Jewish Events in the Netherlands for Adar 1 - Feb 2024
Oy Vey organizes Jewish events in Amsterdam and other locations in the Netherlands. If you want to stay up-to-date, subscribe to our newsletter:
We’re in a “pregnant year”, which means that the Jewish calendar gets an extra month in order to sync up with the solar year. We call this month Adar 1. In the following month we get the original Adar, the month in which we “increase joy” and celebrate Purim.
Save the date: Speaking of Purim, you might want to save the date for a decidedly adult and queer Purim celebration on 23 March. Details will follow!
This month, we have a whole weekend of events around the anniversary of the February Strike on 25 of Feb. Here’s a quick overview:
Potluck Shabbat
We invite you to join us for a monthly shabbat dinner full of gezelligheid, new and old traditions, and pretty good food. This is an opportunity to connect with others and come together as a community. If you have a tradition or song or poem that you would like to share, please bring it along.
Date: 23 Feb
Time: Doors open around 18.15
*This month’s event is at a private home with stairs.
Register for more details
Havdalah Reimagined
Join us on Saturday evening, 24 February for a Havdalah meditation to mark the moment between the restfulness of Shabbat and the start of the week in which we return to our never-ending-to-do-lists.
Date: 24 Feb
Time: 19.15-21.30
Register for more details
IWalk ‘Jewish Resistance in Amsterdam’
Walk with Oy Vey and learn about Jewish resistance in Amsterdam. We will take the tour designed by our very own Mari, which is in Dutch and English.
Date: 25 Feb
Time: 12:30
Register for more details
Deviant Yeshiva Special Session on Judeo Anarchy
Come talk about the judeo-anarchist possibility with Oy Vey’s very own philosopher, Yoni Busquila, a lecturer at Leiden University.
Date: 3 March
Time: 15.30
Register for more details
Oy Vey Recipe
This recipe is from Oy Vey-er Chana Dvora / Hannah Dawn!
Chicken with plums
** Chicken can be replaced for a vegan alternative, eg. chickpeas
Prep
First, brew a few saffron strands by soaking them in hot water. Leave the saffron aside whilst attending to other preparations.
Dice a large yellow onion and 2-4 garlic cloves. Slice 2-4 fresh plums in half and remove the stone, and slice the halves again.
** If fresh plums are not in season, you can also use prunes. When using prunes, you don’t need to dice them (though it may be preferable to remove the pit) and generally you should use more. Be sure to soak them beforehand (3-6 hrs)
Dice 1-2 chicken filets. If using chickpeas, be sure to soak them adequately beforehand, eg. overnight (or buy pre-soaked).
Cook
Lightly fry the garlic and onions together in a skillet. When the onions are becoming soft, add 1 tablespoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the ground coriander seeds and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Be mindful to not burn your spices — stir thoroughly, lowering the heat if necessary.
Now add the chicken. Ensure the chicken is cooking evenly. Once it is ‘sealed’, add a small tin of tomato puree and stir thoroughly. Next, pour in hot water, enough to adequately cover the chicken. You can also use vegetable stock, in which case you most likely won’t need to add salt later. If you are using fresh plums, now is the time to add them. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow to cook on a somewhat low heat for around 20-30 minutes.
If using prunes, add them after the initial cooking time. Now add 1/2 a tablespoon of honey (or cane sugar), followed by the brewed saffron. Stir through. Replace the lid and allow to cook for about another 10 minutes. It is typical that the water will reduce, resulting in a sauce — but it should not entirely evaporate.
** If using chickpeas, the cooking time may need to be longer depending on how long they have been soaked.
Can be served with rice, potatoes or bread. Garnish with chopped coriander and/or pomegranate seeds, according to your taste.
Tori says, yum and is waiting to be invited for dinner.
From our members
The Last Ecstatic Days
Sunday February 11 at 7:00 PM cet.
https://givebutter.com/screeningwithdanielandlievnath
Together with the extraordinary Danya Voskoboynik, Lievnath is hosting a virtual screening of the film The Last Ecstatic Days by Scott Kirschenbaum: a film about dying and dying well.
