holidays


Rosh HaShana – the Jewish New Year is celebrated starting with this Wednesday evening.

(video source TheSpeedyMedia)

First, here are some basics about the holiday…

(video source birthrightisrael)

… and a less conventional way to celebrate using animation and rap music …

(video source itaihermelin)

… and the shofar blown in an unexpected place …

(video source fivnten)

… and in more traditional one, in one of the few Yiddish films ever made, staring the great cantor Moyshe Oysher …

(video source uscompass)

… and for the end – apples and honey for a traditional wish for a sweet New Year!

SHANA TOVA – A Happy New Year, with Peace for Israel and for the whole world, with good health, friendship and joy for everybody!

Shavuot is the last festival in the series of Jewish holidays in spring, marking the start of summer in the geographical area of the Land of the Bible. I like this combination of sacred and earthly reasons of joy – the giving of the Torah and conclusion of harvest at the end of the rainy season, the all night study of the Bible and the tradition of the bikkurim (first fruits brought to the Temple in Jerusalem in the old days), the kabbalistic Tikkun Leil Shavuot and the eating cheese cakes.

(video source infolivetvenglish)

Here is a short video with a few Israelis describing what the holiday means for them, why they love it, and how they celebrate it.

(video source singinginjerusalem)

The clip above is filmed at the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem, where huge crowds gather each year to celebrate the holiday. Music is beautiful as well.

Hag Sameah!

As the evening fell over the Memorial Day we live again the transition – so specific to the Israeli life – between mourning and joy, between contemplation and jubilation and we enter the Independence Day. It’s a good opportunity to remember the events that happened 62 years ago and the words of David Ben-Gurion which marked the apparition of the Jewish state on the map of the world, words which are still the basic act of foundation of the nation, as well as the guiding principles of the existence of the State of Israel.

(video source SchlichimMetrowest)

The ceremony that marks the end of the Memorial Day and the start of the Independence Day ends with the singing of the national anthem – HaTikvah (The Hope).

(video source davy1031)

Here is a fragment of the comment that accompanies the song on YouTube.

‘Israel’s national anthem sung by Enrico Macias. The poem was written by the Zionist Naftali Herz Imber in 1877 in Iaşi, Romania. In 1882 he moved to Palestine where he continued working on his poetry in 1886 he published his first book of poems one of them was “Tikvateinu,” which soon after became the Jewish anthem. The book was entitled “Barkai” (“Morning Star”) and was published and printed in Jerusalem!’

I noticed the title of the book that first contained the poem. A few years before the Romanian national poet Mihai Eminescu who lived much of his active life in the same city as Imber, Iasi, had published his most famous poem ‘Luceafarul’, a masterpiece of the Romanian literature. The translation of the name of the poem is ‘The Evening Star’. When Imber publishes his first book in Hebrew after arriving in Palestine he names the book ‘The Morning Star’. A coincidence?

(video source antons81)

And yes – the fireworks are part of the festivities. Above you can see a clip showing the fireworks in Tel Aviv last year.

Let the celebrations begin.

Happy Birthay, Israel!

Tonight, at 8PM starts the Israel Memorial Day – the day that commemorates the Israeli soldiers fallen in the wars and military actions in the defense of Israel, and the victims of the terror attacks against Israel and Israelis. For the people of Israel and for their friends.it’s a day of reflection and a day of remembrance

(video source lvisser87)

It is the day when all that divides us should be put apart. We, Israelis, may differ in customs and place of birth, in the ways we pray or the ways we honor the tradition of our people, in the ways of life and in our political opinions – tonight and tomorrow we are united in the respect we pay to those who have made the supreme sacrifice so that we can live free in our country.

(video source adm613)

The clips below show some aspects of the ceremonies that take place each year in Jerusalem on Memorial Day. The opening ceremony takes place at the Western Wall, the last remain of the Temple that once stood in the center of the Jewish capital. The next morning cemeteries in the whole country fill in with the relatives and comrades of the fallen soldiers with the central ceremony taking place in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl.

