Continuing Support for the
B’nai Anusim of Lisbon
As reported in our November 2005 report,Masorti Olami has begun building bridges with the Anusim (Crypto-Jews) community in Lisbon. Rabbi Joe Wernik, Executive V.P. of Masorti Olami, met with the group in May and Rabbi Chaim Weiner, Director of the European Beit Din, visited Lisbon in the summer in order to meet the group and build an appropriate curriculum to guide them in their studies. The community has officially registered as "Comunidade Judaica Masorti Beit Israel", the first non-Orthodox kehillah in Portugal.
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Nava Harlow (standing second from left) and Rabbi Jules Harlow (standing third from left) with members of Comunidade Judaica Masorti Beit Israel |
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Learning to put on tefillin |
Rabbi Jules and Navah Harlow traveled to Lisbon in September to teach this special group of individuals. A report of their first visit can be read at: http://www.masortiworld.org/news/monthly-report/11-05/kehillot.htm
In December, the Harlows once again met with the group in Lisbon. Both visits were made possible by funding from the World Zionist Organization Pluralistic Religious Services allocation.
Below are excerpts from a report from the Harlows on their second visit to Lisbon as well as a thank you note from Marco Moreyra, Chairman of the Interim Board of Comunidade Judaica Masorti Beit Israel.
Our Continuing Work with B’nei Anusim in Lisbon
By Rabbi Jules and Navah Harlow
December 9-19, 2005
As we began to prepare for our return trip to Lisbon, we were deeply aware of the enormous responsibility we had undertaken. In our wildest dreams, neither of us had imagined that we were going to help an amazing group of people reclaim their heritage, which had been cruelly snatched from their Jewish ancestors over 500 years ago.
We were determined to help make it happen. Fortunately for us, both Rabbis Joe Wernik and Chaim Weiner happened to be in New York shortly after our return from our first session in Lisbon. Together we concretized plans and set a time line for the conversion of those whom we deemed ready. Some of the members of the group have been studying for over two years. Several of them told us that over the past few years Jews from America, Israel, and Europe had visited them in Lisbon, listened to their stories and left. They never heard from most of them again. And then Masorti Olami came on the scene. They are so indebted to Rabbi Joe Wernik for the commitment that he made to them to assist them on their road to halachic conversion. Yasher koach!
How did we prepare for our second trip? Jules set goals, developed a curriculum, and prepared materials for what he would teach during the ten days of our stay. We realized that they needed to have tefillin and to learn how to use them. They needed other ritual items too. Several weeks prior to our departure, Navah made an announcement at our minyan on Shabbat. (Minyan M’at, at Ansche Chesed in Manhattan) and invited our friends to participate in this mitzvah.
Within the next ten days, we witnessed a beautiful outpouring of generosity and true devotion to Netsach Yisrael. Two pair of tefillin were purchased by two of the younger members, another minyan member insisted on buying an elegant sterling silver Kiddush cup, others sent Seder plates (two), a challah knife, a challah cover, two talleisim in beautiful bags and a magen david on a gold chain for one of the member’s four year old daughter who accompanied her mother to most of our classes. We asked the donors of each gift to write a letter describing themselves and why they wanted to participate in this way. They also had to include their e-mail addresses so that our Lisbon friends would easily be able to write to them. We wanted our Lisbon kehillah to know that there are Jews in America who know about them and who care and to create a bond between them. Space does not allow us to include the letters at this time. But we do want to tell about the two talleisim. One young man sent a beautiful tallis that belonged to his deceased father. He said he felt his father would be proud to know that this tallis was going to help someone else live a Jewish life. Another was sent by a man who said that he had used this tallis daily for over 25 years. He got a new one for himself when his daughter married, and thought that the history accompanying his tallis would be symbolic of the continuity of our tradition.
How else did we prepare? Both Friday nights that we had been in Lisbon in September we participated in a potluck communal dinner. The many questions we were asked about food made us laugh. “What do Ashkenazi Jews eat? What is a bagel exactly?” Knowing that we would be arriving on a Friday morning and that we would be meeting for Kabbalat Shabbat and Friday night dinner together after services, Navah decided to bring dinner for 15. She made her famous Shavuot kugel and brought along sour cream and a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to top it. We also brought bagels, cream cheese and lox, and New York break-away challah. Details of the menu had been discussed via e-mail. The Lisbon locals provided salad and desserts.
