two translators on each visit, one to do Amharic-Hebrew and the other Hebrew-English. The AmharicHebrew translator was himself an Ethiopian who came to Israel a few years ago. Since Ros, Aron, and I speak Hebrew we could do short-cut the translation process and to some extent have a real conversation. We certainly learned a great deal about the Ethiopian family, though they were too shy to ask us much. It was a very interesting visit. We wished we could have stayed longer and had to be dragged away for the final event of the trip which was a jeep tour of the Biriya forest close to Safed. We eventually went high up on Mount Canaan from where we could see Lebanon, Mount Hermon and Syria. Finally there was an al fresco buffet meal in the forest, some singing, and then some very emotional goodbyes. Takwanda, Rebecca's twin, was understandably inconsolable, and the two of them spent the last few minutes hugging each other. We are assured by the organisers that this event is an extremely positive one for the Ethiopian children in the transition between the life that has been left behind and the new life in Israel, and an experience they treasure and will remember for ever. During the home visit we asked the twin what she most enjoyed about school and she simply replied "learning". In Ethiopia they did not go to school and she is thriving in a new way of life. Before experiencing the twinning tour I was dubious of its value except as a UJIA Publicity event, but having experienced it I am sure it is a major force for good and that there is a strong possibility that these children can have their lives changed for the better by it. For them of course the hard years are yet to come as they leave the absorption centre and have to move into mainstream Israeli life. We hope that they will overcome the difficulties that face them and that Takwanda can use this twinning experience as a stepping stone for a new life. It would be good for there to be a follow up programme and I know that UJIA are trying to work out how to do this. I have meanwhile sent Takwanda a letter in Hebrew and I hope she feels that she can respond. Takwanda and her family are about to move to independent living in Haifa and I wish them Hatzlacha!
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The Woolf on our doorstep… Mark Harris enjoys a dialogue with Dr Edward Kessler MBE IN JESUS LANE, just a couple of streets east of the CTJC synagogue in Thompson’s Lane, is Wesley House, home to the Woolf Institute, which studies relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims. When I interviewed him one rainy Friday morning last July, Dr Edward Kessler, Founding and Executive Director of the Institute, had recently been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to inter-faith relations. A few years ago, he was honoured with the Sternberg Award for outstanding services to furthering Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations. So here’s a man dedicated and committed to a mission, an educator with a vision. I met him in his cosy, book-lined, ground-floor room, its large window overlooking a pleasant courtyard garden.
patrons. As you say, we now have the CJCR, whose Academic Director is Dr Lars Fischer, and the CMJR with Academic Director Dr Josef (Yousef) Meri, and also a Public Education Programme, which is concerned more with outreach work. MH: I would be interested to know why, in 2003, the CJCR wasn’t expanded to become the Centre for the Study of Jewish, Christian and Muslim Relations, instead of creating a separate CMJR. And since the CMJR was modelled on the CJCR, I’ve been wondering why the new entity wasn’t named the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Muslim Relations. After all, in its published literature, the Institute is stated to study “relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims” which, of course, reflects the chronology of the three religions. Finally, I’ve pondered why there isn’t a Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations, bearing in mind problematic areas such as the Crusades, the medieval Islamic principle of “dhimmah”, the Bosnian conflict and the war crimes trials in The Hague.
MH: Mazeltov on your MBE! Can you say how you felt on hearing of the award? EK: It sounds a platitude, but I really was delighted. I found the letter from the Cabinet Office whilst opening my mail on a train to London. It was wonderful to read about the award of an MBE, but also kind of strange because I wanted to tell people but couldn’t. I did phone my wife Trisha and whispered the great news to her. Since it became public, one of the nicest things is that I’ve received so many lovely letters from people who, it seems, have been touched. Today, I received congratulations from the Archbishop of York and Vivian Wineman of the Board of Deputies.
EK: Very good questions. Logically, it’s easier to teach relations between two peoples. We have the expression “three’s a crowd” for good reason. There’s a unique relationship between Christians and Jews: Jesus was a Jew. There’s the Old Testament and the Tanach. I can’t think of any other religions that share the same texts. And we have the history of Christian anti-Semitism. Similarly, there’s a unique relationship between Muslims and Jews. There’s the whole history of Monotheism, the Patriarchs, Sharia and Halachah, dietary laws and Jews living under Islamic rule. Though the texts differ, there are some similarities; we can compare the Hadith and Rabbinic literature. So there’s something quite profound about studying the two religions together. That’s why we’ve got bilateral Centres. But we understand the wider public isn’t just interested in the bi- but also the tri- and, indeed, the multi-lateral way the world is …
MH: In 1998, together with your fellow theologian Revd Dr Martin Forward, you founded the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations here at Wesley House. As I understand it, the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations was set up in 2003 on the same model, and began offering courses in 2006. I assume it was in that year that the CJCR’s and CMJR’s “umbrella” body, the Woolf Institute, was formed and named after one of its first Patrons, Lord Harry Woolf, the former Lord Chief Justice. Is this correct? EK: Yes, we couldn’t put the CMJR under the CJCR for obvious reasons. So we decided to establish the Institute. Initially, I wanted to have one Christian and one Jewish patron that weren’t religious figures. We have such patrons now, but, originally, we resolved to avoid the kind of arguments that communities were becoming embroiled in, like the Hugo Gryn affair. So at the start, Andrew Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire and a cousin of the Queen, and Lord Woolf, a distinguished Jewish figure, became our Patrons. Sadly, Andrew died in 2002. At that time, the Chief Rabbi now Lord Jonathan Sacks made it clear that he would be a patron alongside others from the Jewish community. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Cardinal of Westminster also agreed to become patrons. We’ve now got seven Christian and Jewish patrons, as well as Muslim
MH: … The Three Faiths Forum? EK: Yes, that’s a good illustration of this significant interest. Our Public Education Centre is into this area, too. The work of the TFF is primarily outreach rather than academic, though education may form part of its activities. Why isn’t there a Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations? First, I would say: one thing at a time. Secondly, there’s some important work being done in this area. In Israel, there tends to be more of an interest in the three faiths. Why’s the Centre titled “CMJR” and not “CJMR”? We have to work really hard in our endeavours to ensure balance. We have a balance between Jewish, Christian and Muslim students. We also try to achieve balance on the funding aspects. We seek to do our very best in the circumstances.
