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  Be’chol Lashon Newsletter: November 2009
Last month, Rabbi Capers Funnye, associate director of Be'chol Lashon, spoke at a Sukkot gathering at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael, CA and at the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. Also featured is an article by the Wandering Jew, "Rabbi Funnye's Message of Inclusivity."
Each denomination and sometimes individual rabbis have different understandings of the requirements for conversion, although they usually include a year of study. In this article, you will meet eight men and women who decided to become Jews by choice through conversion. Their stories remind us of the richness of Judaism.
The group, called Chaverim L'Shalom, held its first African-themed Shabbat dinner last month, attracting a miniature United Nations of about 80 who feasted on both challah and traditional African dishes, while listening to the rhythms of an African drum circle.
As publisher and editor in chief of Harlem-based New York Amsterdam News, the city’s leading African-American newspaper, Elinor Ruth Tatum is one of the highest profile Jewish black women in the country.
The questions before the judges in Courtroom No. 1 of Britain’s Supreme Court were as ancient and as complex as Judaism itself. Who is a Jew? And who gets to decide?
Maybe if the masses of self-identifying Jews come back to the Homeland, in all their shapes and colors, then maybe those Jews from America and Europe, who have the proof that they are Jewish, will return as well.
Mona Sutphen is the daughter of a white Jewish mother and an African American father. When her parents were dating, in the early 1960s, they lived in Kansas City, Mo., where interracial marriage was illegal.  Sub-Saharan Shabbat: Meet the first-generation Jews of Ghana
Produced by Julie Subrin, Tablet, October 5, 2009 In 1974, prompted by the vision of an itinerant preacher, Joseph Armah and several other members of the Sefwi tribe in western Ghana declared themselves the descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel.  Secret Mission Rescues Yemen's Jews
By Miriam Jordan, The Wall Street Journal, October 31, 2009 The secret evacuation of the Yemeni Jews — considered by historians to be one of the oldest of the Jewish diaspora communities — is a sign of America's growing concern about this Arabian Peninsula land of 23 million.
Ancient Venezuelan cemetery being restored
JTA, November 1, 2009 Venezuelan Jewish groups partnered with a leading developer to restore the oldest existing Jewish cemetery in South America, located about six hours west of the nation’s capital, Caracas.
In Mexico, Jewish communities combine Latin and Middle Eastern flavors at the Hanukkah table. Our menu brings heat and spice to the Festival of Lights.
Every holiday season is the return of special traditions: stories you tell, foods you eat — or sometimes try to avoid — and the songs you sing. But who says you can't fold in some new traditions too?
Café Balkana draws from both the violent, sexy rebetika music sung by Jewish women and the romantic and funny Sephardic folk music with its roots in Spain, North Africa, and the Balkans. Jewlia will perform the songs of the café aman, where rebetika meets Salonikan Jewish music. Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon.
The Sephardim, exiled from Spain in 1492, took with them to their new homelands the historically important poetic tradition of the Romancero, which had its origins in Medieval Spanish epic poetry. Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon.
Forced to flee to the United States after the violent Iranian Revolution of 1979 at age eleven, author Angella M. Nazarian takes readers on a physical and emotional journey from past to present, from the exotic to the familiar, and from a country’s political struggle to her own inner struggle in search of home, family and sense of belonging. NEW YORK EVENTS
Our topic will be “Tagging and Bagging: Is Ashkenazi Judaism Preaching Racism?,” presented by Shais Rishon. RSVP required to Judy Levitan or call 212-399-2685 ext 219. Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon.
Join Riki Mulu and Chassida Shmella, a vibrant community founded by a new generation of Ethiopian-Israeli Jews in America, to celebrate the Sabbath with unique Ethiopian customs. Special guest will be Dr. Ephraim Isaac, director of the Institute of Semitic Studies in Princeton, NJ. Families are welcome. Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon.
Featuring performances by Electro, Morocco, Diwon, Sarah Aroeste, Smadar Levi, Asefa, Pharaoh's Daughter and more! Click here for show times and locations.
We welcome your participation in the Be’chol Lashon Newsletter! Please send us information about events in your community or articles of interest that relate to Jewish diversity. E-mail newsletter submissions to Esther Fishman, Esther@BecholLashon.org. Submissions are subject to editing for content, clarity and style. Special thanks to all the contributors who make the newsletter interesting and informative. |
