Tishrei and the 101 Shofar Blasts!
Oy Vey offers Jewish events and discussions in the Netherlands.
The illustration of the shofar above is from last year’s Ma’agal calendar, which Oy Vey was involved with, and was done by the artist Sandra Yerushalmi.
Did you know that there are 101 shofar blasts? We didn’t until Lior explained that to us during our Tashlich ceremony at Vondelpark. We begin with a whole sound, then go to several types of broken sounds, ending with the long blast of Tekiah Gedolah. Lior explained that the sounds mirror our own process of reflection and prayer: how we break ourselves down, even shatter ourselves during the course of the holy days and then end whole and complete, just like the final blast of the shofar.
We had 2 beautiful celebrations for Rosh Hashana. One at Vondelpark and one special Havdalah. We hope to see old faces and new ones at upcoming events.
Jump to a section: Het Joods Manifest | Events | From Our Members (including Het loofhuttenfeest keert terug naar het Waterlooplein!) | Recipe | We Want to Hear from You
Het Joods Manifest
Our discussions for the Jewish Manifesto are coming to an end. For over a year, we have been talking to Jews in the Netherlands about their hopes, dreams, and fears. Your voice is really important to this discussion. Please make sure that it is heard. Check out the website for more information.
NL: Doe Mee
EN: Join Us
Oy Vey Events
Always available fresh online
From Our Members
In the media!
Our very own Mari Varsányi was interviewed for a piece on Rosh Hashana: Joods Nieuwjaar is voor Mari Varsányi ‘een moment om stil te staan bij je intenties’ Lievnath Faber provided background information on the meaning and practice of Rosh Hashana.
Oh FFS…
Oy Vey member Tori Egherman is part of a storytelling group called FFS (The Fifth Friday Sisterhood, sometimes mistaken for For F*ck’s Sake). They share stories in months with five Fridays and September is one of them! She’d love to see some of you there!
Check out the details on Pakhuis de Zwijger’s site
Sukkot in Amsterdam! Het loofhuttenfeest keert terug naar het Waterlooplein! (English below)
Honderden jaren waren loofhutten in Amsterdam tijdens Soekot onderdeel van het straatbeeld. Vooroorlogse beelden laten zien hoezeer dit feest onderdeel was van het Amsterdamse straatleven. De Joodse Stad – Vlooienburg en Uilenburg, een project van de UvA, faculteit der geesteswetenschappen, het Joods Cultureel Kwartier en de gemeente Amsterdam, brengt dit straatbeeld voor één week terug naar de oude Joodse wijk door middel van een kunstinstallatie door kunstenaarsduo HertogNadler in de vorm van drie moderne loofhutten. De installatie zal gedurende het feest (29 september 2023-6 oktober 2023) te zien zijn op het pleintje voor de Mozes en Aäronkerk en wordt op vrijdag 29 september om 15:00 uur feestelijk geopend. Buurtbewoners en alle andere geïnteresseerde Amsterdammers zijn van harte welkom om verhalen te horen over de Joodse geschiedenis van Amsterdam of rabbijnen te horen vertellen over de achtergronden van het Loofhuttenfeest. We zoeken nog vrijwilligers om te helpen bij dit bijzondere project door gastheer/-vrouw te zijn voor een of meer tijdsvakken tussen 28 september en 6 oktober. Lijkt dit je leuk? Mail dan naar Julia van der Krieke op j.c.vanderkrieke@uva.nl.
^^This is so cool! You can volunteer to spend a couple of hours hosting the Sukkot so that they can be open to the public. The sign up sheet is here:
SUKKOT VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP SHEET
For hundreds of years, sukkot were part of the street scene in Amsterdam during the holiday. Pre-war images show how much this celebration was part of Amsterdam street life. The Jewish City – Vlooienburg and Uilenburg, a project of the UvA, Faculty of Humanities, the Jewish Cultural Quarter, and the municipality of Amsterdam, brings this street scene back to the old Jewish neighborhood for one week via an art installation by artist duo HertogNadler in the form of three modern sukkot. The installation will be on display throughout the celebration (Sept. 29, 2023-Oct. 6, 2023) in the plaza in front of the Moses and Aaron Church and will be festively opened at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. Neighbors and all other interested Amsterdammers are welcome to hear stories about Amsterdam’s Jewish history or to hear rabbis talk about the background of the Feast of Tabernacles.
We are still looking for volunteers to help with this special project by being hosts for one or more time slots between September 28 and October 6. Does this seem like fun to you? Then email Julia van der Krieke at j.c.vanderkrieke@uva.nl.
The Oy Vey Recipe
Tori’s Grandmother’s Chopped Eggplant
Modified with new flavors!
When I was little, I was intolerant to aubergine. I still loved the taste, especially of my grandmother’s chopped eggplant. When I got older, I lost my intolerance & started making the recipe myself. Like all grandmother recipes, this is approximate.
INGREDIENTS
- 1-2 medium eggplants (depending on size) If they are on the small side, 2; if they are on the large side, 1.
- 1/2 sweeet onion (I am intolerant of most raw onions, but I can eat sweet onions) chopped as small as you can
- 1 spoonful dried lime powder (available at Iranian/Afghan shops like De Volkskruidentuin on Kinkerstraat 142-A-B or Roos Markt at Rozengracht 13, both in Amsterdam) – adjust to taste
- 1 spoonful good quality powdered cumin (adjust to taste)
- 2 big spoonfuls of delicious olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pomegranate seeds or Barberries (optional)
- Lemon juice to taste (optional)
- Chili flakes (optional)
- Fresh mint to garnish (or any other green herb, also optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put your oven on it’s hottest. Poke the eggplants with a knife or fork & then put them in the oven until they seem a bit burnt on the outside. The eggplants should shrivel a bit.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion as small as you can.
- Take the eggplants out of the oven. After they cool a bit, split them open & scoop out the delicious innards. Put them in a bowl that is a bit too big.
- Use a fork or a double-edged chopping knife and chop or mush the eggplant.
- Add the olive oil and the lime powder and cumin, mix together
- Add the onions, mix together
- Add salt to taste and the optional ingredients too and mix
I like to serve it with a garnish of fresh mint.
This is an easy recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Tori
We want to hear from you!
If you have a recipe to share, an event to highlight, or something you’d like the Oy Vey community to know about, please send us an email! It’s easy! Send an email to Tori at tori@oyvey.nl.