Posts Tagged Tradition

What I Talk About When I Talk About Holidays and Love*

Posted by Rachel Broder in JPS Books on December 11, 2011

Last week I was editing my students’ first ever five paragraph essays. They were charged with the task of writing a persuasive essay using a topic of their choice. One essay stood out to me for two reasons. First of all, it was by far the best-written essay of the bunch. Secondly, his topic was why Christmas is the best holiday of the year. He was not the only student to choose Christmas as a topic; the students talk about the nearness of Christmas often. What was unique about his essay was one of his subtopics: gift giving. He claimed in his final, and therefore most critical, body paragraph that the act of gift giving shows love between family members.

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This talented student/author is not the only one who sees the act of exchanging gifts as one synonymous with expressing love. The belief is not unique to those celebrating Christmas, nor is it unique to young people. I do, however, know that in my house Hannukah’s modern gift exchange has never been conflated with an expression of love. Rather, making latkahs, going to the synagogue’s menorah lighting, and scraping wax off of the menorahs each evening are the moments teeming with love. I also know that JPS’ selection of Hannukah books is rightfully small compared to that of Torah commentary and novels about family and ethics. The selection also shares traditions, not of gift exchange, but of story telling, game playing, and food consuming.

A large part of me felt guilty not commenting on my student’s essay, but I also recognize that he’s not to blame. We’ve all grown up in a society hypnotized by material objects. My hope is that more parents will raise their kids the way my parents did me, and that more publishers produce books like JPS’ Hannukah selection, which reinforce the importance of tradition and family. (I also hope that the rest of my students are writing as well as this particular one by the end of the school year.)

*A reference to the 1981 collection of short stories, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver.

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I Love Pickles, I’m Crazy About `Em

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on July 28, 2011

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Pickles have always been my favorite food.  I can eat them every single day- by the jar, on a sandwich, next to a sandwich, you get the point.  I even purchased pickle band-aids so that when I injure myself, I can patch the wound with something I love.  Honestly, pickled anything is okay by me- pickled tomatoes, pickled beets, you name it.

Growing up, my dad used to make pickles in our basement every July.  My Uncle G in Arizona made them too.  We had this great vat for pickle-making, and summers were blissful.  Dad would labor over our beloved family pickles, making enough to jar and share with neighbors and relatives.  But then the vat broke or went MIA, I can’t remember.  It was a dark time.

After years of listening to me whine, my dad finally decided last summer that the time was ripe to acquire a new vat.  He assigned my mom the task of purchasing a new one, and when it finally (yippee!) arrived, it was enormous.  I mean toddler-sized enormous.  The vat was quiet cumbersome, so we left it in the laundry room instead of schlepping it down to the basement.  My dad got to work with the cucumbers, my mom bought jars, and we all anticipated the first batch of sours.  Their presence in the laundry room made them difficult to ignore, so instead I checked on them regularly and dreamed of the day I could finally sink my teeth into one. 

And then that day came and they were a little disappointing.  Despite their mediocrity, I loved those pickles as much as I have ever loved any pickle.  The tradition of pickle-making is one firmly imprinted on my brain.  Though last summer’s batch wasn’t our best, it was a continuation of a fabulous tradition that had suffered too long of a hiatus, and I was more than thrilled to resurrect it. 

Do you have a favorite summer food tradition?  Maybe you make pickles too?  The Forward has a “Quick Kosher Dills” recipe up, so if you don’t make pickles, why not start today?

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The Circumcision Decision

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on June 24, 2011

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As fans and observers (Jewcy includes “maybe a handful of Perez Hilton wannabes”) wait to learn if Natalie Portman will have her son circumcised, the anti-circumcision movement swells.  In reading Kveller’s post about the potential impending bris, I was slightly taken aback by the really heated comments from readers.  I am not particularly interested in outlining a well-developed reason as to why I either do or do not support circumcision.  I’m neither male nor a parent, and I have not yet had to think through my position.  What I do want to do is discuss the books published by JPS that may prove useful for those in the position to make the circumcision decision.

First and foremost: the Tanakh.  Yes, I know you probably already have one (which totally rocks), but start by reading the passage in Lekh Lekha (Genesis 12.20) in which G-d tells Abraham that “every male among [him] shall be circumcised…and that shall be a sign of the covenant.”  Side note: Lekh Lekha was actually my bat mitzvah portion so it’s interesting to be re-visiting it as a blogger rather than a thirteen-year-old grasping for the meaning of her portion.