(video source ionisraelMedia)

(video source ionisraelMedia)

At 11AM on Memorial Day the sirens in the whole country sound for two minutes. All traffic and all activities stop, and the whole nation stands in silence, in respect for the fallen.

(video source EverywhereTrip)

Then, at evening, the closing ceremony marks the end of Memorial Day and the of the festivities of the Israel Independence Day. This is life in Israel – sorrow and joy coming together, mourning is followed by the celebration of national freedom.

Rome in the week before Easter is full of tourists, many of whom came in the city for the Easter celebrations, and at the same time special cultural events are being organized supplementary to the traditional religious services and manifestations. The majority are of course Catholic, but an unexpected surprise occurred to me today when near the Santa Maria del Popolo church I saw a poster announcing an exhibition of Romanian Easter painted eggs organized in collaboration with the Accademia di Romania in Rome and the Romanian Peasant Museum from Bucharest.

It is actually more than a painted eggs exhibition, although the tradition of beautifully ornamenting eggs is an original form of art by itself which would have indeed justified a full exhibition.

The opportunity is used to bring in more selected objects that belong to the same space of religious arts and traditional habits where the painted eggs also belong, although not all have a direct relation with the Easter holiday and celebrations

There are traditional shirts for example, out of which I liked alot the one below.

A few icons on glass are exposed and some are really exquisite like the one below whose Last Dinner subject is also quite well fit for the occasion.

I hope that my Christian friends enjoyed this short description of the exhibition. I wish them all a Happy Easter!

Here are a few photos taken last night at our Seder celebration. I hope that you will enjoy them.

Hag Sameah!

This is the Seder table before the action started.

This is the traditional Passover dish. It’s translated in English, so that we know what to put on the plate as ‘maror’ or ‘carpas’ :-)

That’s me saying my prefered prayer – the one that reads ‘Blessed be You our God, King of the World, Creator of the Grapewine!’ Liliana watches me to make no mistakes.

Did I tell you that Liliana makes the best gefilte fish in the Middle East?

This is how our roasted chicken tray looked when we took it out of the oven.

Nu poate fi o ocazie mai buna decat ajunul sarbatorii de Pesah pentru a gazdui o noua contributie a proetenului meu dr. Gica Manescu cu amintiri despre calendar si sarbatori.

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Am tinut seama de calendarul obisnuit (nu judaic) si am trecut prin mintea si memoria mea, acele sarbatori, evenimente care mi s-au parut mai importante, unele mai vesele, altele mai rascolitoare. Istorie, minuni, noroc, ce au insotit neamul nostru in decursul celor cateva mii de ani ce ne sunt in spate., Le-am presarat unele, cu amimtiri, intamplari deosebite, la care am luat parte sau am fost martor ocular.

source - www.babble.com


Desi sunt um om batran, ma bucur de o memorie, unii imi spun ca e iesita din comun, prin care parca retraiesc zilele si faptele petrecute, acolo, cu multe zeci de ani, in viata mea, focseneana, copil fiind si chiar adult. Daca as putea, as fi voit sa ma adresez  Prof. Eric Kandel, evreu ,nascut  in Austria , supravietuitor al nazismului, si traitor in USA. Este Laureat al Prmiului Nobel pentru medicina din 2000, pentru studiile sale despre si asupra memoriei (am scris candva) .        .
Anul calendaristic, are cam prin februarie, sarbatoarea vesela de Purim. Ne bucurm de  grija si framantarile  reginei Ester,evreica salvatoare a poporul ei de un Hitler al antichitatii. In cinstea si memoria ei, se da citire povestirii Meghilat Ester. La auzul numelui de Haman,- vizirul anrisemit – se fac zgomote : batai cu picioarele sau cu morisca, -”gragarul ” (nu stiu un cuvant romanesc).  Unii, se costumeaza si in Romania, se mascau, si intrau, necunoscuti, fara glas,in casele unde se petrecea,

