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EVENTS
Topics of this page:
Pesakh 5770 - 2010
Beth Jacob Torah in Berlin
January 2010: Photographs of Chajim´s ceramics, our wimple and Ohel-documentation in Shir Tikvah
Article of Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg about our Torah Celebration 28th of November 28, 2009 and his visiit to Berlin
Report of our Torah Celebration 28th of November 2009
Anja´s Wimpel presentation at our Torah Celebration
Workshop with Rabbi Shefa Gold: Path of Love on November 6th -8th, 2009
Sukkot 2009
3rd of July 2009: Rabbi Eveline Goodman-Thau celebrates Kabbalat Schabbat with Ohel Hachidusch
Pessach 2009
Pesakh 5770 - 2010
Many old and new friends joined the Ohel family on Pesakh Seder, the very special get-together of family and friends. Some of our friends came from far away. As in previous years Anna opened her spacious studio for us.
Together we cleaned and prepared the room to have enough space for our big Pesakh table but still it was pleasantly crowdy and we had to add another table.
Our Cantor Jalda lead us skilfully as always and with lots of joy, engagement and many songs through the Haggadah. We felt the stifling tightness of Mitzrayim and moved into freedom. Hallelujah!
Our Seder dinner surpassed all expectations. Anna and her cooking team put a lot of time and passion into the menu.The two experts Anna and Sabrina cooked together. And many helping hands joined in cleaning up, just as one would expect it to happen in a good family.
Thanks to Jalda, Anna, Sabrina and all helpers!
Let us cite two of our guests from the United States:
Sabrina comments in her blog:
"The Seder may have beeen conducted in German and it may not have included any of my relatives, but afer the 5th glass of wine it felt exactly like the Seders of my childhood".
You will find the complete blog with many photos and Anna´s and Sabrina´s delicious Seder recipes under http://www.foodandfootage.com/.
Special thanks go to Nalini for the photos on this page. She summarizes her feelings about our Seder:
"Being part of the Pesakh celebration at Ohel Hachidusch was a blessed highlight of my year. The kahal is welcoming and warm and Jalda's hosting made for a rich experience opening me to be able to taste a real bit of freedom yet again. The food was exceptional as well.- thank you to Anna and Sabrina. I can't wait to return!" -- Nalini Indorf Kaplan
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As part of the "Torah Active Kiddushim" Program the congregation Shir Tikvah from Troy/Michigan donated their Beth Jacob Torah to Ohel Hachidusch in December 2008.
The oldest parts of the Torah date back to the 18th century. It is assumed that it was written in Czechoslovakia.Therefore Shir Tikvah decided that the Torah should return to Europe. Cantor Jalda Rebling received the Torah in a moving ceremony in Michigan and brought it to Berlin.
Anna built a portable wooden Aron HaKodesch.Once its design stood the test the Torah will get a new home made of the most suitable type of wood: light-weight, airy and beautiful.
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January 2010: Thank you, Shir Tikvah for these pictures! Chajim´s ceramics for the
havdala ceremony, our wimple for the Blumenstein-Family Torah and our Ohel-documentation are at home.
(For details check article below on our torah celebration).
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This article was written by Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg from Troy/Michigan after his visit in Berlin for our mutual Torah Celebration on November 28, 2009:
Die Rolle aus Amerika
The Torah Scroll from America
FEIER Ein Rabbi aus Detroit liest aus der Tora, die seine Gemeinde Berlin schenkte
CELEBRATION A rabbi from Detroit reads from the Torah which his congregation had gifted to Berlin
So read the headlines of a feature article in the Berlin Jewish News, the “Jüdische Allgemeine.”
http://www.juedischeallgemeine.de/epaper/pdf.php?pdf=../imperia/md/content/ausgabe/2009/ ausgabe49/14.pdf
After deciding to commission the writing of a new Torah, the Board of Trustees of Congregation Shir Tikvah decided to share our good fortune by passing forward a Torah which had been gifted to us by Temple Beth Jacob in Pontiac. We sought to find a deserving, viable, egalitarian congregation for whom this would be their only Torah. A Torah donation committee was formed, applications were distributed around the world on the internet, and nine deserving applications were received. The committee narrowed the field to three and the Board of Trustees chose Ohel HaChidusch in Berlin, Germany for several reasons. First, they are egalitarian and viable with devoted leadership. Second, unlike other Berlin congregations, they are welcoming of the intermarried, as well as those who, 60 years after the Holocaust, are attempting to reconnect with their Jewish ancestry (though technically not yet Jewish themselves). And like Shir Tikvah, they are welcoming of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender community.
