Oy Vey Activities in Shevat / Feb

Jewish, Jew-curious, or Jewish adjacent? Wondering what to do in the Amsterdam area in Shevat / Feb? Oy Vey has some ideas.

This month brings us Tu b’Shevat, a new year for the trees (15 Shevat/ 6 Feb), Primo Levi’s Yarzheit (12 Shevat / Feb 3),  and International Holocaust Remembrance Day (5 Shevat / 27 Jan).

For many of us the distance between the liberation of Auschwitz 78 years ago and now is a living one: a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a friend, a relative. It’s such a short distance from the Shoah until today. The impacts are far from past history for Jewish communities everywhere, particularly here in the Netherlands. 

We know that we don’t have to explain. 

At Oy Vey, we want to find new and old ways to be Jewish together, in community, connected to the past, and continuing into the future. We are searching for ways to do this together, in conversation with you. Our ongoing project, The Jewish Manifesto/Het Joods Manifest, is all about discussing issues important to Dutch Jews and other Jews living in the Netherlands. We meet for discussions about being Jewish here 2x a month. Once online and once face-to-face. And we will be doing so until the end of May.

Please sign up to be part of the discussion. Your voice is important! Find out more here.

EVENTS

30 Jan, AMSTERDAM – 19:00 – 21:00 – Het Joods Manifest/The Jewish Manifesto – An opportunity to connect with other Jewish people in the Netherlands about what it’s like to be Jewish here. Come one! Come all! Register here.
1 Feb, KRITERION AMSTERDAM, screening of Shiva Baby at 21:15, more information on the Kriterion website.
5 Feb, AMSTERDAM – 14:00-15:30: First ever session of The Deviant Yeshiva Reading Group, register here to join.
10 Feb, AMSTERDAM – 18:00-22:30: Shabbat Potluck! RSVP here
18 Feb, AMSTERDAM – 19:15-21:30: Havdalah Meditation. Register online here.
19 Feb, ONLINE – 14-15:30: Het Joods Manifest/The Jewish Manifesto. Share your thoughts about being Jewish in the Netherlands!
26 Feb, ONLINE – 14-15:30: The Deviant Yeshiva premiers online! Register here.
27 Feb, AMSTERDAM – 19 – 21:00: We’re face-to-face again for Het Joods Manifest/The Jewish Manifesto. We want to hear from you!

Your Jewish Horoscope

Flavor!

We are at the start of the Hebrew month of Shevat. So, in keeping with our previous newsletter, here’s what the Sefer Yetzirah tells us to expect:

G-d produced צ [Tsade], predominant in Taste, crowned, combined, and formed Aquarius in the world, Shevat in the year, and the gullet in the human.

Georgian beans with sour (or sweet & sour) plum sauce

So it’s time for taste! In keeping with this tradition, we offer a recipe based on Claudia Roden’s recipe for Georgian beans with sour plum sauce.

Ingredients: 

500 g of black beans or kidney bean – both are delicious
500g plums – if you put some dried plums into the mix, it’s a little sweeter
A bunch of coriander
A few sprigs of mint
Salt to taste
Chili pepper to taste (if you have smoked chilis or smoked cayenne it’s really a delight)
Lemon juice if you like (and we do!)
At least 3 garlic cloves

Instructions

Cook the beans until they are done

Chop the mint and coriander and garlic cloves and set aside.

Steam the plums until they become saucy with the chili peppers

Add the herb mix and turn off the heat

A few minutes before you are ready to serve the beans, mix in the plum sauce.

Voila! Tasty!

(Adapted from The Book of Jewish Cooking by Claudia Roden)

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