Marco and Anabela insisted on meeting us at the airport at 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning. It was like coming home to family when we saw each other. They brought us to the hotel where we had stayed in September. The concierge greeted us as esteemed clientele. Our room was immediately upgraded to a suite, which proved to be very advantageous as the days unfolded.
Friday evening when the group gathered at Ohel Yaakov, the warmth and love that filled the air are indescribable. They wanted Jules to lead the davenning in a learner’s service as he did in September. They had been studying the tapes that we made for them and participated in Hebrew beautifully, still concerned as to when exactly to bow and when to stand and sit. They were terrific!
After the service, we gathered around the table. Navah took out the gifts that had been sent for use at the Shabbat table and read each accompanying note. They were moved, not only by the beauty of the gifts, but also by the fact that Jews in America knew and cared about them. There was not one dry eye.
Marco made Kiddush. He held the beautiful silver Kiddush cup aloft and chanted with dignity and pride. We were overcome with emotion. He had studied the tape that we made and chanted Kiddush exactly as Jules does. We were speechless and once again stood with tears in our eyes as we looked around the Shabbat table and saw the joy and pride in the faces of the Kehillah as they shared in our pleasure, all of us enjoying the simchah of mitzvah.
All the food we had brought, frozen and transported in the hold of the plane, had defrosted during the day. The kugel was served warm. Navah demonstrated the science of eating a bagel with cream cheese, lox, sliced tomatoes and onions (Naomi, a visiting American anthropologist, remembered to bring those vegetables.) We all ate with gusto, as a happy family. They remembered that dessert is not served until after z’mirot are sung, and sang the z’mirot that we had taught them, and had included on the tape. After Birkat Hamazon we finally parted close to midnight.
Since we left in September, they have been meeting every Friday night for Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv and every Saturday evening for Havdalah and a class. One of the members, Jose, is helping them with their Hebrew reading. Jose chanted Havdalah beautifully, just as Jules had recorded it. They had all learned to sing Eliyahu Ha-navi. It was wonderful.
After Havdalah the rest of the gifts were opened, accompanying letters were read, leading to more tears. The two sets of tefillin and the two talleisim were given to Marco and Jose who will be among the first of the group to go before the Beit Din in London. Charles Simon of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs has promised us that with next year’s budget he will be able to provide the rest of tefillin needed by the group. We told them this, which made them very happy indeed.
Meeting in Ohel Yaakov, the dilapidated building that we described to you in our last report, is not ideal in the winter. It is cold and without heat. The fact that our hotel room had been upgraded to a suite provided space for our weekday lessons. Starting on Sunday we met daily at our hotel. Although it was not spacious, it was warm and cozy. Meeting this way made the experience even more personal. We were inviting them into our “home.” We always served pastry and cold drinks at the end of the lesson, and then spent more informal time together. We learned a lot from them during those chats. We continued to marvel at their deep commitment and passion for our Jewish heritage.
On Sunday evening, Jules began to teach about the mitzvah of tefillin, emphasizing that it was a learning exercise, not prayer, since tefillin are not used at night. First there were the mysteries of the little black boxes, their contents, reading the passages from the Torah and explaining the b’rachot. And then came the thrill of actually learning how to put them on. Some of the men were pretty deft; others seemed to be lost. Jules was turning from one to the other; and later those who caught on helped those who needed help. It was a joy to see how they actually boasted to each other, “my shin is really good.”
Weekday nights we met from 8:00 – 10:30, sometimes until 11:00. They were tired after a full day’s work, but insisted on daily classes. On Monday, three of them who had a day off took us to Obidos, a medieval town where a tombstone had been found with a design that included a six-pointed star and a cross. There is evidence of an old Jewish quarter there. Another day we were taken to the Templar town of Tomar where the only pre-Inquisition synagogue still stands, built in 1432. As soon as we walked in, Jules knew that he had to daven minchah there.