In Shir Tikvah’s new Ark a place of holy memory will always be kept for our Holocaust Torah. It came to us because its congregation in Eastern Europe was destroyed. However, now that there is a resurgent Jewish community in Eastern Europe, even in Germany’s capitol, it is fitting that we return a Torah, the Beth Jacob Torah, to Eastern Europe, to Berlin, in a clarion call proclaiming that Am Yisrael Chai, the People of Israel lives.
At our Dedication Ceremony last December, representing Ohel HaChidusch was their spiritual leader, Cantor Jalda Rebling. Our President, Erica Peresman and our Torah donation committee chair, Eileen Nowikowski, passed the Beth Jacob Torah to Shir Tikvah’s Holocaust survivors, Edith Bernstein, Wolf Gruca, John Kovacs and my Mom, Edith Sleutelberg, who, on our behalf, passed the Torah to Cantor Rebling.
In the most moving moment of the evening, Cantor Rebling accepted the Torah, tearfully thanked the congregation, and slowly walked off the Bima and down the aisle as the congregation equally tearfully sang, “May You Be Blessed As You Go On Your Way” by Debbie Freedman. This moment proved once again what we all know already; that as great as it is to receive, it’s even better to give.
Nearly a year later, Congregation Ohel HaChidusch hosted its Torah Consecration ceremony in the sanctuary of what was formerly a Jewish orphanage. With representatives of the Christian and Muslim faiths in attendance, 3 rabbis, 1 cantor, 20 people connected to Shir Tikvah, and dozens of others, the Beth Jacob Torah was taken from its newly constructed Ark, unwrapped from its newly embroidered Wimple, unrolled, read, and consecrated. Seven times a portion was chanted, and beautiful Divrei Torah with blessings were shared, many by Shir Tikvah members. I had the privilege of chanting the Priestly Benediction.
Irv Wengrow from Troy shared that being a part of the Kabbalat Shabbat service and Consecration helped him to know that we had made the right decision in gifting the Torah to Ohel HaChidusch. A film crew documented the evening as well as reporters from Berlin’s newspapers. It was thrilling to be a part of this historic event.
Ohel HaChidusch, because it is welcoming of those who are shunned from other congregations, has had difficulty obtaining funding or any assistance from Berlin’s Jewish community. How sad that they are discriminated against as a congregation for being open and welcoming. Many descendants of pre-war Jews are discovering their Jewish roots and are desirous of connecting with the Jewish community while pursuing conversion. Unlike other Berlin congregations, Ohel HaChidusch is welcoming of those who wish to learn, experience and grow into their Judaism.
In addition to participating in the Shabbat and Consecration services, we toured Berlin, taking in the sites of East and West, the remnants of the wall, the new government buildings, the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum, and numerous other memorials and cemeteries. But most of all, we listened to stories … of the war, the wall, Jewish life under communism, and the resurgent Jewish community.
Cantor Jalda Rebling was born in Amsterdam just after the war. At the age of 2 her family moved to East Berlin in a futile effort to help build a socialist country of the highest standards. And there she has lived ever since. She was active in the movement that ultimately tore down the wall.
In a rare swift example of “what goes around, comes around,” Cantor Jalda has accepted an offer to be Shir Tikvah’s High Holy Days Cantor this fall. Ohel HaChidusch is always lay-lead for the High Holy Days in order to be able to afford Cantor Jalda the rest of the year. She will grace our services with her angelic voice and soulful spirit. And, as Scholar-in-Residence, she will be in Troy January 15-16 for services and a Shabbat afternoon pot-luck third meal with Havdallah.