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MH: In your introduction to a recent issue of “Perspectives” and in relation to your Master’s and Master of Studies degrees and other inter-faith educational courses and programmes, you alluded specifically to Martin Luther King’s ringing words, “fierce urgency of now”. In the current edition of the Institute’s journal, and in your own Personal Statement, you again refer to an “urgent cause”. Could you elucidate on your interpretation of this declared need for “urgency” now and, indeed, the “fierce” urgency? EK: I love King’s expression, “the urgency of now”. We’re not fighting the kind of racism he had to fight in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s, although some of it sadly still exists, but I do have a sense, like him, that a window of opportunity is opening. I and my generation have been brought up generally in an atmosphere of tolerance, particularly in this country. You can visit other parts of the world where there’s remarkable intolerance and prejudice of the real, oldfashioned, unpleasant kind. I think my generation now has an opportunity to build new foundations. That’s why I sometimes get frustrated with dialogue groups that don’t construct the necessary depth of roots. There’s the “fierce urgency of now” because things can change very quickly. Look what happened in Germany in the 1930s. We’ve seen what’s been happening in the Middle East and North Africa, the so-called “Arab Spring”. There’s an opportunity now for people to create something of long-lasting value. I genuinely believe that we can do that, but I don’t know for how long the window will remain open. That’s why there’s a real urgency now. As the rabbis say, “the labourers are sluggish and the Master of the house is pressing” (adapted from “Ethics of the Fathers” 2:11). It’s a motivator. MH: I’ve read somewhere that the creation of the CMJR may’ve been prompted, to a significant extent, by a feeling amongst Muslims that improving relations between Christians and Jews, and even the founding of the CJCR itself, were sidelining them, and thus giving rise to concern, if not suspicion, in the Muslim community. However, there are other religious groups that may now have similar anxieties. I’m thinking particularly of Hindus and Sikhs, of which there are considerable numbers in this country, many residing in the same areas as substantial Muslim communities. We know that, in many parts of the world, Muslims and Hindus are in long-standing, serious and sometimes violent conflict. Just as one example, there’s the long history of antagonism between India and Pakistan, and not only about claims to Kashmir. Many localities here have a Three Faiths Forum, including districts which are home to large Hindu and Sikh communities. Do you think that, like Muslims may have been, adherents to these religious groupings could feel marginalised in respect of inter-faith dialogue, and do you address this area at the Institute? EK: It’s a very good question. We don’t really go beyond the three Abrahamic faiths. We don’t do multi-faith studies. We just don’t possess the resources. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be done. One of the reasons why we have a CMJR is that
Above: Dr Edward Kessler MBE
there’s a danger of a third party, whoever that may be, being isolated. We’re studying all three faiths in their unique ways. You know, I’m sometimes amazed by the similarities between the Jewish and Sikh religions. The religious significance of land, for example, is something that Christians and Muslims find hard to understand, although there are the Holy Cities. Why’s a piece of land the size of Wales so important to Jews? Areas around temples and other holy buildings are significant to Sikhs. There’s actually a book on Hindu-Jewish relations titled, “Torah and Veda”. To study these areas, you require people with expertise. Mine is in Jewish-Christian relations, which was the subject of my PhD, and I’m a student of Jewish-Muslim relations. It would be wonderful to cover these other areas. It may happen in my lifetime, and if studies were to be introduced in the future, that would be great. MH: The CJCR and the CMJR provide various educational residential and e-learning courses and programmes to promote, encourage and foster coexistence, dialogue, understanding, tolerance and the removal of ignorance and myth in order to improve inter-faith relations. However, there’s another form of religious conflict which can be equally as destructive as bad inter-faith relations, and with which it can have a connection. I’m thinking of “intra-faith” conflicts that affect each of the Abrahamic faiths. I don’t need to give examples, though the internal differences in views held don’t necessarily imply extremism or fundamentalism against moderation, or vice versa. “Intra-faith” tensions and disagreements strike me as a potentially important area for research, education and maybe more, especially as they can rebound negatively on inter-faith relations. Is this an area you’d recognise as deserving of dialogue and scholarly attention? EK: Yes, I would. My father used to say to me that we need to set up a centre not for JewishChristian Relations but for Jewish-Jewish
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Relations! And that could be mirrored within both the Christian and Muslim communities. Sometimes we talk about the Muslims as if they were a homogeneous whole, just as people talk about “the Jews”. Both religions are completely divided, as are Christians. The inter-faith conversation sometimes feeds into the “intra-faith” conversation. I’ve students studying J-C or M-J relations who find it easier than “intra-faith” conversation within their own faith communities. I think there are organisations, more perhaps in the USA, that are looking into internal tensions within Judaism. The World Council of Churches tries to do the same in respect of Christianity. Within the Arab and Muslim world it’s very difficult because there are huge tensions between different groupings. One can have more in common with a member of another faith than a co-religionist. There are people who say and do things in the name of Judaism, and who make my hair