Be Ours for Tu B'Av and other Oy Vey updates for Summer
Oy Vey organizes Jewish events and learning opportunities in Amsterdam, The Hague, and beyond. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
Hi Lovelies,
The African-American geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore has spent her professional life studying what makes societies peaceful. She sums up her research simply: “Where life is precious, life is precious.” When I first heard her talk about these ideas, a lightbulb went off in my brain. It’s so simple to understand. If we think of it deeply, we know that it’s true. We thrive when we are loved and cared for.
For me this is the only road to peace. Honoring the spark in all of us. Refusing forces that strip us of compassion. Believe me, it’s not easy for me. I am a pessimist. A pessimist who sees wonder all around and is easily distracted by a strangely shaped cloud, an elegant spider, or a bit of juicy gossip.
In all this violence, I beg us to tend the light inside each of us. Keep your flame alive. 🔥
Love and Solidarity,
Tori
Be Ours this Tu B’Av 💖
🗓 Saturday 9 August, 19.00
As Shabbat and Tu B’av end, we will make Havdalah and celebrate love. It’s a Mitzvah!
We will start by sharing food, a potluck meal that all are invited to bring a dish for. Then we will turn to ritual:
🌿We will make herbal sachets to invite the types of love we desire;
🌸we will weave flower crowns to celebrate our interconnectedness with the earth;
🕯️and we will braid Havdalah candles to represent our intertwining with our community.
We will celebrate Havdalah together before traipsing off into the forest to revel in music, dance, and community.🎶🌳💃
From Our Community
Dear Oy-Vey,
This Friday, the Van Gogh Museum would like to give away 40 spots to visit “Vincent op Vrijdag” for free! Vincent op Vrijdag is a monthly event, where the museum opens its doors in the evening, for a local audience.
Besides the ongoing exhibitions, there are also performances, 🎶 music, talks and of course food and drinks.
This edition we particularly wanted to invite people from Oy Vey, since the theme of the night and the program has a lot of overlap with what Oy Vey does.
The theme of the night is Familie kies je niet (altijd), and translates loosely to: You don’t (always) choose family.
Expect a night where we dive deeply in the theme of family, how family (history) shapes you, or how you shape your own family.
There will be some intriguing Jewish perspectives on this theme, in the form of a very special collaboration between the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and the 🎻 Amsterdam Klezmer band.
Besides that, filmmaker Tamar Kaufman will share a beautiful film she made about her dad’s near-death experiences.
Outside of this part of the program, Mezrab, the house of stories, will host a stage with beautiful stories about family, and there will be possibilities to research your own family history!
Sign up now, full is full!
Feel welcome, and see you Friday!