Supporting Isolated, Emerging, and Returning Jewish Communities around the Globe “All of Us” Volume 25 Number 1 Spring 2018 Shalom ULANUfrom India Text and photos by Judi Kloper KOne week was too short for a return visit to the Bene Ephraim community in Kottyreddypalem, a village in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where I was warmly welcomed as an auntie returning “home.” We greeted Shabbat on Friday night, learned about that week’s parsha during Saturday morning’s service, and together we ended Shabbat with Havdalah. I was able to to meet some of the people whom Kulanu, with your help, has assisted with their education and health care, and with many Judaica items, including siddurim, hanukkiyot, and mezuzot. This community continues to need our support for the education of its children—from elementary school to college—as well as emergency health care needs, and for the repair and possible rebuilding of the small synagogue. Currently we need to raise $2000 for tuition fees, uniforms, and books for 12 of the Bene Ephraim children. p Keziyah and her mother Miryam welcome Shabbat. Keziyah is teaching the Bene Ephraim children Hebrew blessings, the Hebrew alphabet, and about the In this Issue: different Jewish festivals. Shalom from India ........................ 1 Your help goes a long Where in the World is Kulanu? ..... 3 way. Please consider ROUGH DRAFT Italy’s Seder Hamishi .................... 4 contributing and go to Kulanu Community Twinning ........ 6 bit.ly/beneephraim. Secret Communities of Ethiopia ... 8 Jews In Côte d’Ivoire .................. 10 To learn more about this community, Artist/Scholar-in-Residence ........ 12 visit kulanu.org/ Kulanu Notes .............................. 14 communities/india. Thank You, Donors ..................... 16 Review: New Children of Israel .. 18 t Moshe Kedari and his wife Computer Technology ................. 19 Malka with two of their grandchil- Volunteer Spotlight ..................... 22 dren, Ruben and Deena, stand with Artist/Scholar-in-Residence ........ 24 Judi Kloper outside their home. continued on next page G Shalom from India: continued from previous page t Sara qMoshe Korahi reciting the blessings u Victoria Prasanthi, before and after reading the week’s Miriam is with her parsha. The community comes together reciting the quiet weekly to celebrate Shabbat and many in blessings demeanor the community have a chance to read the before and bright blessings in Hebrew, transliterated into and after smile, is 17 Telegu, their native language (though some the Torah years old, can read Hebrew). This book that Moshe portion. and with is reading from is a siddur translated many Though the help of years ago into Telegu by Sadok Yacobi, Victoria Kulanu, just leader of the community. Sadok’s daughter Miriam can completed Keziya is now transliterating brachot read the her high school studies. In July she (blessings), Shacharit (morning prayers), blessings in Hebrew, here she is reading begins four years of studying toward an Mincha from a siddur in which the blessings were engineering degree. She enjoys helping (afternoon transliterated into Telegu, the language her only brother, 10-year-old Daveed, with prayers), spoken in this part of India. his homework. Sara extends thanks to all Maariv who’ve helped her, explaining, “We are (evening very poor, so we need a good education. prayers), If we get a good education, we get good some knowledge and we know about our psalms, community and being Jewish, about Israel, and a few who we are, and to know all the world. I holiday can get a good job, and help my family services. members of course. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing to help us.” Mazel Tov, Sara Prasanthi! We are so q David Rajasekhar is 20 years old and proud of you! recently earned a diploma in elementary education. He hopes to be teaching a t class between grades 1 and 5. David Some plans to eventually earn a Master of Arts babies in political science and expressed a desire p Ephraim, age 25, standing with the are not to learn more Torah. David says, “I want to named give great thanks to Kulanu for helping me author, Judi, has been chanting the until get an blessings before and after the Torah they are educa- portions, and helps prepare for Shabbat at least tion to at the small hall that serves as the a few be- community’s synagogue. He finished 12th months come a grade in 2012, and earned a Bachelor old, teacher. of Science degree in chemistry in 2015. depend- This is a He also finished training in electronics ing on if manufacturing and air conditioning the family big help and refrigerator repair to help him find wants to to me have a celebration. This mom asked Judi to and I will sustainable employment. In 2016, name her daughter; Judi was honored and never Ephraim suffered from a dangerous chose the name Shira, Hebrew for “song.” forget.” intestinal blockage; with Kulanu’s The child’s name is now Shira Aksitha (Telegu assistance, he was able