stand on end. Whilst there are things that Christians and Muslims might say or do with which I can relate completely, almost fraternally. Again, you’ve got to focus on what you do well. It’s a relatively small but important topic you raise, but you can’t do everything. If we spread ourselves too thinly, we’ll accomplish very little. MH: The Woolf Institute provides courses, culminating in the award of a Certificate, for those interested in how faith is impacting on society today, including antiSemitism and Islamophobia, and which are especially designed for people working in or with faith communities. I understand that course participants have included local authority and NHS personnel, police officers, educators, human rights workers and religious and community leaders. I’m sure these programmes are enlightening for those involved, but I would be interested to know whether you receive any feedback or other evidence from these service providers, or maybe more relevantly from those members of minority faith groups who receive their services, that the knowledge acquired has been implemented successfully, say, in avoiding the radicalisation of Muslim youth. EK: Well, we do assessments from our courses, some in more detail than others. This falls under our Public Education programmes. I’ll give you an example – we work with the Metropolitan Police in London, actually with one of the units tasked to deal with the Olympic Games in 2012. Millions of people will be visiting East London from all over the world. It’s taking place during Ramadan, so Muslim tourists will be fasting. What if the Tube breaks down? Next year you’ve also got the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes. So we’ve done some courses for the Met. Our assessments have been remarkable, most of all the confidence resulting from the knowledge we’ve imparted. The increase in confidence is due to the new ability to relate to the communities in or with which the police work. And these include Stamford Hill as well as Mile End. So whereas previously there has been a lot of fear about different dress, languages and customs, a fear that doesn’t contribute to building
good relations, we’ve got examples now where treatment of civilians by the police has become far easier, even in the arrest situation. That’s not dealing with the radicalisation of youth, but it’s having a good affect on ordinary human relations. That can only make life easier. And because of the improved relations, police intelligence is likely to be better. But our courses have also served to improve internal relations in the Met, which employs 50,000 police and admin staff. Obviously, this covers a huge range of backgrounds. Now if you don’t trust your colleague, it’s going to affect efficiency. So the confidence that our Public Education programmes have given to the police is both external and internal. We’ve got evidence of a direct and tangible impact on police work. MH: Those who undertake your degree and other courses and programmes clearly have an interest in, and maybe are also sympathetic to, the educational objectives of the Institute. What I’m suggesting is that its Centres are generally, if I can mangle a phrase, teaching to the converted. Of course, nobody can be absolutely sure of that. The Institute is justifiably proud of its contribution to improving inter-faith relations. But, in a period of seemingly increasing Islamophobia, and also anti-Semitism often masquerading as antiZionist and anti-Israel polemic, do you have any evidence, perhaps from conferences or otherwise, that your inter-faith education is having a practical and positive effect on the unconverted? EK: I’m often asked this question; and it’s a good one. You sometimes think that the people you want to teach aren’t in the room. The first thing is that we need to broaden education, and we’re doing that. We teach about 300 students here. That’s not an insignificant number. Last week, we held the graduation for our own Certificates. We’ve had students return from New Zealand, Italy and other countries, just for that ceremony. It shows how committed they are. There are others who couldn’t make it, including from Israel and Gaza. I genuinely believe that we’re touching people. And we’re giving them the knowledge, and therefore the confidence, that hopefully will make a difference in their own lives and worlds. But you’re right, we need also to reach those who are disinterested, or who are opposed to understanding relations between different faiths, or who are secularists trying to marginalise such relations or see them as undermining. A couple of months back, at Bradford University, I gave an annual faith society lecture. I was talking about J-M relations and there were over 100 in the audience. We had a really vibrant and frank conversation. This wasn’t easy, but I believe people went away with something to think about. The ones we cannot reach are the extremists, and we can’t teach them. I don’t want even to try to reach them. I want to marginalise them. To reach the others who may be sympathetic to what lies behind some of the extremism, we need to educate the communities so that they can resist its influence. Of course we have extremists within secular society, too. We won’t touch the radicals
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because they’re not interested. But we can hopefully touch everyone else. MH: I’ve been reading your excellent new book “Introduction to Jewish-Christian Relations”. In it you write, “The Christian rediscovery of the Jewishness of Jesus has been a significant factor in modern times of a Christian respect for Jews and Judaism”. What other significant factors do you think have contributed towards this new relationship? I’m thinking, for example, of the Second Vatican Council’s (Vatican II’s) 1965 Declaration “Nostra Aetate” and the Christian Church’s acceptance of past wrongs done to Jews. EK: So far as concerns Jewish-Christian relations, that’s Christian attitudes to Jews rather than the Jewish response, there are three major factors. You’ve mentioned the rediscovery of the Jewishness of Jesus, and that’s extremely important. The second is the Ecumenical Movement within Christianity. It’s an