Miketz
Hello friends! In an attempt to avoid burnout, I'm keeping the jewsletter relatively light right now, so there won't always be a content note section or an israel/antisemitism one. The whole thing might also be shorter, for similar sanity-preservation reasons. Never fear, though, there will always be a pet of the week at the end--and this week he's Chanukah themed!
Jewish Calendar
This week's torah portion is Miketz, but more relevantly to my particular focus, it's still chanukah.
This corroded bronze oil chanukiah from Morocco (c. 1860) is a remarkable piece. The back depicts the Tree of Life and the lions of Judah along with other motifs of Moroccan folk art. This chanukiah has a hook on the back and was meant to hang from the wall #Hanukkah #Chanukah pic.twitter.com/lxpceAW9Mo
— Hannah Srour (@srour_hannah) December 2, 2021
Hannah Srour's writeups of Chanukiyot of the Shaar, part 1 and part 2 contain some standout menorahs. There's also this 3d printed menorrery and my friend's electric one with transparent branches.
Also, A.R. Vishny talked about the best chanukah childrens' book, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, for HeyAlma, and Mya Byrne posted a brand new Jewish country song! (it's bandcamp friday, too, so buy a song or two from your faves on there!) Judaism Unbound posted a delicious-looking chanukah food roundup, too, and whether you cook latkes or fry something else, don't forget to protect the splash zone.
Elaine Lustig Cohen, Hanukkah party invitation, The Jewish Museum, 1964. #hanukkah See it in the Online Archive: https://t.co/LrM1Y1fpjz pic.twitter.com/vSad2Zw3C7
— Letterform Archive (@Lett_Arc) November 30, 2021
Spinoza Drama
Baruch Spinoza was a scholar who wrote in the 1600s and grew up in the Sephardic area of Amsterdam, including the synagogue called Talmud Torah. At age 23 he was kicked out of the Jewish people (declared kherem). Even though kherem kind of stopped being a thing most places the cherem was never officially removed. This doesn't especially matter for Spinoza himself, being long dead, but occasionally there's ripple effects, like this letter sent from Rabbi Joseph Serfaty to Professor Yitzchak Melamed, who is putting together a documentary on Spinoza.
For the first night of Hanukkah I can’t but share this letter that Melamed just received from rabbi Serfaty. Wishing you all a meaningful Hanukkah! pic.twitter.com/2QoGwTSWwV
— Sergio Tenenbaum (@sergioten) November 28, 2021
Goodness, can our people hold a grudge or what. Melamed was amused by the whole thing, and the ban ended up lifted (on Melamed, not on Spinoza--that still stands), but not before we all got a slightly baffled laugh out of it.
The Spinoza expert Yitzhak Melamed gets an official community apology for the unhinged rabbis’ letter. pic.twitter.com/mPdolP2Zbb
— Zackary Berger (@DrZackaryBerger) December 2, 2021
Miscellaneous
brin solomon's Inclusive Siddur Project has launched, with the friday night Siddur Davar Chadash fully available in a variety of formats!
I'm thinking about taking this four-week online Ladino intensive for beginner students. If yiddish is more your jam, Yiddish Book Center has online learning options too, including YiddishSchool Online 2022.
Mazel tov to Ruben Shimonov, founder of SMQN and now National Director of Sephardi House & Young Leadership for American Sephardi Foundation.
Di Feygl Sho is a delightful queer yiddishe show on alternate Thursdays. You can "attend" live on zoom or see them streaming on Facebook.
Tom Ana put together a quick Jewish-made game recs thread focusing on TTRPGs.
“Chanukah is not about presents”
— Rori Picker Neiss (@roripn) November 30, 2021
…is a thing I used to say before my aunt sent me a Golem USB drive pic.twitter.com/uq9GTxi2xX
Events!
12/5 Ladino/Judeo-Spanish Documentation and Revitalization Efforts: Language, Music, and Folklore
12/9 Transkeit: Expanding Gender for Jews and Allies: A Pre-Publication Preview
12/12 Ladino Day at UW
12/15 Conversation: Yiddish and Social Justice
12/21 Bubby and Them screening and discussion event with SMQN, Keshet, and SAJ (zoom registration link)
12/25-12/30 Yiddish New York, which includes a 4 day social justice workshop
Jewish Pet of the Week
The Jewish Pet of the Week is Archie, seen here celebrating Chanukah!
See you next week!
<3
Meli