Next, check out Vanessa L. Ochs’ book Inventing Jewish Ritual.  In her brief section on circumcision, Ochs offers a new take on circumcision as ritual.  She writes that, “Jewish ritual is no longer necessarily embraced or rejected without first engaging in a process of reflection.”  Rather, ritual is now the process by which a Jew comes to a decision, not just the decision itself.  For Ochs, ritual is essentially interactive, the act of deciding what one wants to do or not do based on reasoning.  For my parents, circumcising my brother was a given – “a Jew thing” as my dad says – but even their decision to adhere to past practice is a ritual for it shows a process by which they made a choice.

Finally, challenge yourself with a copy of Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Body.  Dr. Harry Brod, author of the article, “Circumcisional Circumstances: Circumspecting the Jewish Male Body,” writes of circumcision as “hidden.”  He explains: “that which is undiscussed or hidden…operates all the more powerfully precisely because of its hiddenness,”- so thus circumcision grows and festers as a subject the more that people refuse to discuss it.  Brod urges specifically men to discuss circumcision and to have an active role in deciding whether or not a son will be circumcised.  On a more general note, he encourages men to take control and participate in important conversations about their bodies.

The overall and overt point of this post is that there is no “right” answer to the circumcision question- it is a very personal and very important decision, one which each person or family must make for their own reason(s).  Individuals and families, however, owe it to themselves and Jewish tradition to make a well-educated decision, one which JPS is more than happy to aid with books.

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Is That Your Omer Beard or Your Playoff Beard?

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on April 21, 2011

Interestingly, The Counting of the Omer coincides with the NHL playoffs.  Jews count the days of wandering in the desert from Pesach to Shavuot, and hockey fans gear themselves up to hopefully run from the first round to the finals.  Omer beards and playoff beards begin to sprout on the most respectable people, and onlookers can ask themselves: Jew?  Hockey fan?  Both?  Full beards, patchy beards, black beards, red beards, etc. emerge, and every man bearing one has the satisfaction of being the bearded man. 

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Though the playoffs end positively for only one team, the Omer concludes with a joyous occasion for all Jews: the receiving of the Torah.  The playoffs mark a stressful but enjoyable period for participants and fans, while the Omer represents a somber time.  Jews mourn the wandering of ancestors, and hockey fans scream and paint their faces.  Despite the differences in atmosphere and end result (though, the kissing of the Stanley Cup is oddly reminiscent of the kissing of the Torah), this whole beard thing strikes me as significant. 

Jewcy has put together The Omerathon, a beard-growing competition to benefit Jewish Family Services Los Angeles.  Depending on tradition, participants are asked to grow their beards for 49 or 33 days while raising money for a defense against hunger in the community.  Depending on one’s team, hockey fans could also end up growing a beard for 49 or 33 days. 

So what’s with the facial hair?  JPS’ Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays outlines the significance of growing one’s hair.  Essentially, one is to set himself apart for the L-rd, and he is to do so by not cutting his hair- “the hair of his head shall be left to grow untrimmed” (Numbers 6:5).  Not cutting one’s hair has been expanded to include facial hair.  Though women are clearly not included in this beard tradition, I think that they can take a lesson from female hockey fans.  Female hockey fans can also not grow beards, so instead they satisfy their superstitious ritual fix by wearing special or lucky garments.  Some of my pals insist that we must all be seated in the exact same seats, wearing the exact same clothes, and going to the bathroom at the same minute mark or between periods for an entire playoff series, so there’s also that option. 

Though The Counting of the Omer is much more solemn, playoff hockey tradition is often as meaningful and serious for many.  Fans don beards, favorite jerseys, and lucky undergarments for the same reason Jews grow beards, avoid haircuts, and postpone weddings: out of respect and tradition.

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Who’s Jonesing for the Afikoman?

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on April 14, 2011

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This Passover means a few things in my house, but most importantly: afikoman battle #17.  My brother is 17, so I consider the first battle to be the year he came into the picture and began competing with me for the coveted title of “winner.”  Only recently has he become a worthy competitor- mostly because he is now taller than I am.  My dad has never adhered to the rules of hiding the afikoman.  He ignores the rule of visibility and puts the afikomen under, inside of, or behind anything he deems worthy in my house.  I’m convinced that when my parents move we will find old matzah behind the pictures on the walls.     