attempt by the Churches to reach out to each other. And there’s the belief that the special relationship with Jews is part of that Movement. It’s a hybrid but very important to Christian approaches. The third is the Holocaust, and what that did to Christian self-understanding and the history of Christian anti-Judaism, having taken place in the heart of Christian Europe and been perpetrated by people who generally would have gone to church. These three factors have had a huge impact on the Christian understanding of Judaism. In modern times, there’s a fourth significant factor, and that’s the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Vatican II, the Lambeth Conference of 1988 and the Statement of the Presbyterian Churches are based primarily on the first three factors I mentioned. Over the last 10 years, there has been a certain increasing conservatism in the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Pope John-Paul II was the radical so far as Jews are concerned. He centralised things more. Pope Benedict XVI was the spirit behind John-Paul. The cardinals who are in authority in the Roman Catholic Church tend to be quite conservative. So what we’re seeing now is really a theological retrenchment, including in the openness that was begun under Vatican II. We’re seeing that process in the restoration of the Tridentine Good Friday Prayer, in relations with the state of Israel and in arguments over Pope Pius XII. But the Pope’s visit to Israel last year epitomised a genuine desire to reach out to Jews. I was there; and I remember that, on the eve of Yom Kippur, he wished all Jews a good Fast. MH: As a lawyer by profession, I’m interested in what you’ve referred to as “exegetical pluralism” by which, to avoid inter-faith conflict and bigotry, an optimally beneficial construction could be given to traditionally interpreted passages, offensive to other religions, in the Holy Scripture of the three Abrahamic faiths. Christian Scripture, for example, that may be regarded as Adversus Iudaeos [“against the Jews”] has given rise to centuries of sometimes violent anti-Semitism, and, ultimately, may have created a climate conducive to the Holocaust. In this connection, you refer to what the rabbis have termed “Pikuah nefesh”, the duty to
preserve life, taking precedence over obedience to strict Scriptural commandment. But as you’ve written, “The very existence of these traditional interpretations is and remains the problem, for they cannot simply be expurgated or interpreted out of existence.” There have been some moves in the direction from some quarters, and I’m thinking of “Nostra Aetate” etc. but do you think there’s any likelihood of a generally significant shift towards “exegetical pluralism” by the Abrahamic faiths? EK: I think there are signs of this happening. What we have to avoid is exegetical relativism – in other words, where everything’s of the same value. We have to hold on to our truth claims and declarations about what it is to be a Jew, a Christian or a Muslim. We can recall problems arising from the first edition of the Chief Rabbi’s book, “The Dignity of Difference”. I believe that one of the things that Jewish biblical construction can bring to the Abrahamic conversation is the diversity of interpretation. D’var acher, d’var acher … another interpretation, another interpretation! Not, this is the interpretation … aleh, v’aleh! Divrei Hashem … both there and there are the words of G-d, famously. Diversity is allowed for, and thus the seeking of more than one interpretation. This may be helpful in conversations by Jews with Christians and Muslims about their Scriptures. So I think there are grounds for some optimism here. MH: Can you say something about the Woolf Institute’s relationship with Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan and the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman? EK: There are two major initiatives in the Arab world on inter-faith relations. There are a lot of fig leaves about, but these initiatives are practical and real. One of them is in Doha, Qatar, from where I’ve just returned after a three-day trip, and the other is the Royal Institute in Amman. We have a very good relationship with both. I meet with Prince El Hassan a couple of times annually. And we’re hoping to arrange a conference that will bring Jordanians and Israelis to Cambridge next year. So the area’s ripe for openness and engagement. It’s not easy, but there are opportunities to be seized. MH: Is there anything you would like to add? EK: It’s a very exciting time at the Institute. I would genuinely like to say that we’re doing something very unusual; and that’s trying to promote academic excellence and practical output. I think that’s the reason why we’ve got such a good team together. Everyone realises what we’re aiming to do, and everybody’s connected to it, whether they’re academic or non-academic and whether they’re religiously academic or non-religiously academic. There’s something truly positive that we’re seeking to do here. [Note: This is an abbreviated version of a much longer interview.]
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Oranges are not the only fruit Barry landy explores the origin of the etrog In Leviticus (23:40) we are commanded to take "pri etz hadar" on the first day of Succot; "Ulekachtem lachem bayom harishon pri etz hadar...." and traditionally we interpret that instruction as referring to the etrog. The phrase itself does not have a clear meaning as the literal translation is "the fruit of a beautiful tree". The commentaries are no real help as they all assume that the identity of the fruit is well known. The two standard explanations are that "a beautiful tree" is one whose fruit smells the same as the tree (which is actually dubious for the etrog!) or that "pri etz hadar" means the fruit that stays ("dar") on the tree which is indeed true of etrog (and also lemon); on an etrog tree all stages of the fruit are visible at the same time (blossom, small fruit, ripe fruit) and perhaps uniquely to the etrog it does not fall from the tree when ripe but needs to be cut off. Still, we all know what an etrog is, don't we?! Or do we?
Above: Cedro Ordinario as illustrated by Volckamer.