As the son of Holocaust survivors, for me anything German was loathed. Buying anything German was impossible, let alone traveling there. Many times during our trip I asked myself, “What am I doing here?” But most of the time I found myself impressed with the deliberate way modern Germany deals with its past and consciously learns from it. The Holocaust is ever present in Berlin, as it actively informs Germans how to make their present and future more civilized. It appears to me that a future holocaust could happen in most any place around the world sooner than in Germany.
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Torah celebration on the 28th of November 2009/ Erew 12. Kislew 5770
On the 28th of November 2009 a very special event took place under the roof of Ohel Hachidusch. Together with Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg and many members from the Shir Tikvah Congregation in Troy/Michigan, USA as well as a large number of participants and honorary guests we rejoiced in our Torah celebration.
Preceding history:
On the 13th of December 2008/ 17. Kislew 5769 Shir Tikvah presented the Beth Jacob Torah to our Cantor Jalda Rebling after having chosen from 9 applicants. The Rabbi of the congregation Reb Arnie Sleutelberg describes the moving ceremony:
"One of the most moving moments at Shir Tikvah was in December, when we presented our Beth Jacob Torah to Cantor Jalda to take to her congregation, Ohel Hachidusch, in Berlin, Germany at our Torah Alive! consecration service last December. Witnessing our Holocaust survivors place the Torah into her arms left us all with tears streaming down our cheeks. She accepted the Torah with tearful emotion, and then walked down the aisle as we sang “May you be blessed as you go on your way.” We knew that we were witnessing a profound moment in the history of the Jewish people as our Torah began its way to Germany." ((www.shirtikvah.org).
Shir Tikvah had received the Beth Jacob Torah as a donation in its first years of existence. Today Shir Tikvah is a strong congregation, which has its own Torah, the Blumenstein-family Torah, written by the Soferet Jan Taylor Friedman.
Instead of keeping the Beth Jacob Thora stored in the Aron Hakodesch without ever being read, the members of the congregation decided to pass on their first Torah to a small, young community, which didn’t yet have its own Torah. Nine applications from the US, Europe, South America and Israel were submitted. The board of trustees of the congregation of Shir Tikvah chose Ohel Hachidusch e.V. from Berlin.
Since one year now the Beth Jacob Thora has been in Berlin and teaches Jewish knowledge to a small, creative Jewish community. Religious services and teaching seminars take place on a regular basis. There is learning and discussions, singing and cooking, Jewishness is being celebrated.
Kabbalat Shabbat and Torah festivities:
On the 27th of November the moment had finally arrived: we could welcome Reb Arnie Sleutelberg and 19 additional members of his congregation to the Kabbalat Shabbat in Anna Adam’s studio. It was a moving service, which was held by Reb Arnie Sleutelberg together with our cantor Jalda Rebling. Chaijim Grosser offered a special surprise: he gave our guests handmade, artful ceramics for the Hawdala ceremony. Afterwards there was a Kiddush. While enjoying the delicious food lively talk and interesting conversations ensued. The relaxed and warm atmosphere raised the happy expectation for the following evening.
Our Torah celebration took place on the evening of the 28th of November. We are very thankful that we could welcome Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin, liberal Rabbi of the Jewish congregation of Berlin and Rabbi Walter Rothschild, Rabbi of the state of Schleswig-Holstein as honorary guests.
We celebrated at a historical location: the praying room of the former Jewish orphanage in Berlin-Pankow. The orphanage was founded in 1882 and housed at times up to 100 orphans. They were deported to the concentration camps in 1940. Each of us felt the emotional density of this space, in which for the first time since 1940 the Torah was read again. A large hole in the wall was purposely left untouched in the room, otherwise beautifully renovated by the Cajewitz-foundation: That was the location of the Aron Hakodesch of the orphanage, which had been torn out of the wall. Now a few meters away stood our own moveable Aron Hakodesch, built by Anna Adam, with the Beth Jacob Torah inside, whose individual parts are between 70 and 200 years old and surely have experienced a lot as well, before they were taken from, most likely, former Czechoslovakia to the United States to safety.