The hunt commences with some combination of my dad taking the afikoman, making a cryptic statement, and then exiting the room to put it in a silly spot that he thinks we will never find.  We then eat, sing, and finish the seder (Can The Maccabeats please record a version of Dayenu?).  Right before we sit down for dessert, my dad sends us off on our mission to recover the afikoman.  He immediately tells us which rooms to ignore, and then allows us to pathetically search for about ten minutes before he provides the good old “hot and cold” hints.  He’s a huge fan of hiding the afikoman in books, in my mother’s yarn collection, behind window shades, and yes, behind pictures hanging on the walls.  Just before we find it, he applauds himself for duping us, and than, ah ha!  Found it, dad!  And then he must fork over the reward.  The game comes to a close as I eat my found afikoman in all its glory.  According to Babaga Newz , Jews used to believe that the afikoman could “protect from a host of ills…cure mutes, keep silos full of grain, and guard against bullets,” so now I know why my immune systems rocks.   

What are your family traditions?  Is finding the afikoman as huge in your house as it is in mine?  Do you watch The Ten Commandments each year and wonder how Charlton Heston could move from Moses to president of the NRA?  Or are you more of a The Prince of Egypt family?  Do you think of ways to include matzah in your life that does not involve eating it (Frisbee or packaging material)?  Jewcy put together a list of ways to enjoy matzah in the off season, but I more so worry about how to stomach it for an entire week.  

As you begin preparing for Passover, pop over to our blog and share your traditions!

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Hugs, Kisses, and JDate Disasters: Happy Tu B’Av!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on July 22, 2010

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Happy Tu B’Av! This may not be an official holiday anymore, but why missout?  The question is how does one celebrate Tu B’Av?

Originally, unmarried women marked the holiday by dressing in borrowed white clothing (so as to diminish distinctions between the rich and the poor) and dancing together. The unmarried men of the city could pick brides from among them, and were urged through traditional songs to pick based on the family and piety of the girl.

Dancing around in white probably isn’t the best way to find a date these days. We do have a similar forum, though. It’s called the internet. Of course, the whole process has gotten a lot more complicated in the past couple of centuries.

  • Or maybe not. This New York Times article describes some new dating websites that seem to be more similar to the old Tu B’Av way of meeting singles than JDate or eHarmony.
  • Fifty First (J) Dates is one woman’s witty accounts of her experience using the popular Jewish dating website. Read it for her dating advice, keep reading for the laughs. If her stories sound painfully familiar, you can share your own online dating experiences on JDaters Anonymous.
  • Speaking of laughs, have you heard about Geri Brin, the woman who started a dating site that caters to parents trying to find a match for their kids? (Don’t even think about it, Mom.)
  • Need tips on how to woo a date before your Mom feels she needs to get involved? Check out this fun Tu B’Av video from Alef NEXT.
  • If you’d rather spend the day wallowing (hey, I’m not judging), head over to this Tablet Magazine article  with some of the best break-up songs written by Jews. You probably shouldn’t listen to them all in one go unless you have a ready supply of chocolate.

“But wait!” You say, “I’ve already got a boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé/spouse/bubbala!”  In that case, celebrating Tu B’Av will be easy. There’s a reason they call it the Jewish Valentine’s day, after all. You can’t go wrong with roses and a box of chocolates, assuming your S.O. doesn’t have any major pollen or dairy issues. I’m sure you’ll think of something by Monday.

So, one more time: Happy Tu B’Av. Have a great one.

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Illuminated Manuscripts Illuminate Culture

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Jewish Books on July 21, 2010

Looking for a fun, cheap, and educational summer outing? The Yeshiva University Museum is currently hosting A Journey Through Jewish Worlds- Highlights from the Braginsky Collection of Hebrew Manuscripts and Printed Books, but only until August 1st! Here’s a little about the collection, from The New York Times:

“And as you examine these rare findings, which the curators bill as the most remarkable private collection of illuminated Hebrew manuscripts in the world, you are amazed first at the sensuous variety of the illumination, the examples extending over a millennium and across multiple continents. There are “micrographic” illustrations in which miniature lines of Hebrew text wind around images of Jerusalem or bend into a portrait of the biblical Samson. There are 18th-century documents from small Italian towns in which Renaissance putti find themselves the heralds of Jewish weddings. An illustrated scroll from early-20th-century India shows the Jewish story of Purim played out in Indian and Ottoman costume with macabre explicitness. Astrological signs and charts are found in a 14th-century scientific manuscript; they are also elements in marriage contracts or appear in centuries of Purim scrolls.”