Some time ago I chanced on the following quotation and it intrigued me. "By the year 1003, the citron was commonly cultivated at Salerno and fruits (called poma cedrina) were presented as a token of gratitude to Norman lords. For centuries, this area supplied citron to the Jews in Italy, France and Germany for their Feast of the Tabernacles (Sukkot) ceremony. Moses had specified the cone of the cedar, Hadar (kedros in Greek) and when it fell into disfavour it was replaced by the citron, and the Palestine Greeks called the latter kedromelon (cedar apple). Kedros was Latinized as cedrus and this evolved into citrus, and subsequently
into citron. For many years, most Citrus species were identified as botanical varieties of Citrus medica." I have traced this conjecture to Julia Morton of Purdue University and cannot find any earlier source. See www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/citron.html Unfortunately Mrs Morton died in 1996 and so can no longer be consulted. I can only assume that she believed that since the citrus family is not native to the Middle East Moses had to have had a different fruit in mind to obey the Biblical injunction. By tradition, the Etrog was in use in Egypt and the Children of Israel took it away with them during the Exodus. In researching this further I found that the entire quote above occurs verbatim on many different internet sites but none of them give the original source so it is a good example of how widespread "information" on the internet may well reflect just one possibly inaccurate article. Pliny the Elder, an authority on all things botanical, writes, "There is another tree also with the same name of "citrus", and bears a fruit that is held by some persons in particular dislike for its smell and remarkable bitterness; while, on the other hand, there are some who esteem it very highly..... The citron tree, called the "Assyrian", and by some the "Median" apple.... As to the fruit, it is never eaten, but it is remarkable for its extremely powerful smell, which is the case, also, with the leaves; indeed, the odour is so strong, that it will penetrate clothes, when they are once impregnated with it, and hence it is very useful in repelling the attacks of noxious insects. The tree bears fruit at all seasons of the year; while some is falling off, other fruit is ripening, and other, again, just bursting into birth. Various nations have attempted to naturalize this tree among them, for the sake of its medical properties,.... It has been found, however, that this tree will grow nowhere except in Media or Persia. “Citrons, either the pulp of them or the pips, are taken in wine as an antidote to poisons. A decoction of citrons, or the juice extracted from them, is used as a gargle to impart sweetness to the breath. The pips of this fruit are recommended for pregnant women to chew when affected with qualmishness. Citrons are good, also, for a weak stomach, but it is not easy to eat them except with vinegar." So according to Pliny the Citron only grows in Media and is only useful for medical purposes. Time for some facts about the citrus species. The following is from Wikipedia: "Citrus is a common term and genus (Citrus) of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar (Burma) and the Yunnan province of China. Citrus fruit has been cultivated in an ever-widening area since ancient times; the most well known examples are the oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes.
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“The generic name originated in Latin, where it specifically referred to the plant now known as Citron (C. medica). It was derived from the ancient Greek word for cedar, kedros. Some believe this was because Hellenistic Jews used the fruits of C. medica during Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles) in place of a cedar cone, while others state it was due to similarities in the smell of citrus leaves and fruit with that of cedar. Collectively, Citrus fruits and plants are also known by the Romance loan word agrumes (literally "sour fruits")." So the Wikipedia author also references the possible original use by the Jews of a cedar cone; unfortunately the reference given in a footnote is to a massive Californian tome on citrus processing which seems prima facie to be an incorrect reference. As is well known the citrus species originates in SE Asia or China. Almost all of the citrus fruits we are familiar with are hybrids, and it appears that the only unhybridised members of the family are the lime (Citrus aurantifolia), pomelo (Citrus maxima), etrog or citron (Citrus medica) and the Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), so that even the common orange is a hybrid of ancient origin. (A useful if recondite pub quiz fact!). The article I first quoted also states that, "The citron's place of origin is unknown but seeds were found in Mesopotamian excavations dating back to 4000 B.C. The armies of Alexander the Great are thought to have carried the citron to the Mediterranean region about 300 BCE. A Jewish coin struck in 136 BCE bore a representation of the citron on one side". So here we have some more facts; an archaeological find suggesting that the citron was known in Mesopotamia in very early days, so that etrog trees could have been around at the right time. In addition there is a reference to Alexander so etrogim were definitely around in the 4th century BCE. We also know for sure that in the late Second Temple period citrons were used because we have the famous description of the outraged population throwing their "lemons" at Alexander Jannai when he carried out the water ceremony incorrectly. Josephus also mentions the use of the citron (and this story of Jannai). What is the significance of the name "Citrus Medica"? It is tempting to think, following the Pliny passage, that it refers to the medical use of the fruit, but this is incorrect. Medica indicates that (again as Pliny states) that the fruit comes from Media; the Linnaen term for a plant used for medicine is "officinalis". If the widely used name for the fruit is "citron" why do we call it "etrog"? It is not surprising that the name etrog appears to come from a Persian or Sanskrit root "turung", which is used in the Jerusalem Talmud, whereas orange comes from a related word "naranga" (from which naranja in Spanish, and orange in English as early as the 13th century). We do not know the process by which the citrus fruits made their way from Asia to Europe and thence to the world; since oranges are not mentioned in the bible we should perhaps assume that they had not yet arrived in the Middle East at that time, but it is conjectured that the Jewish Diaspora is one of the vectors for the spread of citrus from the Mediterranean basin since the Jews would have been
concerned to bring citrus fruits and especially the etrog with them. What are etrogim used for apart from Succot? Plainly there would not be much research into growing techniques if the Jews were the sole customers (too little business and just one selling time of the year). There are two major uses; the essential oil is used in cosmetics and perfumes, and the abundant pith is candied and used in cakes and other sweetmeats. To what size do etrogim grow? The etrog is a remarkable fruit. On one tree at any time there can be seen the fruit in all stages of its development; blossom, buds, and fruit of all sizes (a feature it shares with the lemon, which is not surprising as the lemon is probably a hybrid of the etrog and the lime). A unique feature of the etrog is that if it is not cut off the tree it simply continues to grow and can reach enormous size, several kilograms, so all the ones that we see have been cut off, and this is evident from the stalk end (the opposite end to the pitom).