source www.johnpratt.com

Dupa o luna,suntem, ca acum, cu toti evreii din lume, in zilele de a sarbatori Pesach. ( Anul asta este mai devreme) .Sarbatoare frumoasa, si ca istorie si ca evenimet. Se termina perioada de sclavie a poporului nostru, in Egipt. Moise, un om intelept, cu vointa,  putere de convingere si credinta, a reusit, sa scoata poporul si sa-l duca, timp de 40 ani, spre  Tzara Fagaduintii. Ne-a dat Tablele Legii, cele 10 porunci, venite de la Puterea divina, ca baza a conduitei si regulilor de viata, valabile si azi .
Eram in clasa I – a primara, a Scolii Comunitatii evreesti  si cum ne apropiam de finele anului scolar, stiam deja , dupa cum ne invatase melamedul (dascalul) nostru, domnul Goldstein, alef – bet si mai mult, doua rugaciuni  (una era Mode ani ) si despre  sarbatorile noastre, cu obiceiurile lor. Ce mandru am fost, cand in seara de Seder, am sezut la masa intinsa pentru toata familia, la stanga bunicului, din capul mesei. Erau toate pregatite cu grije, si el incepea ritualul. Asreptam cu nerabdare, momentul cand voi primi semnul de a pune cele 4 intrebari – Ma nishtana..-. cu ce se deosebeste seara aceia de alte seri.Le stiam pe din afara. Tot  cu nerabdare asteptam sfarsitul si servitul bucatelor delicioase. Ii spuneam totdeauna mamei, o gospodina foarte priceputa, ca supa de pasare, ca la bunica, nicaeri n-o mananc. Priveam  sa vad daca se goleste paharul cu vin, pregtit pentru profetul Eliahu  si apoi,fuga, de a gasi, pasca ascunsa.Cum orasul Focsani, avea o garnizoana militara mare (o Divizie), erau si  militari evrei, din alte regiuni. Ei se adunau la sinagogi,  in serile sarbtorilor deosebite si plecau cu cate un enorias, pentru cina festiva. La noi, locul lui, era in dreapta bunicului. Deoarece  aveam senzatia ca am fi mai flamanzi, mereu rontaiam cate ceva: pasca cu unt si sare,oua tari, din oala de tuci din bucatarie, cu sare si pasca. In familia mea nu se manca paine, se mergea la Templu, La generatia mea, religia nu mai are loc de frunte. Noi mancam painea, numai din freezer, si pasca, ca o delicatesa , in cafeaua cu lapte sau in forma de chiftele ( latchis). Este si placere si traditie.

Dupa 7 saptamani, avem Savuot. Ma bucuram, nu numai eu, cu coltunasii si papanasii cu branza si placinta cu branza dulce, presata cu zahar pudra. Unii copii, umpleau sticle cu apa si se stropeau intre ei. Nu mi-a placut ” distractia “..

Sarbatorile, numite ” de toamna ” sunt cele mai importante. Anul nou judaic – Rosh Hashana si Iom Kipur, ziua pocaintei si a iertarii pacatelor. Zi de post, rugaciuni si resemnare. Majoritatea evreilor, chiar nereligiosi, merg in aceasta zi ,la o sinagoga, in amintirea celor dragi, plecati in alta lume. Cum bunicul meu (si cu toti urmasii de sex masculin) au facut sau mai fac parte din categoria ” de elita ” a etniei noastre, a  ” Cohanimilor “, sedea toata ziua la amvon,  in Templul  Coral,unde era si administrator (Gabai), fara incaltaminte, invelit in talit voluminos: ( shalul de rugaciune ). Tzinea sa ma vada, in preajma lui. Mie imi ardea de a fi cu prietenii. Cand se apropia ora binecuvantarii poporului, pe care o facea el, apaream, El ma vedea, zambea si scurt timp dupa aceia, cu capul acoperit si cu ambele maini cu degetele rasfirate in doua litere V, rostea rugaciunea . Erau momente de tacere totala si de smerenie. Eram achitat de datorie. Cand cineva anuntza spre seara ca a aparut prima stea pe cer, se sufla in shofar si  cu ” a ghit yur “- un an bun-ne intorceam acasa. Pe masa visinata ( beam jumatate de paharel ) si rachiu (doar un unchi al  meu, era amator de un “bronfn “ ). Pe doua tablete, felii din doua cake-uri – un “leikekh “.galben si pufos  si o “turta din miere ” Eram sfatuiti sa nu ne indopam si sa  asteptam masa, cu bunatati diferite si gustoase.