One night, after the formal class, Navah reported that through a colleague in New York she had made contact with the Chief of Urology at a Lisbon hospital who has spent time at a major New York hospital and has impeccable credentials. Those in our group who have not been circumcised understand the need to fulfill this requirement and Navah made arrangements for them to do so…
Prior to our first trip to Lisbon, Navah spent hours listening to tapes in Portuguese. She speaks Spanish fluently and caught on to Portuguese enough to be able to understand much of what was being said. Those in our group who do not speak English do speak Spanish. Jules wants to emphasize that Navah’s linguistic abilities proved to be crucial. She led many discussions and was able to speak directly to those who were not comfortable with English. In this way, not one member of the group ever felt left out; on the contrary they were very personally included in every conversation.
Subsequent lessons included the Jewish life cycle, practical application of the laws of Kashrut, the Jewish calendar, the hamesh Megillot, and accompanying halachot and customs.
The second Shabbat was exceptional. The Kehillah is becoming more and more comfortable with the service. Kiddush was again wonderful as was the fully Portuguese dinner prepared by Anabela and Adriana. Whenever Rabbi Jules is in Lisbon, Adriana has promised that flan will be served. This Friday night was no exception.
Saturday night, after a full week of intense late night learning, we took the group out (as we had done in September) for a night of fun, listening to Fado music. We did not leave the colorful restaurant in Alfama until after 1:00AM…simply because the owner wouldn’t let us go earlier…he reminded us that the night was young, and indeed it was.
Sunday night, back in our hotel suite we held our final class. The emotion in the air was palpable. Our time together was coming to a close. The group had planned a surprise for us. They presented us with gifts to remember them by until we meet again. They are already planning where to take us and what to show us next time.
During our ten days in Lisbon, we arranged to set aside time to speak privately with each member of the group. We spoke individually about accomplishments and future goals in terms of preparation for conversion. We explored with each one their commitment to living a Jewish life and the potential hardships. Upon our return to New York, we wrote to them, describing our great pride in them, similar to the pride that parents feel for their children.
Thank you once again for giving us the privilege to share in this historic experience.
Dear Rabbi Wernik,
Once again we would like to thank you and the Masorti organization for helping us once again in our studies with these two unbelievably great teachers, Rabbi Jules and Mrs. Navah Harlow.
From the 9th till the 19th of December they were here, as you know, holding classes once again to our small and young kehillah. The classes were great as usual, very interactive and based on those particular things difficult to express in a book, like laying the tefillin.
No one here can express exactly the huge and complex feeling we've built between these two unique human beings. But I'm sure we can call it LOVE, once we see them not as teachers, but as parents - the best teachers anyone can ever had...
Alll of the chaverim would like to say a deeply touched Todah Raba to Rabbi Wernik and Masorti Olami.
Marco Moreyra
Kehilat Beit Israel - Lisbon
Chairman of the Interim Board |
The kehillah in Lisbon is in need additional ritual objects and educational resources. If you would like to make a donation, please contact our office: mail@masortiolami.org
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Chanukah Around the World
Take a quick trip with us to see Chanukah celebrations in our kehillot around
the world!
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Adath Shalom Paris: Rabbi Rivon Krygier (with guitar) leading a festive celebration. |
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Lighting in Maayane Or, Nice |
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Rabbi Alejadro Bloch and members of NCI in Montevideo light candles and celebrate
in Punta del Este with CIPEMU (Comunidad Israelita Punta del Este Maldonad del Uruguay)
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Nueva Congregacion Israelita de Montevideo held an opening exhibition of projects for their new Community Center on the second night of Chanukah, followed by Arvit, candle lighting and sufganiyot
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Celebrating at Masorti Almere in the Netherlands
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Masorti Chanukah Party in Berlin
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Masorti Chanukah Party in Berlin
By Rabbi Gesa Ederberg
On Sunday, December 18th, we welcomed 60 adults and 30 children for our pre-Chanukah workshop at the Masorti Center in Berlin. The children split into the different rooms to decorate Chanukah cards, to paint wooden dreidles, to listen to Chanukah stories in Russian and German, and to sing and dance. Parents enjoyed the music and the delicious food, sufganiot and latkes.
The children of the Masorti kindergarten had a program with singing and dancing. The older children performed a play about Chanukah. The atmosphere was wonderful and warm. Everyone had fun and loved spending the day and celebrating together.
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