Yemenite Jewish Edah

I used this Sunday's session to introduce the Yemenite edah to the students. This is a unique edah which was the only one to continue speaking Hebrew on a daily basis (not just for ritual purposes) in the Diaspora. Hebrew scholars believe that the Yemenite pronunciation of Hebrew is very close to how the language was pronounced back in the days of the United Monarchy of Israel under Kings David and Solomon, some 3,000 years ago. It was an isolated community (thanks to the mountain range dividing the country from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula), and was persecuted for much of its history by fanatic Muslim rulers. Today there are only about 50 Jews left in the capital city of Sanaa, and they live in the protection of the president's palace, which itself is under siege by rebels. Just a few weeks ago, 19 Jews (not part of the 50 mentioned above) were secreted out of the country to Israel, bringing with them an 800-year old Torah scroll.

I began by showing three YouTube videos. After viewing the first one, "History of the Yemenite Jews," which has no dialogue, I asked the students to share their impressions from the film of the culture and physical features of Yemenite Jews. I then shared a YouTube segment taken from a 1988 Israeli MTV video of the Yemenite-Israeli singer Ofra Haza singing "Im Nin'alu", a song taken from the Yemenite Diwan (their prayer book). The Yemenite Jews deeply mourned the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. (they found out about it many years after its destruction because of their isolation from other Jewish communities). They vowed never to play joyful music again until the third Temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. What resulted was a very "beat-heavy" style of music, and the creation of the dumbek - the Yemenite drum. Often, they use tin cans to create a beat for their music. The final YouTube segment that I shared with the class, "Teiman: Music of the Yemenite Jews" highlights their music, within the context of a Yemenite Jewish henna wedding ritual.

After the YouTube segments, we read a short summary about the history and culture of the Yemenite Jews taken from the book, "One People, Many Faces," a part of the Israel Connection curriculum focusing on the return to Israel of many members of the Jewish Diaspora and on the contributions of each edah to Israeli culture.

We concluded the session, by learning how to make a very simple Yemenite copper wire beaded bracelet. The Yemenite Jews are famous for their silver and copper jewelry. This skill was taught for generations by fathers to sons. We will be sharing how to make these bracelets next Sunday, with other 5th and 6th graders at our "Taste of Jewish History and Culture" event, which will include a "mini-Edot Fair."

While Emily sizes the copper wire around her wrist, Kyra chooses beads for her bracelet.

Choosing just the right beads can be an important decision to make. Yemenite Jews, like many Muslims, believed that round, shiny beads or coins could protect a person from demons by attracting the demons, then trapping them in the round shape. Jordan, Leo and Joey are advising each other here.

Once the beads are chosen, it's time to thread them on the very, very thin copper wire.

Total focus is required to be sure the beads don't fall off the wire while being threaded.

Notice the special jeweler's pliers Alex is using to wrap the copper wire into a spiral shape. These pliers are a basic tool of the jewelers.

And when it's finished, a very happy Seth rejoices in the beautiful bracelet he's created.

Between sessions, six of our Edot students helped lead the other students and teachers in prayer during our final Creative Tefillah session of the year. They had worked together with Rabbi Miller the previous Wednesday, to develop a theme for the prayers they would lead. The theme they chose was Presidential Elections.  Rabbi Miller was a bit hesitant to use the theme when the students first suggested it, since we cannot endorse any particular candidates from the bimah. But she relented when the students assured her that no individual candidates would be endorsed.

First, Aaron introduced the Barechu call to worship:

Then Kyra and Ella introduced the "Sh'ma":

Aaron came up again to introduce the "V'Ahavta" chant:

Followed by Alex and Ari introducing the "Mi Chamocha" song:

Finally, Brahm introduced the "Avot v'Imahot" blessing of the Amidah:

Yasher Koach to all the Edot students who helped lead our Sunday creative tefillah sessions this year. Before we know it, they'll be leading the congregation at their Bar/Bat Mitzvah service!

Crypto-Jewish Seder

The culminating activity for our Edot unit of study about the Jews of Spain - the Sephardim -  was a Crypto-Jewish seder, which we held in our classroom yesterday morning, both sessions.

Up to this point, we had studied the history of the edah, which is at least 2,000 years old, and perhaps even older. We learned about forced conversions of Jews to Christianity in the 5th century under Visigothic rule, about the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711 C.E.which ushered in a "Golden Age" for Jews as well as Christians and Muslims who all co-existed peacefully between the 8th and 11th centuries, and finally about the "reconquista" - the reconquest - of Spain by the Christians over a 200-year period, ending with the taking of Granada, the last Muslim outpost in Spain and the unification of Spain under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. We then focused our attention on the conversos (a/k/a Crypto-Jews), who opted to remain in Spain when given the choice to convert to Catholicism or leave the country.