to receive name meaning “immortal”). The black dot on excellent medical care and regained good Shira’s forehead and cheek is a Hindu custom health. Ephraim is grateful to Kulanu for that even non-Hindus in India have adopted, the support he and his community have and is placed there to ward off the “evil eye.” received. c 2 Kulanu Spring 2018 Where in the World is Kulanu in this Issue? Yamoussoukro, the political capital Rome, the capital Kulanu is in touch with dozens of LIECH. VADUZ BERN Bobo Dioulasso SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA MALI HUNGARY communities around the world. Garalo BURKINA GORIZIA LJUBLJANA ZAGREB TRIESTE CROATIA FASO Abidjan, the FRANCE FRIULI VENEZIA When we are contacted, we learn GIULIA BOSNIA AND economic capital, HERZEGOVINA SARAJEVO what their needs are and do our GUINEA CROATIA LIGURIAN biggest city, and SEA MONTENEGRO Beyla Cote d’Ivoire ADRIATIC CROATIA PODGORICA SEA best to find ways in which to CORSICA home to the (FR.) ROME help them further their study and Jewish community STRAIT OF OTRANTO Yamoussoukro TYRRHENIAN GHANA GOLLO DI practice of Judaism and build their SEA TARANTO Awaso SARDINIA CAGLIARI communities. You can see on IONIAN SEA LIBERIA Abidjan MEDITERRANEAN REGGIO DI CALABRIA Lamezia Terme, in SEA this map where the communities Fish Town ITALY Gulf of Guinea the Calabria region TUNIS SICILY featured in this issue of Kulanu are NABEUL VALLETTA where the Seder ALGERIA TUNISIA MALTA located. Hamishi is held Côte d’Ivoire, p10 Italy, p4 N K I Z Notes, p14-15 Aswan Ethiopia, p8 India, p1 TURKM. UZB. Communities mentioned in Addis Ababa, TAJIKISTAN AFGHANISTAN Chinese Port Kabul Line of Indian claim Red Control line of New Dehli, Srinagar control capital and home JAMMU AND Kulanu Notes: Sudan Islamabad KASHMIR ERITREA Sea the capital SUDAN base for CHINA Countries are notated by Khartoum Asmara PAKISTAN ARUNACHAL PRADESH NEPAL SIKKIM Kathmandu BHUTAN Itanagar rural secret Gangtok their initals on the world mapAl Fashir Thimphu DJIBOUTI BANGLADESH synagogues Agartala Dhaka Djibouti TRIPURA Aizawl Nicaragua (N) MIZORAM Berbera BURMA SOUTH Addis Kenya (K) Ababa Waw SUDAN Kottyreddypalem, Rangoon PONDICHERRY Bay Zimbabwe (Z) ETHIOPIA Arabian of Juba home of the Sea Bengal Port Blair Cuddalore Indonesia (I) Bene Ephraim Kavaratti ANDAMAN AND SOMALIA LAKSHADWEEP NICOBAR ISLANDS UGANDA KENYA SRI Mogadishu community LANKA Kisangani Kampala Colombo INDONESIA Indian Indian Ocean Nairobi © Copyright Bruce Jones Design Inc. 2006 Kigali Lake RWANDA Victoria BURUNDI Bujumbura Mombasa Ocean Lake Kalemie Tanganyika ZanzibarKulanu Spring 2018 3 TANZANIA Dar es Salaam Mbeya Lake MALAWI Nyasa The Seder Hamishi Italy’s Crypto-Jews Revive a Secret Passover Tradition by Rabbi Barbara Aiello observed Passover complete Some historians believe that the Russian painter with symbolic foods, prayers Moshe Maimon’s most famous work, “Marranos: and blessings. Secret Seder,” actually tells the story of the Seder Hamishi, a special Passover seder held not on the Over the years, the fifth first or second night of Passover, but, as its name night seder became known suggests, on the fifth night of the holiday. Legend as the Seder Hamishi--a has it that during the time of the Inquisition, doubly appropriate name first in Spain, then in Portugal, and finally since hamish is the Yiddish on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and into word for cozy, homey, and Italy’s mainland, Jews who had been forced into friendly. Christian conversion (B’nei Anusim) were helped, Passing matzah head to Reviving the Secret surprisingly, by their Christian neighbors. head, a crypto-Jewish seder tradition. Photo by Dominick Seders Neofiti, as these newly minted Christians were Pulice Here in Calabria, in the called, continued to arouse the suspicion of deep south of Italy or Inquisition authorities--so much so that garden- what we like to call “the toe of the Italian boot,” ers, maids, cooks, and nannies who worked in our B’nei Anusim continue the tradition of the households of converted Jews were offered a Seder Hamishi. In 2006, when Sinagoga Ner bounty if they could catch their employer clean- Tamid del Sud (“The Eternal Light of the South”) ing the house of chametz (leavened bread), first revived the Seder Hamishi in the town of changing pots, pans, and dishes, or preparing Selinunte on the island of Sicily, friends and fami- pane azimo, or matzah, the unleavened bread lies, both Jewish and Christian, have gathered eaten during the Passover holiday. And then, annually to celebrate this remarkable Passover when the first night of Passover finally arrived, event. Inquisition soldiers, who laid in wait for the sun Each year we hold the Seder Hamishi in the to set, would burst through the doors of what had Calabrian town of Lamezia Terme (formerly once been Jewish homes, checking to see if any of Nicastro) near to Timpone, the old Jewish these former Jews were “judaizing,” in this case, quarter, that is still intact.