Finding Moses, Charlotte van Rothschild Haggadah, 1842 Courtesy The Braginsky Collection

It’s extremely rare that such an extensive collection be made available to the public, especially in the US! The pieces provide fascinating insight into Jewish culture around the world, and throughout different time periods, by showing how art and religion were brought together.

The Yeshiva University Museum, located in the flatiron district of New York, has the manuscripts on view through August 1st. Admission for adults is only $8, and you can also take advantage of their free admission hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5-8 pm.

While you’re there, be sure to stop by another exhibit- Drawing on Tradition: The Book of Esther features illustrations from JPS author JT Waldman’s graphic novel Megillat Esther. Drawing on Tradition will be on display until August 15th.

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Jewish Delis: The History of the Nosh

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Jewish Books on June 22, 2010

Have you ever wondered how Delis became such a huge aspect of Jewish American culture? Today, I got the opportunity to flip through Sheryll Bellman’s America’s Great Delis: Recipes and Traditions from Coast to Coast. Bellman explains that the first delis were opened by German immigrants in New York. With buildings hard to come by, most cooks sold their wares in pushcarts. In the early 1900’s, a Jewish population in the city increased so rapidly that they were the largest immigrant group there by 1910. Naturally, Ashkenazim food began to dominate the pushcarts of New York. Soon the Deli business moved inside, and by then traditional European Jewish foods had become synonymous with Delicatessen.

While reading, besides finding out that I might be hot dog royalty (Charles Feltman, a German immigrant, opened the first American hot dog stand 1867), I also learned all about the origins of some of America’s favorite deli foods. Here are some fun facts:

  • Bagels originated in Krakow, Poland circa 1610. They were called beygls, and were originally given as gifts to women after childbirth.
  • Cheesecake was served to Olympic athletes in Greece as early as 776 B.C.E.
  • Most jarred pickles you can find at the grocery store are pickled rapidly using heat instead of long soaks in brine. To get the texture and taste of a genuine pickle, make sure you go to a deli that makes their own. My personal favorite, the half sour dill pickle, is pickled for two weeks. A real full sour takes three months.
  • Seltzer, adopted quickly as a classic deli drink because it complimented the rich food, was once known as Jewish champagne.
  • If they’re made of milk, chocolate syrup, and seltzer, why are they called Egg Creams? Some think it was a witty way of describing the beverage as being rich, since when it was invented (1890) no one could possibly afford to use eggs and cream in a beverage.
  • Jewish macaroons were probably adapted from a recipe created by Italian nuns, while biscotti were most likely inspired by Mandelbrot that Spanish Jews brought to Italy. It’s a small world!

For more facts and a ton of great recipes, check out the book at Bellman’s website: http://sheryllbellman.com

Of course, anyone can see that there just aren’t as many Delis as there used to be, especially outside of New York! Find out how to fight the fast food takeover at http://www.savethedeli.com.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from: Nothing beats an old-fashioned Jewish Deli. Yum!

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Reviving the Classics

Posted by Alx in Jewish Books, Jewish Innovation, Jewish Knowledge, JPS Books on January 28, 2010

We’re going back to basics! As a part of our spring 2010 collection, we have re-launched five of JPS’s classic books! These classic books are for readers of all ages, and we hope that by bringing them back to the shelves, readers will be reminded of some timeless ideas that are essential to Judaism.

Lessons learned in these classic books carry as much weight as ever, containing information that, believe it or not, may be directly applicable to our lives today.

Here is a list of JPS works revived in 2010:

  1. Judaism as a Civilization by Mordecai Kaplan

This book introduced a new way of looking at Judaism, and is considered the origin of the Reconstructionist Movement. Kaplan felt that all Jews – traditional and liberal, religious and secular – could play a part in this “reconstruction.”

2. Book of Tradition by Abraham ibn Daud (author) and Gerson D. Cohen (translator)

This epic on Jewish history from ancient times to the 12th century eulogized Spanish Jewry and reminded readers of a once-thriving culture. No one before had ever attempted to write such a broad history of Jewish civilization, and this unique book is one of the first examples of Jewish historiography

3. Genesis: The Beginning of Desire by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Ph.D.

This epic breathes new life into the stories of Adam and Even, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Essau, Rachel, and Joseph. Zornberg brings biblical, midrashic, and literary sources together, illuminating the tensions that grip human beings as they search for an encounter God

4. The Life of Gluckel of Hameln  by Beth-Zion Abrahams

Gluckel of Hameln’s memoir is widely viewed as one of the earliest major works written by a Jewish woman and has become a classic. This JPS book is the only English translation of Gluckel’s story from the original Yiddish and is widely considered the most accurate and complete translation available

5. Modern Poems on the Bible  by David Curzon

This is a collection of imaginative and engaging contemporary responses to the Bible. Guided by the classic rabbinic genre of midrash conceived 1,500 years ago, Curzon chooses poems from Jewish and non-Jewish writers alike and places them besides the biblical passages that were their inspiration.

