Av: Study, Shabbat, and More

In the Netherlands? Jewish? Jew-adjacent? On the Jewish spectrum? Oy Vey has events and discussions for you! This month, we open applications for Ze Kollel!

We have an exciting opportunity for you: If you have ever felt curious about the body of texts that is our heritage, but do not know where to start, or if you have studied a bit already, Ze Kollel is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of Jewish texts.

Ze Kollel offers a chance to connect meaningfully with others and to join in the next phase of a 2000 year conversation.

Participants of all genders and Jewish backgrounds are welcomed to one day a week of intensive Torah and Talmud study.

Join Ze Kollel’s 8th semester of Torah and Talmud studies across Europe!  Ze Kollel is a place of personal and spiritual growth with the text as guide and our fellow students as companions.

Events!

Always fresh events at Oy Vey

From Our Members

Oy Vey Members Yonathan Listik and Eva de Haan in De Vrijdagavond
Yonathan and Eva wrote about the nature of Jewishness in a non-Jewish world for De Vrijdagavond.

Let us wander and wonder! Jewish religion as primarily a community-bond
Perhaps the most conventional way of framing diasporic Jewish identity is to think of being Jewish as an internal and individual (as opposed to collective) identity. A small part of a person’s personality or a peculiarity that does not fully distinguish a person from their collective but merely marks their uniqueness...

Read the whole article

How Do We Find Meaning in Tisha b’Av

Last year, several people who were studying together at Ze Kollel came together to reflect on the meaning of Tisha b’Av (July 26-27 this year), which marks the destruction of the second temple. We were spurred by the question: How do we find meaning in Tisha b’Av?

Friend of Oy Vey Yael Merlini challenged us with this thought:

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find a connection with this holiday of mourning, but this year even less so given the climatic disaster we are experiencing on our skin in these months with very high temperatures, not to mention the political situation in America (laws against women – against abortion and growing anti-Semitism), the resurgence of fascist governments even in countries with a long tradition of the left like Italy, and so on…

I feel so torn to spend an entire day fasting and feeling sad about the destruction of the temple and the diaspora while all around me the political and social situation of women,  minorities, flora and fauna and the climate show me that disaster is now, it is imminent!

Helaas heb ik nooit verbintenis kunnen vinden met deze feestdag van rouw, maar dit jaar nog minder – gezien de klimaatramp die we in deze maanden ervaren met zeer hoge temperaturen, om nog maar te zwijgen van de politieke situatie in Amerika (wetten tegen vrouwen – tegen abortus en groeiend antisemitisme), de heropleving van fascistische regeringen, zelfs in landen met lange linkse tradities zoals Italië, enzovoort…

Ik voel me zo verscheurd om een ​​hele dag te vasten en verdrietig te zijn over de verwoesting van de Tempel en de diaspora terwijl overal om me heen de politieke en sociale situatie van vrouwen, minderheden, flora en fauna en het klimaat me laten zien dat zich nu een ramp voltrekt, het is is nabij!

You can read responses to Yael here:

Nederlands and English

Cold Tomato Soup

If you are wondering how to cool down in this heat or need a good dish to break your fast, here’s a delicious and easy recipe for cold tomato soup.
Ingredients
About 500 grams of ripe tomatoes
Left over white bread without the crust – about the size needed for a broodje
Smoked paprika (nice to have)
Lemon or lime zest
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons or limes – or a bit of vinegar
Salt (as much as you need)
A bit of rosemary thrown into the mix can be delicious
Some green herb like parsley or basil for garnishing — experiment with flavors!
Throw everything but the garnish into a blender. The crustless white bread thickens the soup.
After blending, add the parsley or basil or other green herb you’ve chosen. Serve immediately or chilled.

As usual, at least think about inviting Tori over for a taste.

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