After the Hawdala, which was lead by Reb Arnie Sleutelberg and Cantor Jalda Rebling, Anna Adam lifted the Beth Jacob Torah out of its shrine after a short introductory speech. In a festive procession the Torah was then brought to the middle of the room and unrolled on top of a long table.
A Wimple, which had been made by all of us under the knowledgeable guidance of Ella carefully held the Torah together, presenting an Ashkenazi custom from the middle ages. We, approx. 90 people, sat in a large circle around the Torah, so that everybody was close enough to really be part. Some of us had never before been this close to a Torah.
Now came the high point of our festivity: The Beth Jacob Torah has nine seams at which the old pieces with various ages had been joined together. Precisely these sections were read aloud, commented on and honored with blessings by our three honorary guest Rabbis, by members of Shir Tikvah, by Oren Roman from Jerusalem as well as by our cantor Jalda Rebling, by Jona and by Anja of Ohel Hachidusch. Further honorary guests were Rev. Christian Zeiske of the Gethsemane Church and Myriam and Gitti-Fatima, two Muslim friends.
The Beth Jacob Torah has arrived in Berlin.
After the Torah had been brought back into the Aron Hakodesch and Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin had said the Kaddish Rabanan, Angela presented to our American guests an approx. 7 m long Ohel-roll with personal accounts and statements by our members, with photos and Ohel Hachidusch’s acclaimed Kiddush-recipes. In her speech Angela brought together many aspects of what had moved us during the celebration. Her words as follows:
“Dear Arnie, this is a little present from our group Ohel Hachidusch. Since our meeting yesterday evening and celebrating the Shabbat together, I think you and also the other members of Shir Tikvah realized how important your present of the Beth Jacob Torah has been for us. It was an important step in the process of taking on more responsibility. But for us as a group it also meant that you saw the importance of building a new Jewish religious life in Germany after the Shoah, in which also the new developments are incorporated. We want to thank you for this opportunity. This present is also like a little Torah and it includes some very personal accounts of some members of Ohel Hachidusch over the last two years, since we have become a more stable group. Many thanks for your visit to celebrate with us here in Berlin.”
Anja gave our guests from Troy a Wimple, which had also been hand-made by us, for their new Blumenstein-Family Torah. (Check below for Anja`s speech).
Then followed inspiring words by Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin.
The entire evening was woven together by all of us with songs, nigunim and chants under the direction of our cantor Jalda Rebling. Rabbi Walter Rothschild then led the Kiddush. The culinary delights had been prepared by Gaby Nonhoff and many talented hobby cooks from Ohel Hachidusch and served by many helping hands. With song and personal conversations the evening reached its end. Many thanks to all, who had made this a special spiritual experience.
Special thanks to Ruth and Daniel for translation.
(This text turned out to be extraordinarily long. However the celebration was so important for us as a community that a short description would not have sufficed).
All photos by Marco Limberg ____________________________________________________________________________
Anja´s speech when presenting the Wimpel to Reb Arnie for the Blumenstein-Family Torah:
Dear guests, dear guests from Shir Tikvah,
a genuine Jewish invention of the 16 th Century. The Wimpel is made
out of the swaddling cloth that was used
during the Brit Mila. It is then embroidered or painted and the name of the boy
is written on it . When the boy is three
years old and he accompanies his father to Shul for the first time, he hands
over his Wimpel to the community and the Torah is then wrapped with the Wimpel
of this particular boy. Until the next boy brings his and then again another
boy comes. The Wimpels that are not used anymore are kept in the Beit Knesset
and serve as a family history book of the members of the community.
The women of Ohel HaChidusch took pleasure in embroidering a Wimpel
for the new Torah of the Shir Tikvah Community and hope that this is understood
as a sign of the bond between our groups.
Thank you for donating to us this several centuries old Torah Scroll .
All women of Ohel Hachidusch embroidered at least one flower of the Wimpels for the
Blumenstein-Family Torah and our own Beth Jacob Torah.