After all, Albert Einstein once said: “Somebody who reads only newspapers and at best the books of contemporary authors’ looks to me like an extremely nearsighted person who scorns eyeglasses.” We’ve certainly learned a lesson or two from Albert, so perhaps we should take his advice!

-Emily

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Think You Know Everything About Judaism? Think Again!

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge, JPS Books on January 11, 2010

Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, author of the JPS book A Shout in the Sunshine, guest blogs for JPS about the many forgotten cultures within Judaism.

Jews often forget that we are a multi-cultural community. American Jews, I believe, are particularly guilty of this, which is quite amazing considering the quilt of cultures we wrap ourselves in. We view American Jewishness as Yiddishkeit, and forget about the other ethnic groups that make up the community of Jews, like Yemini, Sephardi, etc. Before you pooh-pooh this idea, list Jewish ethnic food. Did you list: matzah balls, bagels, pastrami, rye bread, mandel brot, challah, or honey cake? Then you are an Eastern European ethnic Jew. What ever happened to humus, lahana, or halvah?

I grew up at a time when Sephardic Jews were only mentioned in history books (and I lived an hour from Mikveh Israel in the historic district of Philadelphia) and the only books for children about American Jewish children were the All of a Kind Family series. I loved those books, mostly because I imagined my grandmothers and their sisters as those girls. However, as I grew up I really wondered about all those other Jews. I wanted to know what Jews all over the world were like and there weren’t really books about them.

When I became a mother of a daughter with a Greek father, I desperately wanted her to know all of her history. I could find nothing for children about Greek Jewry. This began my series of novels. We know that Jews lived throughout history in almost every part of the world, but we don’t really understand what their lives were like. Here’s my pick of books for young and old that should get you started on seeing another part of Jewish culture:

1. I Remember Rhodes by Rebecca Amato Levy is a wonderful book of the author’s reminiscences about her childhood in the pre-Holocaust Jewish quarter of Rhodes. It is filled with celebrations, sayings, and songs. You can read it in English or Ladino! This woman was a foundation of the Rhodalisi community in California and started me on my interest in Greek Jewry.

2. Zayda Was a Cowboy by June Levitt Nislick, who would have thought? No, I’m serious. One of my grandfathers was a factory worker and the other, a postal worker, both lived in Brooklyn. Who had Jewish grandfathers who were cowboys? Never underestimate a children’s book. They may be short, but the story is just as good.

3. The Book of Jewish Food: An odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden was another inspiration for me. Anyone who has read my book knows there is an incredible amount of food in it. Every Jewish holiday is about food, even the fast days. My rabbi says that every time she reads my book she gets hungry. If you want to try making the food in my novel, get this book! This cookbook is amazing! The stories about the recipes are just as yummy as the recipes themselves.

4. The Life of Glückel of Hameln is a classic in women’s and Jewish studies. I love reading this memoir begun in 1690 by Glückel, a widow and mother of 14. Yes, I know, it is about an Eastern European Jew, but how many memoirs by women of this period are there? And how often do you get to read about life in the early 18th century. This book is part of the canon and should be on everyone shelves, just like Sydney Taylor’s books.

5. Rashi’s Daughters: Rachel, the third in Maggie Anton’s series, is another powerful look at cultural diversity. In this finale, Rachel’s husband lives in both France and Spain and there are few books where the comparison between the golden ages of the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim are so dynamically paralleled. I was especially intrigued by the internal conflicts of husband and wife over the question of polygamy, which was practiced by the Sephardim and not the Ashkenazi.

Have I reached my five? There are so many good books out there. I could write for days about the books I have sitting on my shelves and those I wish I did. Whatever you do, don’t forget to get yourselves some excellent CDs of music. Sephardic music is much sought after by scholars of medieval Spanish. Did you know that the language still spoken which is closest to medieval Spanish is Ladino? No? All the more reason to take the opportunity to discover the hidden sides of Jewish culture!

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