What if death is our portal to life? Together we’ll be hosting a space to breathe and be with the stunning testimony of Ethan Sisser.
This the European pre-premiere of the film, before it comes out. It also is a fundraiser to raise the necessary funds to enable this film to come out and to be shared and viewed widely.
This film is for everyone. We are all going to die. And we have beloveds and friends and family who have died, are dying, will die at some point. Let’s talk about what this could look like.
Contact: lievnathfaber@gmail.com
Nieuwe cursus groep van Tali Gross: Wellbeing gebaseerd op Kabbala en joodse wijsheid.
De cursus zal online plaatsvinden op de donderdag avonden en zal bestaan uit 5 bijeenkomsten van 2 uur. We werken in niet al te grote groepen zodat er veel individuele aandacht en inbreng is in de bijeenkomsten. Het is een interactieve cursus waarin je vooral de tools krijgt om zelf aan het werk te gaan met de methodiek die gebaseerd is op de Kabbala. De lessen zullen opgenomen worden, zodat je in het geval je een les mist je deze terug kunt kijken. Het leren van de methodiek is een beoefening, wat ook inhoudt dat je vooral tussen de sessies door met opdrachten in je eigen leven aan het werk gaat.
Van 20.00-22.00
De data zijn:
15 feb
22 feb
29 feb
7 maart
14 maart
De kosten voor de cursus zijn 300 euro voor 5 sessies. Voor meer informatie, neem contact op met Tali at taligross@hotmail.com
Kabbalat Shabbat with Ruach Shalom
On Friday 23 February, starting at 19:00, led by Lior.
We will join together to welcome Shabbat with songs, prayers, and sharing about the parasha. This will be followed by a potluck dinner. Please aim to arrive before the start time, whether on Zoom or in person. Be sure to sign up if you’re coming and say what food you will bring. Then we will send you a mail with the address.
You can attend either in-person or on Zoom. The location is accessible without stairs. Please sign up at https://bit.ly/ruachshalomnl, and you’ll be sent the location and Zoom link.
Limmoed Netherlands
On the 18th of February Limmoed Netherlands is hosting a day of Jewish learning. Oy Vey’s own Yonathan Listik will be talking there along with many others. You can register and find out more on the website: https://limmoed.nl/
De geheim van het mikwe
Dinsdag 27 februari 20:00 – 22:00 in Amsterdam
Altijd al nieuwsgierig geweest naar het Joods reinigingsbad, ofwel het mikwe? Wat is het? Wanneer ga je erin? En, waarom eigenlijk?
Al duizenden jaren maken Joodse vrouwen en soms ook mannen gebruik van het mikwe. Het vormt een centraal onderdeel van de Joodse rituelen en gebruiken. Mikwes zijn overal aanwezig. Zo vinden we er eentje op het bergplateau van Massada bij de Dode Zee, toch geen plek met overvloedig veel water. Maar blijkbaar vonden de voor de Romeinen gevluchte Zelote het mikwe zo belangrijk dat ze er zelfs daar eentje bouwden.
En natuurlijk had vroeger (en voor een deel nog steeds) iedere serieuze synagoge een eigen mikwe.
Het mikwe staat vooral bekend als het rituele bad waar de vrouw na de menstruatieperiode weer rein wordt. Maar dat gaat voorbij aan de vele functies en de rijke historie van het mikwe.
Lievnath Faber is sinds jaar en dag een mikwe-fan. Ze heeft haar mikwe begeleidingsopleiding bij Rising Tide gedaan en begeleidt nu zelf mensen die het mikwe in willen om een belangrijk moment te markeren.
Ze legt je op deze avond alles uit over de basis van het mikwe in de Joodse traditie. En als het een beetje meezit, kan ook hedendaags mikwe worden bezocht.
Deelnemers aan deze cursus ontvangen gratis het interessante boekje “Majiem Chajiem, het mikweboekje” van de hand van rabbijn Esther Hugenholtz te waarde van € 6,75.
Contact: lievnathfaber@gmail.com
And that’s it folks
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