Nov.6th to 8th 2009: Workshop with Rabbi Shefa Gold: Path of Love
We enjoyed the great privilege to experience Rabbi Shefa Gold from Jemez Spring, New Mexico, USA in a workshop here in Berlin. She is one of the leading personalities of Aleph – the Alliance for Jewish Renewal- and following the invitation of Ohel Hachidusch e.V. she came to Germany for the first time. She received her ordination from Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Her compositions and liturgies found their way into modern Siddurim. Rabbi Gold trains Rabbis, Cantors and lay leaders in the context of Kol Zimra, a special two-year program. She works with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in New York The energy and inspiration for her work she not only draws from her Jewish roots but also from Buddhist, Christian and Islamic traditions as well as from spiritual strands of native Indian culture. She creates connections, where these traditions meet one another at the access to the one source of love.
Channah summarized the particularity of this workshop as follows:
„Path of Love, which was conceptualized and realized by Rabbi Shefa Gold, is a sensitive and professional instruction for the meaningful, quiet approach to the nurturing sources of our Jewish texts. Path of Love also means to discover oneself and one’s abilities to create a community.
Structured as a Shabaton Shefa Gold lead us by means of teachings and chants far into Hawdala in the course of a unique Shabbat.
We know these texts from Siddur and Tenach, Rabbi Shefa Gold however offers us an entirely new insight into the depth and beauty of these words through her teachings. By chanting together we experience and come in contact with the force hidden in these words. In the ensuing silence we have space and time to absorb reconciliation, healing, growth and the reanimation of tenderness.
We encounter the texts with attentive minds and open hearts. Under the guidance of Rabbi Shefa Gold we learn fast and almost without noticing to be loving and caring.
Quietly yet clearly perceptible a communion is growing. We celebrate Shabbat.
At the end she poses the question: in which way do you want to take something of what you have learned into your daily life and commit yourself to living accordingly?
Path of love is a way of living.“
(Translated by Ruth and Daniel).
Rabbi Shefa Gold (right) in her workshop "Path of Love"
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Sukkot 2009
Erev Sukkot on 15th of Tischri 5770 -this year also Erev Schabbat- Anja-Riwka and her family invited us to build our sukka in their garden. As in previous years we constructed our sukka under the expert guidance of Anna. It took us 2 days but in the end our sukka was a beauty and we had lots of fun building it.Luckily we managed to finish it just before the weather drastically changed. After lighting the candles and after celebrating kiddush we were dancing and singing for a while in our temporary shelter while rain drops poured through the airy roof. Then our hosts invited us into their warm living-room to continue our celebration of shabbos and sukkot without catching a cold.The Ohel(tent)-inhabitants surpassed themselves with all the tasty creations on a festive table. It was a very successful sukkot and Schabbat celebration and our sincere thanks are given to our hosts.
Marlis V.
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Pessach 2009
2nd seder evening on 15th of April 2009/ 9th of Nissan 5769
we celebrated in Anna´s studio. Chasan Jalda lead us through the Hagadah
and showed us the road out of our personal mizrajim. Benny (3) found the
afikomen so we could finish the seder ceremony.
Many thanks to all who arranged this seder with so much joy and heart.
We were 30 persons sitting cosily crowded at our beautifully decorated
seder table, - united in Jewish traditions of many centuries.
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JULY 3, 2009: Rabbi Goodman-Thau in Berlin:
Kabbalat Schabbat Chulat Balak we had a special guest: the unorthodox orthodox Rabbi Eveline Goodman-Thau welcomed with us the bride Schabbat. Rabbi Goodman-Thau surprised us with a fascinating d´var Torah and we in turn surprised her with our Ohel dainties for Kiddush which she -being an expert cook- enjoyed very much. Since on that occasion we also celebrated Rabbi Goodman-Thau´s birthday we naturally had some gifts for her but also Ohel Hachidusch received a present: a handmade Shabbos challah cover from Jerusalem! Until late in the summer evening we sat together singing and telling stories. Rabbi Goodman-Thau is looking forward to our next meeting in the tent (ohel) and we hope to welcome her again soon.
Best wishes to you, dear Rabbi Goodman-Thau and thank you for your inspiring visit!
