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Feb. 9, 2007
Israeli society is a true mosaic
Jewish customs, traditions from around the world co-exist in the
country's melting pot.
SHARON KANON ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
Jews all over the world celebrate the Sabbath, holidays and festivals,
fasts and feasts with unique customs that are rooted in an incredible
variety of ethnic cultures. Many ritual practices have been enhanced
with sometimes exotic – but always meaningful – customs,
many drawn from local folklore.
A fascinating new book, A Mosaic of Israel's Traditions: Unity
Through Diversity, by Iranian-born ethnologist Esther Shkalim,
is an enjoyable ride through the rich cultural diversity of the
Jewish people.
Shkalim moved to Israel with her family in 1958. An acclaimed poet
in the country, she earned a master's degree in Jewish studies from
Washington University in St. Louis and is a doctoral candidate at
the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The book was the idea of Diana Schiowitz, who edited it, along with
Frieda Horwitz. "After moving to Israel in 1985 and settling
in a mixed community, I was shocked to discover how little I knew
about the practices of so many of my fellow Jews," said Schiowitz.
During the five years that Schiowitz served as chair of the Israel
executive of the AMIT educational network in Israel, it was clear
that the 16,000 students "represented probably all the ethnic
groups in the country and, in their homes and those of their grandparents,
a vast array of Jewish traditions were being practised. It seemed
natural to put together a book highlighting many of them."
The students' anecdotes are the core of the book and reveal the
impact of the local environment on Jews: "Grandma said that
in many places in Afghanistan, it was customary to light Shabbat
candles with opium oil produced from the poppy plant, because this
oil was commonly available and inexpensive," related one student.
"My great-grandfather says that, in Afghanistan, they did not
use a Chanukah menorah at all," said another. "They didn't
even know what it was! Instead, they took eight small plates made
of silver or brass or clay and arranged them in a row. The Jews
of Afghanistan were mostly anusim (forced converts to Islam,
beginning in 1939) – [if] a non-Jew suddenly entered their
home without warning, they could say they were needed for light."
"In Persian homes, it is the custom for women to light two
Shabbat candles on one tray, and candles in memory of family members
who have passed away on another," related Shkalim. Between
Kiddush (the blessing recited over a cup of wine) and the
blessing over the bread, the Persians add a blessing over a fragrant
fruit (like an etrog) or herb (basil or mint) and other fruits or
vegetables. Sometimes they even say Kiddush over etrog liquor, which
they make themselves.
Among the other communities represented in the book are Ashkenazi
Jews from Eastern and Western Europe; Sephardi Jews, whose origins
can be traced to Spain and Portugal; the Jews of Asia and North
Africa, whose culture was shaped by extended contact with Islam;
the Jews who wandered from Persia to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Bukhara and Afghanistan, as well as the
mountain Jews of Kavkaz, who lived in Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
In Tunisia and Morocco, it is customary for leftover afikoman
(the matzah that is hidden at the start of the Passover seder) to
be used as an amulet against the evil eye, or for a good livelihood.
It is alleged to be especially effective against dangers, particularly
for calming a stormy sea. In Israel, a grandmother may well give
it to her grandson when he commences his army service.
"The Jews of Yemen are distinct," said Shkalim, "because
although they speak Judeo-Arabic, they were relatively less affected
by external influences. They thus succeeded in maintaining many
customs whose sources are very ancient."
Another rich source of material comes from the Ethiopian community
in Israel. "The Jews of Ethiopia were generally isolated from
other communities," continued Shkalim. "In Ethiopia, candles
were not lit for Shabbat because they took the prohibition against
lighting fires on Shabbat as a general law."
"In Ethiopia, we didn't celebrate Chanukah," one student
related when asked about the holiday. Although their arrival in
Ethiopia can be traced from the exile of the 10 tribes, long before
the Maccabean victory, "Ethiopian Jews did not even know there
was such a holiday, until emissaries from Israel came to Ethiopia
and taught us." Purim was limited to the Fast of Esther, the
day before the Purim holiday.
Sharing the Shabbat and holiday experience was typical in the close-knit
Ethiopian communities. Meals were often eaten with neighbors "to
make them more festive." A communal bread ceremony was held
after prayers every Shabbat morning, with the kes (rabbi
or holy man) making a blessing over the bread that the women had
made and then distributing it. The bread was called misvaot
(similar to mitzvot – blessings).
A whole chapter is devoted to the Sigd holiday, which is unique
to the Ethiopian community and commemorates both the giving of the
Torah and the communal gatherings held in Jerusalem in the days
of the First Temple. Falling exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, it
was a day that involved trudging up to the top of a mountain –
often carrying rocks as a sign of submission – and praying
for forgiveness. (Sigd means "bowing down in prayer.")
At the end of the day, "everyone would descend while singing
and dancing, and go to the synagogue, where they would partake in
a festive meal."
With the mass migration of the Ethiopian Jewish community to the
Holy Land in the 1990s, celebration of the Sigd festival shifted
to Jerusalem. Today, Ethiopian Jews from the Amhara region of Ethiopia
hold their ceremonies at the Western Wall, while Jews from the Gondar
region gather at the Sherover Promenade in Talpiot, which overlooks
the Old City.
Shkalim also included traditional customs of the Isra chag
(holiday), which is celebrated by various communities the day after
Passover. "We try to hold onto the happy experience that has
just ended," said Shkalim. The Moroccan community calls this
day Mimouna, the Kurdish community calls it Saharana and the Iranian
community Ruz-e-Bagh.
The book contains more than 200 illustrations, including paintings,
photographs and woodcuts. A woodcut from the Book of Customs, Venice,
1601, shows a family gazing at their fingernails during the Havdalah
ceremony – an ancient custom that has been accepted in many
Jewish communities.
A photograph taken in Morocco in 1943 gives credence to the fact
that Shavuot has for many years been called "Water Day"
by secular Jews, with children going up to rooftops to pour buckets
filled with water onto passersby. The analogy is that the Torah
is as vital to the Jewish people as water is to humankind.
A picture of a key-shaped challah, called the shlissel challah,
illustrates the custom of religious Hungarian Jews to bake a challah
in the shape of a key after Passover. The key represents the opening
of the gate of heaven to admit prayers, which traditionally remains
open for a month after the festival.
A Mosaic of Israel's Traditions is a treasure-trove of Jewish
customs, "bringing a broad and colorful cultural tapestry from
a multitude of Jewish communities," writes Israel Prize winner
Prof. Rabbi Daniel Sperber in the foreword to the book. "Hopefully,
it will encourage all of us to search into our past, to question
our parents, grandparent, uncles and aunts and to discover their
family practices and folkways."
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