We learned about the Ladino language (a/k/a Judeo Spanish) of the Sephardim, and how many of their cultural traditions relating to the Jewish holidays were influenced by the trauma of the Inquisition, especially the Passover seder rituals. We learned two songs sung by the conversos during the seder ceremony - the "Kadesh U'r'chatz" (sung to different melodies by Jews all over the world, the lyrics of which are the 15 steps of the seder ceremony) and "Un Cavritico" (the Ladino version of "Chad Gadya" the last song sung at the seder). We learned about the foods eaten by Jews in Spain (a lot of honey drizzled over meats, vegetables, as well as on sweets!), and how they incorporated new world foods such as potatoes, eggplants, peanuts and tomatoes into their diets to avoid having to eat pork. And we learned that our information about much of the Crypto-Jewish culture - what they ate, songs they sang, foods they prepared, etc. - comes down to us from of all places Inquisition records (which were quite detailed!).

The Crypto-Jewish seder is modeled as a re-enactment of how the Crypto-Jews observed their favorite holiday - Pesach - the holiday of freedom from slavery! Every detail of our seder comes from Inquisition records. It should be noted that we had no rehearsals before the seder, so it was a learning experience for all the participants as we followed the script. Below are some photos and a video which share a bit of the Crypto-Jewish experience:

As we prepared in class for our seder, we had two photos to refer to as to how the Crypto-Jews dressed and where they held their secret seders...

...both photos were taken by the photographer Frederic Brenner of a family living in Belmonte, Portugal, descendants of Crypto-Jews. The photo was taken of their actual seder ceremony in 1988 - in the basement of their home where the seder is held. They are wearing white from top to bottom, and except for the older woman, have no shoes on so as not to make noise when moving around.

As with most Jewish holidays, we began by lighting and blessing the candles (props from our Hebrew Through Movement program), led by Lucas.

There were no haggadot (the books we read at the seder ceremony) back in the days of the Inquisition, but centuries later descendants of the Crypto-Jews hold their haggadot on their knees to recall the times when their ancestors had to be ready to hide what they were doing quickly, in case they were discovered.

As soon as we finished singing the "Kadesh U'r'chatz," we blessed the first cup of "wine."

After washing our hands symbolically, by dipping our fingers into the blue bowls filled with water, we dipped the parsley into the salt water in the red bowls, blessed the parsley and ate it. To say that there was a lot of salt in the water is an understatement, as witnessed by Jack's reaction to the very salty parsley!

As part of the Yachatz ceremony, the Crypto-Jews re-enacted the story of the Exodus from Egypt with not one, not two, but three Moses' leading the Israelites through the wilderness. Each Moses had a walking stick and sack. At the start of the ritual, each went to one of several piles, (each consisting of 3 matza crackers) on the tables, lifted the cover, then divided the middle piece of matza in half. Half was replaced on the pile, the other half was thrown into the sack to carry "to Jerusalem".

Here are the 3 Moses' leading the Israelites through the wilderness.

Once the Israelites were "on their way," 3 new Moses' (this is information we have from Inquisition records!) take over, and begin the Mageed section of the seder, telling the story of the journey out of Egypt, and explaining what the ritual foods on the seder plate symbolize.

There were only 3 foods on the Crypto-Jewish seder plate - the roasted shankbone (which looks suspiciously like a chicken leg on our classroom plate!), the bitter herbs (Romaine lettuce) and the parsley. The roasted egg was served separately during the meal in the form of huevos haminados - very hard-boiled eggs boiled in a mixture of onion skins and vinegar. Charoset also was served during the meal in the form of charoset balls made of dates, peanuts and honey in its simplest form.

After saying a blessing and washing our hands symbolically one more time, then blessing and eating the matza and maror (bitter herb), we came to the korech (sandwich) part of the ceremony. The Crypto-Jews did not remember Rabbi Hillel's "sandwich" of matza and bitter herbs, but they did recall that "korech" meant wrapping or binding two things together - i.e. a sandwich. To them, the sandwich was not something to be eaten; instead, they were the ones "sandwiched" between Christianity and Judaism. Here, Charlotte is reading a "Korech" paragraph describing how it felt to always wonder if actions or words performed or said by mistake during the Catholic mass might give them away as being Jews, and the frustration they felt knowing they were slowly but surely forgetting important Jewish beliefs and rituals.

We skipped over the Shulchan Orech (the seder meal) ritual for obvious reasons, though I did share with the students that the Crypto-Jews would eat roasted lamb, which was kosher, along with chickpeas baked with cilantro and honey, the huevos haminados and charoset balls. They also decorated their tables with dried fruits - especially apricots - to symbolize the manna God sent down to the Israelites during their trek through the wilderness. So I decorated our tables with dried apricots as well. Following the meal, we come to the "tzafoon" part of the seder ceremony, at which time we search for the afikomen which was the half of the piece of matza from the "yachatz" step near the start of the seder. The Crypto-Jews did not know about the afikomen - instead, they were the hidden ones who prayed to God to be "found." Here, Joey is reading a "Tzafoon" paragraph describing how it felt to always have to look over your shoulder, wondering if you were being followed by an Inquisition spy.