Are there etrogim varieties that we do not use? At least one – the multi-fingered etrog. Very beautiful but not appropriate for ritual use. After this discursion into botany and etymology I am certainly not suggesting that anyone goes to the woods to get a cedar cone for Yomtov (though it would definitely be cheap!) but instead I hope that everyone has a very enjoyable time with the fragrant etrog on Succot. Chag Sameach!
Lulavim
Rabbi Leigh will be coordinating the purchase of Lulavim. Please contact him on Cambridge 354603. Alternatively Stephen Colman has an excellent stock in many different qualities. To buy from him go to the Golders Green Bet Hamedrash (close to Golders Green station) between Yom Kippur and Succot. Tel: 020 8209 0231 Mobile: 07956 234 524 Email: arba.minim@virgin.net
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The Cambridge Mikvah Rabbi Reuven Leigh answers your questions As a sequel to my article in the last edition to the bulletin, where I outlined the basic history of the development of the modern Mikvah, I wanted to share with you some of the features and aspects of the soon to be opened Cambridge Mikvah. 1. What method of Mikvah construction was used for The Cambridge Mikvah? Since the Mikvah is being built within an already existing building, there were a considerable amount of constraints on how to design the Mikvah. We opted for the ‘Bor al Gabei Bor’ option, which if you remember from the previous article, is where the water chamber sits beneath the immersion pool. This design had a number of advantages. It required less floor space, which was in short supply, and resolved the Halachic problem of the rainwater becoming diluted in the other water. Consequently, once the rainwater chamber is filled it will not need replenishing, and since rainfall in Cambridge is infrequent this eliminates the problem of the Mikvah needing to be closed for long periods whilst waiting for rainfall. 2. Who designed the Mikvah? There have been a number of hands involved in the Mikvah design. Richard Wright from Eve Waldron Design has been responsible for the overall design and has been guided by a number of Rabbinic authorities. Essential to the project has been the expertise of Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum from Minnesota, who has been involved in hundreds of Mikvah projects as well as leading Halachik experts in Mikvah building Rabbi Meir Posen and Dayan Levi Raskin. Engineering advice has come from Hannah Reed and the construction carried out by Regent Construction. 3. How will the water in the Mikvah be kept hygienic and heated? The Mikvah is fitted with a mineral purification system that includes an anti-algae and water clarity treatment. This poses a potential Halachik problem since it is unacceptable to immerse in a Mikvah whilst a filter is in operation, as it is imperative that the water is contained and not flowing (see previous article.) To resolve this issue there has been incorporated into the system an override that will stop the filter during the time of immersion. As an extra precaution we have installed a visible indicator light that will be lit whenever the filter is in operation to avoid any mistakes. The water will be heated by a heat exchanger and kept permanently at a comfortable temperature. 4. Who will be able to use the Mikvah? The Mikvah will be available to Jewish women. The Mikvah will not be used by men or for conversions. 5. Who will be responsible for managing the Mikvah? There will be a committee of local women who will take responsibility for the smooth running of the Mikvah and will be led by Rochel Leigh. If you would like to join the committee please contact Rochel. 6. How can I learn about the process of going to the Mikvah? There are a number of useful resources in print and online about the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha (Family Purity) and Mikvah use. However, there is no substitute for individual instruction, which provides a more personal and practical approach. The Mikvah committee will be announcing shortly a number of educational initiatives to increase awareness and knowledge of the Mikvah.
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The Mikvah touches at the very heart of Jewish married life and seeks to imbue a degree of holiness into our family lives. It is our hope that the Mikvah will not only serve as a welcome relief to seasoned Mikvah users now saved from schlepping to London, but also as an opportunity for other members of the community to experience the Mikvah for the first time. We are confident that The Cambridge Mikvah will soon become a central aspect of Jewish life in Cambridge, as well as serving as a catalyst for further communal initiatives.
Above: Impact of a drop of water on a water-surface. Photo by Roger McLassus. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2006-01-28_Drop-impact.jpg
Cambridge Mikvah Appeal Do you want to make it happen?
The Cambridge Mikvah being built at the Chabad house, 37a Castle Street, is near completion. The Cambridge Community Mikvah Charitable Trust has been covering the cost of the construction until now but we still need to raise £20,000. We are looking forward to your generous contribution, which will help concretize a unique project in the history of our community. Please send your donation by cheque or charity voucher addressed to Cambridge Charitable Mikvah Trust and sent to Myriam Alexander, 68 Panton Street, CB2 1HS. Donors of £5,000 or more will be listed on a plaque to be apposed on the wall of the Mikvah. Registered charity number 1067075
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ב"ה We are delighted to invite you to a reception to mark the opening of
The Cambridge Mikvah in the presence of
The Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks Sunday 11th September - 4:30PM at
The Cambridge Synagogue 3 Thompson’s Lane Cambridge CB5 8AQ The Mikvah is situated at The Rohr Chabad House, 37A Castle Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AH, and will be open to view after the reception.
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Judaism and the Profit Motive: How compatible are they?
