Kislev - Let us not be divided from one another
Hello Friends,
For a few years, Tori’s family in the US has joined her via Zoom for Channuka candle-lighting. Together, they say a prayer written by Elena Vera Rose, reciting a different verse each night. They use it as a way to remind themselves to keep their core values strong, to think of how their acts impact those made most vulnerable by society. Here is an excerpt:
Let us not be divided from one another.
Let us not be fooled by falsehoods that teach us to hold each other in contempt when compassion is available,
to exchange each other’s safety for our own reprieve when solidarity is available,
to settle for comfort purchased with the degradation of others when justice is available.
Let us never succumb to the temptation to make a run for the finish line by cutting loose the vulnerable and persecuted to lighten our own load.
You can see her family’s Chanoeka guide on Google Docs if you want to read the entire prayer.
In this newsletter: Ceasefire Petition Update | Events | Recipe | From Our Members
Ceasefire Petition Update
We are pleased that some of the hostages will be coming home soon. Moreover, we are steadfast in demanding the safe return of all hostages and a lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. This is one reason that we are making another push for our petition before we present it to the cabinet. Please share the petition with friends and strangers alike.
https://oyvey.nl/petitie-voor-vrede-in-israel-en-palestina/
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Events
Photo of a ceramic channukiah made during an Oy Vey workshop with Kesem of Kesemy Design.
Make Your Own Channukah Menorah with Kesem Yahav
This week’s ceramics workshop was such a success that Kesem is offering another one Friday evening, the 24th of November. It’s from 18.30-21.00.
Talk with Us
Join us for one of our final Joods Manifest discussions this coming Monday, 27 November. We will be meeting face-to-face at 19.00 to discuss the questions raised by Yael van der Wouden’s wonderful essay:
Het (niet) lezen van Anne Frank – De Gids (NL)
On (Not) Reading Anne Frank (EN)
Celebrate Channukah with Oy Vey!
Join us in Amsterdam for an evening of light, music, and stories of hope. Whether this is your first time celebrating Chanukah, or you are a true Hannukah expert, everyone is welcome.
Date: 13 December 2023
Location: Amsterdam (exact location will be emailed to you)
Time: 1700 – 20.00
Oy Vey Recipe
Recipe: Mari’s Vegan Orange Cake
Photo by Mari Varsanyi
Yum! Oy Vey member Mari Varsanyi adapted a vegan orange cake recipe from The Joy of Cooking with delicious results. Here is the recipe:
Preheat the oven to 175
Put these ingredients into a large bowl and mix:
190 grams of all-purpose flour
150 grams sugar (a tad less if you are using vanilla sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of cocoa nibs (can be replaced by small chunks of vegan dark chocolate/vegan dark chocolate chips, though it shouldn’t. The cocoa nibs go perfectly with this cake!)
Mix the following ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth:
Zest of 1 orange
245 grams orange juice
70 grams vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla, or a couple of packets of vanilla sugar
Fold the juicy mixture into the dry ingredients until it’s just mixed. Don’t overmix! Put everything into an 8 inch circular pan that you’ve prepared with cooking spray or a bit of oil. Put some parchment paper on the bottom. (Instructions for cutting your parchment paper into the right size.)
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean: about 35-40 minutes. Let the cake cool for about ten minutes before taking it out of the pan.
For the glaze
This is where your own sense of how much should come in:
You can make a glaze from cocoa powder, powdered sugar, real vanilla extract and a few tablespoons of oat milk
Whisk together: the glazing should slowly flow back into the bowl from the whisk.
Drizzle on to the cake and top with dried edible flowers. Rose petals really compliment the taste of the cake.
Those of us who have tasted this cake can vouch for its deliciousness! Yum.
From Our Members
Yael van der Wouden has a book coming out soon!
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (May 2024) is set in a Netherlands haunted by the aftermath of the Second World War, this is an exhilarating and seductive tale of two women’s desires, histories and homes, where nothing is quite as it seems…
We can’t wait to read it! And Yael can’t wait to make sure we all buy copies!
Ruach Shalom Shabbat
Friday evening 24 November is the next hybrid face-to-face and online Kabbalat Shabbat sponsored by Ruach Shabbat. You can register here: Ruach Shalom calendar.
They are also planning a Chanukah celebration with Havdalah on 9 December (in-person or possibly hybrid for the havdalah and candle-lighting part). Watch their website for details.
Poetry from Gillian Reingold
Oy Vey member Gillian Reingold was in Israel on 7 Oct. You can read her reflections and poems here:
Poetry is my Response to War. Here’s a short excerpt:
Earth in a land of gods
Devoid of gender, devoid of nouns and grammar
Gods in a land spelling literatures of deceased demigods…