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Leave a Legacy
A few months ago, I visited a member of the Jewish community to collect an
object for the Jewish New Year exhibit in the display cabinets at the AHC.
I was gathering anecdotes about Rosh Hashanah in an attempt to document the
tradition of Rosh Hashanah from different perspectives, as practiced in
countries such as Australia, America, Egypt, Russia, South Africa, Israel
and Zimbabwe.
Fortunately I had my tape recorder and switched it on over tea; it is much
easier than writing notes. I had only intended to record information about
the object to be loaned, a round wooden dish used for bread, and it was
during this conversation that an amazing story emerged, giving insight as to
what it is like to be a Jew living in Russia. Irina Sverdlov enlightened me
with an account of her "Russian experience". In her hometown of Kharkov in
the Ukraine with a population of 1.5 million, 30% are Jewish, yet there was
not one synagogue. There was nowhere to buy challah. Probably 95% of the
Jews didn't even know about this bread made for Shabbat. If you are a Jew,
there are no senior positions open to you. There are many Jews who would
pay large sums of money to change their identity because it is so difficult
to be a Jew in Russia. The captivating "full story" will soon be available
on the website.
Everyone knows of apples dipped in honey. This seems to be a universal
custom, but there are also some less popular food customs. Chani Engel
tells of the custom in America of eating carrots, because they are round.
Another reason is that the Yiddish word for carrot is merren, which is also
the Yiddish word for many. Eating carrots symbolizes that you want more
children, more knowledge and many good deeds.
It is Chabad custom is to eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah. One of the
seven fruits that Israel is blessed with, it is said that a pomegranate has
613 seeds, the same as the number of mitzvot in the Torah. The seeds
represent the aspect of many - our good deeds should be many. Chani notes
that traditionally, they eat the head of a fish. Fish have special
significance as they don't close their eyes and are said to be like G-d, who
never closes his eyes and is always watching over us.
The most common shape of bread for Rosh Hashanah is round; less common forms
are bird or ladder shapes. For the display, Chani made challah in the shape
of a ladder, symbolizing a reminder that G-d decides who will ascend and who
will descend life's ladder.
Chani notes that we don't eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah because the Hebrew word
for nuts is egoz, and the numerical value for this word is sin. Yet, on
another continent, Roy Sugarman remembers eating nuts. His Grandfather in
South Africa from cabinet making had very strong hands, and he can remember
him at New Year crushing walnuts with his hands and giving the pieces to the
kids.
Yvette Bolaffi also recalls restrictions as part of the festival: In Egypt,
her Grandfather taught her that you are not allowed to go to sleep on the
day of Rosh Hashanah. He used to call the children to come and play cards
and games to keep them active; otherwise they would have an inactive year.
Barry Katzenberg's anecdote is probably typical for colonial Zimbabwe: once
a year the domestic staff would get new white tackies (tennis shoes) for
Rosh Hashanah, and also a new white jacket with red sash for serving the
guests.
Food is the universal for everyone. Wendy James' Australian experience of
Rosh Hashanah is not dissimilar to others across the globe. When she thinks
about Rosh Hashanah as a child, she remembers a big meal, setting the table,
everyone gathering together, getting presents, eating smoked salmon and
smoked lamb.
Yossi Ben-David recalls some of the symbolism common in Israel. The fish is
significant, especially its head, in the hope that in the coming year all
will be the top rather than the bottom. In Israel, as with the Chabad
tradition, pomegranate is always put on the table at Rosh Hashanah. The
symbolism according to Yossi is that the Jewish nation will be many, but
stuck together, like the seeds of the pomegranate.
The museum website, soon to be updated, gathers together such stories
commemorating Jewish life, and can be viewed as a forum for storing Jewish
social memory.
Stories such as Irina's and the others above enable us to connect with the
past and encounter inspiring examples of life experiences; it is also a way
to further understand our heritage, increasing our vision of the broader
picture of Jewish life.
It is with sadness that I write my last museum newsletter. It is true that
the Adelaide Jewish community is a warm and welcoming one. Since our
arrival here, we have made good friends, socially and professionally. I
have not had the opportunity to personally say farewell to many of the
people that I have met since starting up the Adelaide Jewish Museum. My
husband has been offered a post at Liverpool Hospital, and we will be
leaving for Sydney at the end of January.
By establishing a virtual Museum, it is hoped we have set up a meaningful
and valuable way for the community to share their diversity of experiences
and for commemorating the lives of individuals and families. This is what
motivated Allen Bolaffi when he contracted me to establish a Jewish Museum
for Adelaide. The Museum was an opportunity of a lifetime and I will
cherish my three years of helping to get the museum off the ground and into
cyberspace!
If there is anyone out there interested in pursuing a career in museum work
and wishing to apply for the position of Curator please contact Allen's
Assistant, Anastasia Mallios, on 8110-0997. The essential requirements are
a willingness to meet interesting people, to record stories and edit them
for the museum website.
Roslyn Sugarman, Curator Adelaide Jewish Museum, December 2003.
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