This year Britain was rocked by a scandal which led to the closure of Britain's largest newspaper, brought a media empire to its knees, resulted in the resignation of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and reverberated into the highest echelons of government and politics. The News of the World hacking scandal epitomised business at its worst, with the desire for profit overriding all sense of ethics and integrity. What lessons can we, as Jews, draw from the hacking scandal? The Rabbis understood that the desire for wealth and financial success is so strong that it can dominate us unless controls are put into place. On the other hand, Judaism recognises that there are positive aspects to the pursuit of wealth and material goods. In fact, when the High Priest came out of the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, nearly half of his prayer on behalf of the Jewish people dealt with financial wealth and material well-being. Among other things, he asked for God's "treasury to be opened for us" and he prayed for "a year of abundance; a year of grain, wine and oil; a year of expansiveness and success; a year of affordable prices; a year of commerce and a year of prosperity." (Talmud Bavli Yoma 53b and Yerushalmi Yoma 5:1 as quoted in the Yom Kippur prayers). Although Judaism does not condemn financial success and material wealth, it does stress the need to cultivate a healthy relationship with money; namely that halacha and values define its use rather than being defined by it. Rabbi Yechiel Ben Yekutiel, in his Book of Virtues and Values, lists 24 positive values, one of which is honestly-obtained wealth. The Babylonian Talmud asks what one should do to become wealthy, and the answer given is to "engage in much business and to deal honestly". While Judaism encourages us to work hard and to succeed, certain principles must be adhered to, including: • Act with honesty and integrity at all times – This refers not only to one's business transactions, but to all one's dealings with other people • Humility – Above all days of the year, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are a time to reflect that while our financial wealth and material success may be proportional to the amount of effort we put into our working life, ultimately everything we have flows from God • Take Responsibility – On Yom Kippur the Confession (Viduy) impresses upon us the need to take responsibility for our actions • Going beyond what the law requires – From an English legal perspective one is not required to report wrongdoing by a fellow employee, while from a Jewish perspective one may not stand aside and do nothing • Generosity – As we say every Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur in the "Unesaneh Tokef" prayer, one way of removing the "evil decree" for the next year is through the act of giving charity. Charity is incumbent upon all Jews, no matter how rich or poor The desire for profit at all cost caused many in the media and the government to lose sight of higher principles and ultimately led to a scandal that rocked the nation. We as Jews recognise the pursuit of profit, financial success and material wealth to be valid. This pursuit, however, is only honourable if it is conducted ethically and with a sense of honesty, integrity and social responsibility. The Jewish Association for Business Ethics (JABE) encourages honesty, integrity and social responsibility through: - Money & Morals schools programmes (www.moneyandmorals.org) - Seminars and ethics training sessions for the Professions and Business - Publications and materials on key moral issues For further information please contact JABE on 0208 905 4048, e-mail: info@jabe.org, or visit www.jabe.org
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Chaplaincy – there for Jewish students During Succot there is a tradition to invite ‘special’ guests into one's Sukkah called Ushpizin - (Aramaic ' אושפיזיןguests'). The source for the concept can be found in the Zohar: When a person sits in their Sukkah the Shechina - God's Divine Presence - spreads its wings over it and Abraham together with Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and King David dwell together with them. The idea of Ushpizin is a significant reminder of our leaving behind the security of our permanent dwellings and living in temporary ‘booths’. Equally we are powerfully reminded of the enormous importance of welcoming guests to share the joy of the festivals with us. Both of these ideas resonate particularly strongly at this time of year with the work of Chaplaincy on University campuses across the country. For thousands of young Jews, leaving home (often for the first time) to live on campus is both exciting and stressful. Sadly, feelings of loneliness and homesickness are all too common but thankfully they do have someone to turn to, their local Chaplaincy couple whole sole purpose is to be there for Jewish students, whatever their need. They provide support and strength for all. They can be a listening ear, a friend and advisor, a teacher and a shoulder to cry on - for literally thousands of Jewish students everywhere in the UK from Glasgow down to Brighton. And of course at this time of year Chaplains also become the focal point for Succot celebrations, with hundreds of students joining them for hospitality in the Succah. The importance of the seemingly simple act of home hospitality cannot be underestimated especially given the challenging campus environment Jewish students face. For over 40 years Chaplaincy has been there supporting all Jewish students and acting as an official mouthpiece to the university authorities in representing their needs. To all who support us – thank you for making our vital work possible. If you, your children or grandchildren are at University and especially if they are just about to start, please get in touch at www.myChaplaincy.co.uk or call 020 8343 5678. Shana tova Ian
Ian Kamiel Chief Executive, University Jewish Chaplaincy