Urma Sucot, cad unii isi faceau cabane de scanduri, acoperite cu frunzis si petreceau ore bune, in ele. Mancand, rugandu-se, s.a. Nu am tinut la datina asta. Nu numai eu. Nici ai mei. Bunicii nu aveau loc si la noi, nici nu era vorba, Ultima zi – Simhat Tora – Bucuria Torei, spre seara, la Templu, se scoteau sulurile sfinte, se imparteau unor enoriasi, si in sir indian, se trecea printre randuri, cu urari de bine si noroc.  Cand aveam vreo 4 - 5 ani,ma cocotzam in bratele bunicului, care deschidea sirul   El tinea cu o mana un sul ,iar cu cealalta pe mine, caruia   in daduse o Tora mica, pe care o strangeam, langa piept, sa nu-mi scape. Primeam urari de bine si le returnam multimii.

Anul se incheia cu Hanuca – Sarbatoarea luminilor. Victoria Macabeilor asupra grecilor, baricadandu-se in Templu, pentru lupta si rezistenta. Opaitul aprins a durat 7 zile Desi cu ulei pentru o zi, a dat lumina o saptamana..Minunea de Hanuka.. Bunicul aprindea lumanarele in toate serile,adaugand cate una. Daca ma aflam la ei, ma lua in bratze si cu atentie, tinandu-mi bratul cu lumanarica de aprindere, aplecam flacara  spre lumanarea noua Rugaciunea o spunea batranul .Ma delectam cu gogosi si cum venea si Craciunul, era bucuria de iarna, in alte moduri

Mai sunt  cateva sarbatori , Lag b` Omer, Ziua recoltei (mancam  fructe mediteraniene : portocale, roscove,  smochine, curmale, stafide ), Postul de 9 Av (distrugerea Templului ) ai altele cu importanta minora pentru mine, si nici nu le stiu pe toate si insemnatatea lor.

source - blog.newsok.com


A few Passover Songs in the eve of  the holiday of freedom of the Jewish people.

Hava Alberstein’s version of Chad Gadya is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.

Here is another version written by a famous chazan named Moshe Oysher.

(video by bluesdance)

… and an explanation of the song by rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg which is so fit to the symbolics of the song for the holiday and the history of the Jewish people.

(video by rjhiggins)

Passover songs into the hip-hop era sound like this – here a rap version of the story of Moses.

(video by 12tribefilmsfoundatn)

And to end with – Dayenu at the Passover celebration  in Kibbutz Naan.

(video by UntroubledSpirit)

Hag Sameah, A Happy Passover to all!

Purim is over, but here is one beautiful song put on music and sung by Dana from Iasi, a colleague from the Internet list rom-jews on the occasion of the celebration of Purim 5769 at Philharmonic of Iasi, Romania.

(video source ariela70)

The original version of the prayer ADONAI YIMLOCH L’OLAM VAED (The Lord God’s reign will never end) is from the book of Exodus and I found on the Internet a version and translation by Steve and Sue McConnell – http://www.malianteocristiano.com/foros/f21/adonai-yimloch-lolam-vaed-steve-and-sue-mcconnell-6751/ whose message I believe is very appropriate for the period between Purim and Pesah.

It’s Purim time again. As the saying goes Not each day is Purim my take is that we should get into the mood and start the celebrations.

One of the best views of the Purim is on the streets of the Israeli cities, with kids of all ages dress for the carnivals and parties.

(video from NTDTVIL)

Here is a more traditional PurimShpiel in an American yeshiva

(video from mackaroni12)

… and a lesser traditional interpretation.

(video from hypersemitic)

Hag Purim Sameah, a Happy Purim to everybody!