The Crypto-Jews did not recall that the "barech" step of the seder involved saying the grace after the meal. Instead, they praised God by having each participant whisper a praising adjective. You'll have noticed words written on the whiteboard in our classroom - these are words translated from Ladino, which Inquisition records claim were uttered in praise of a God who had rejected them for having rejected His son, Jesus Christ. We went around the room and each student chose a word to say. Then we blessed and drank the third cup of wine.  

IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT WE WERE SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED, AS SOME OF THE ORIGINAL CRYPTO-JEWISH SEDERS MAY HAVE BEEN!

Thankfully, our answers satisfied the soldier, and we were able to continue our seder ceremony.

As part of the "barech" ritual, the Crypto-Jews re-enacted the Crossing of the Reed Sea. Here is Tobias as Moses holding his hand over the waters to part the sea. Charlotte and Emily are the waves, apparently very happy to create a dry path for the Israelites to escape on.

And here are the Israelites, Jeremy and Zach, who safely followed Moses on the dry path.

But it wasn't safe for the Egyptian horsemen and charioteers, as re-enacted by Aaron as the "waves" are about to close over him.

As we're nearing the end of the ceremony, we sing a song praising God as part of the "hallel" ritual - "Un Cavritico," the Ladino version of "Chad Gadya." ("One Kid, One Kid") The Crypto-Jews saw themselves as the little kid whom so many enemies want to destroy, but which is saved at the very end by the "Holy, Blessed One" (Santo Bendicho).

And then our seder came to an end with the final step - "nirtza" (may it be His will). This is where we say "L'shana ha'ba'a bee'yerooshala'eem." ("Next year in Jerusalem.") The Crypto-Jews repeated this statement 7 times, each time saying it more softly until the final utterance was totally silent, symbolically internalizing their dream to be redeemed from the slavery of their lives in Spain and led to the "Promised Land" (which to them was the freedom to be their true selves in their beloved Spain).

Hopefully, your children will remember some parts of our classroom Crypto-Jewish seder, and will be willing to share what they learned with you, family and friends during your own seder ceremony this coming Friday evening, the start of the Pesach holiday of freedom.

CHAG HA'AVIV SAMEACH! HAPPY SPRING HOLIDAY!

CHAG PESACH SAMEACH! HAPPY PASSOVER HOLIDAY!

Korech and Tzafoon - Preparing for a Crypto-Jewish Seder

During our first day back from spring break yesterday, we reviewed what we had learned about the Sephardim (Spanish Jews) and, in particular, the conversos or Crypto-Jews (as they're known in English). Just before our spring break, I had introduced the 15 parts of the Pesach (Passover) seder ceremony with the students - the names and the rituals for each part. At that time, I had shared with the students that without the benefit of rabbis, Haggadot (the books we read during the seder ceremony) or siddurim (prayer books), the conversos forgot many of the blessings, prayers and rituals associated with each step. In particular, they forgot the rituals of Korech (preparing a sandwich composed of matza and bitter herbs) and Tzafoon (finding the hidden half of the piece of matza - the Afikomen -  which was broken in half near the start of the ceremony, during the Yachatz step).

They knew that the term "korech" referred to binding or wrapping of things together, but had no recollection that the term referred to a "sandwich" Rabbi Hillel suggested be made by putting the bitter herb (maror) between two pieces of matza. Instead, as they secretly conducted their seders, usually at night and in basements or by running water to mask any sounds they might make, they would share with each other how it felt to be "sandwiched" between Christianity and Judaism - always afraid they might give themselves away during the Catholic mass by unconsciously uttering a Hebrew word or phrase, and frustrated that they were forgetting the rituals of the faith of their ancestors and many of its teachings.

The term "tzafoon" means hidden in Hebrew, and they believed this step of the seder was a time to reveal not a hidden piece of matza, but their hidden selves, their Jewish selves. They shared with each other the anxieties and sheer terror of having to live their lives always looking over their shoulders, wondering if they were being followed by Inquisition spies if someone accused them of secretly practicing Judaism, or if they might give themselves away by a thoughtless act or word.

This coming Sunday, our Edot class will be re-enacting a Crypto-Jewish seder in class. We know how they conducted their seders thanks, ironically, to detailed Inquisition records of the trials of conversos "caught in the act." We know what they ate during the seders and how they acted out the Exodus story (thankfully, the Catholic Bible includes all 39 books of the Hebrew Bible, so they could read the actual account as they acted it out). In preparation for our re-enactment, I asked the students to each write a Korech paragraph and a Tzafoon paragraph, imagining that they were living in Spain in 1591. During our seder, student volunteers will be asked to share what they wrote when we get to the Korech and then to the Tzafoon steps.

 We concluded each session yesterday by reviewing the two songs we'll be singing during the seder re-enactment with our music teacher, Maya - one at the very beginning of the seder, and the second at the very end. The lyrics to the first song, "Kadesh U'r'chatz" are the names of the 15 steps of the seder ceremony. The second song is the Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) translation of the very last song in the Haggadah - "Un Cavritico" - which we know as "Chad Gadya" - "One Kid."

Stay tuned next week for photos of our seder.