April 29th, 2010 by youngjewishmilwaukee
by guest author, Jaylie Smith.
The annual African American Jewish Seder was an interesting event to witness for myself. Although this was a Seder, it was held at All Saints Catholic Church which made me even more curious to see what it was like. There was a mixture of Jews and African Americans mingling and having a great time. While observing this event, I saw that at every table there was at least one Jewish person showing and helping everyone conduct the Seder. As we proceeded through each step of the Seder, the leader directed everyone to point to each food in which to recognize what it was and why it was on the plate.
At every table there were packets for each person to follow along in. These packets were filled with the order of the Seder, and what things you were to say, like all of the brachas and the four questions. Also for some parts of the packet there would be sections where people could read along and sections where individual people would stand up and speak. There were times when people would talk about the history of Pesach and the reasons why Pesach is celebrated. Read More.
Tags: events, holidays, local, passover
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April 12th, 2010 by talia
by Young Jewish Milwaukee teen editor, Talia Lakritz
Dudu Fisher, an Israeli singer best known for his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway, was once offered the leading role in Fiddler on the Roof. It seemed to be the perfect part for him, the perfect opportunity to pay homage to his Jewish roots.
Why, then, did he turn it down?
Fisher, a religious Jew, requested exemption from Friday night and Saturday performances because he is Shabbat-observant. Ironically, the producers refused to accommodate his religious obligations.
Keeping Shabbat has become a challenge for today’s youth, as well. The SATs are usually offered on Saturdays; as a Shabbat-observant Jew myself, I registered for an alternate testing date at the JCC. My vice principal sent a note with my registration form explaining my situation as a religious Jew. I arrived at the JCC on that rainy Sunday morning in January to find that I was the only student there. This was beneficial in some ways; I didn’t have to worry about anyone distracting or disturbing me as I took the SAT. But it would have been nice to have someone else there to talk with (and to share in my pre-test freak out.) Read More.
Tags: local, shabbat, talia
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