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GET A CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION IN JUST ONE DAY – BEFORE THE FEES GO UP! Where will A. B. Yehoshua discuss Israel with Jonathan Freedland? Where will Anthony Julius debate anti-Semitism with Ruth Deech? Where will Naomi Wolf explain love to Simon Baron Cohen? Where will Emmanuele Ottolenghi face up to Raphi Zarum? Where will David Abulafia talk history with Miri Rubin? Where will we all laugh with Danny Cainer? Where will Daniel Boyarin talk Talmud with Stefan Reif? Where will great writers from the New York Review of Books talk about the Old Country and its culture? At THE CAMBRIDGE ONE DAY LIMMUD Sunday, 6th November 2011, 10am-6.45pm Cambridge One Day Limmud brings together a unique and stunning roll-call of distinguished international and national superstars to present a programme of history, Jewishness, politics, art, literature, humour, music, that could only be found in Cambridge – and at Limmud! All this and kids too! There is a full and fab programme for kids from 3 to 16. From New York we are flying in the legendary Bible Rap who will teach the kids how to rap a Bible story. There will be klezmer classes and performances. Sessions with some of the great children’s educators from here and Israel: Imbali Iserles, Diana Lipton, Adele Geras. There will be an olive press and houmus making, arts and crafts and story telling, actors, and games. Bring the whole family and spend a great day in Cambridge! There’s even a crèche for the very young – and of course all food and drink for the day is included. GO ONLINE AT http://www.limmud.org/day/cambridge AND SEE THE WHOLE PROGRAMME
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Tell ’em about the honey, mummy… Helen Goldrein looks forward to sweet treats this new year
Rosh Hashana will be doubly special for us this year, as it coincides with the English date of our daughter Laila’s first birthday. The timing is particularly opportune, as current advice recommends against giving honey to babies under one year old, so she will be able to enjoy her first taste of honey with a piece of apple, to celebrate the new year. I have always been partial to honey, and not just on Rosh Hashana. Some years ago I visited a honey museum in France where I was able to do a comparative tasting of a number of different varieties of honey. I was surprised to find that while they all tasted ‘honeyish’, the character of the flowers that had provided the nectar really shone through, particularly in the lavender honey. Since then I have started to buy ‘single flower’ honeys and enjoy their individual nuances. I can recommend trying this if you have never done it before. Bees are truly astonishing creatures. A number of years ago, our garden was visited by a swarm of honey bees, who had come to rest on the lawn, forming a seething, buzzing ‘puddle’ that we were keen to see move on. We called in an expert to remove the bees and find them a good home in an empty hive somewhere. We watched in astonishment as he began to sweep up the bees with a dustpan and brush, and deposit them into an empty cardboard box! However, once he had successfully transferred the queen bee to the box, the rest of the bees followed her in, and he simply closed the lid and took them away. Remarkable! This year I am planning to make an ‘apple honey pot’ to use on Rosh Hashana. The idea is simply to carve out the centre of an apple to create a space in which to serve the honey. However, it occurs to me that honey is a sufficiently concentrated sugar solution to draw the water out of the apple flesh by osmosis, so it will be necessary either to line the cavity, perhaps using an egg cup or similar vessel inserted into the space in the apple, or else to make the pot a single-use device, filling it immediately before serving. A nice, if messy, idea, may be to carve the apple and fill with honey, then simply slice the whole apple, honey and all, when it comes time to serve. Mmmmm. Another idea you may like to try is to flavour your honey using spices, fruits, or herbs. Heat the honey gently with the flavouring for around 10 minutes, then allow it to stand for 1-2 hours before straining into a jar. To flavour one cup of honey, use (for example): • • • • •
¼ cup of chopped mint leaves 1 tablespoon of citrus peel – lime, lemon, orange or grapefruit 3-4 cinnamon sticks 1 tablespoon grated root ginger 1-2 tablespoons of diced fresh fruit, e.g. apple, berries, peaches etc.
You can also blend honey with dried fruit such as apples or apricots using a food processor, to create a sweet, fruity spread, which is delicious on challah! My final honey recipe is for a simple yet stunning dessert – honey panna cotta. Combine 600ml single cream with ½ tsp vanilla essence, 3 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp light brown sugar and 2 tbsp agar flakes. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until everything is well dissolved. Pour into ramekins and allow to cool and set before serving. Yum! However you choose to enjoy your honey this Rosh Hashana, I hope that it brings you a sweet year indeed!
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Rosh Hashana art & craft Make your own Shana Tova cards. You will need: • • • •
Card or thick paper Paint and a paintbrush An apple Felt tip pens
Fold the card or thick paper in half to create a greetings card. Ask an adult to cut the apple in half, from top to bottom. Use the brush to cover the cut side of the apple with paint, then press it onto the front of your card to make apple shapes. When the paint has dried, use felt tip pens to add the words ‘Shana Tova’. You can also draw stems and leaves onto your printed apples. Write your message inside the card, and send it to a friend! Colour in the apple and honey picture below.
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Sweet as honey
Our pick of the honey jars, plates and servers Sterling Silver Honey Drizzler by Camilla Wells Silver. £165 at www.notonthehighstreet.com Rosh Hashana plate by Shraga Landesman. Cast aluminium incorporating a blue glass bowl for honey. £80 from Absolutely Matanot, www.absolutelymatanot.co.uk 0845 607 6593
Pomegranate honey pot by Two Hands Ceramics, Haifa. $45 from www.etsy.com/shop/TwoHandsCeramics
Le Creuset stoneware honey pot and silicon dipper in Dijon Yellow. £20 from Divertimenti or www.selfridges.com
Laguiole olive wood honey dipper. £5 at John Lewis.
Alessi honey pot in 18/10 stainless steel with crystalline glass container, designed by Theo Williams in 1995. £67 from alessi.co.uk and other stockists.
Traditional white porcelain honey pot. £5.99 at amazon.co.uk
Laser cut honey dish. £16 from the Judaica Store. www.judaicastore.co.uk 0161 980 8511
Etched glass apple plate. £50.04 from Gallery Gair. www.gallerygair.com 0113 267 9481