Every Jew living in America today has his or her own geographical roots. Our Judaism, our heritage, our customs and our traditions have a past connecting us in the present to where our families came from before it was decided to settle here in America. For many of us who were born in the States, it is our task to always remember where we came from geographically and to carry on our genealogy (our "Family Trees") for the generations that will follow us and will want to know where they came from.
For many Jews in America today, Judaism is rooted in Ashkenazic tradition. Whether our families come from places like Russia, Poland or Lithuania the Ashkenazic community certainly has embedded its roots here in American Jewry. The great customs of Ashkenazic Jewry include the way Hebrew words are pronounced, the types of food that are eaten during certain Jewish Holidays or who children are named after (in the Ashkenazic world, it is a custom to name after those who are no longer living to keep their memory alive). It seems to be that in American Jewish Education today, the focus of Judaism and the way it is practiced, is based on the history and customs of Ashkenazic Jewry. But there are so many other places that Jews came from before settling here in America.
The Sephardic Jews, who have now also settled in America (especially here in Miami, Florida) mostly originated in places like Spain and Portugal. The way Hebrew is recited, the foods that Sephardic Jews eat during certain Jewish Holidays and who children are named after in the Sephardic world (unlike Ashkenazic Jews, Sephardic Jews name their children after the living) provides a beautiful and holy diversity that enriches our tradition.
Over the last year, Bet Shira has created a Sephardic/Latin American Jewish Learning Experience which has exceeded our expectations. The opportunity has opened the door to learn about our different cultures and our traditions that we might never have been exposed to before. A big thank you goes to our Congregational President, Ron Rosengarten and our Cantor, Mark H. Kula for being the ones who have envisioned such a powerful and wonderful program for all of us to take part of and participate in.
As a culmination of our learning this year, this summer, we as a congregation will take our first ever Bet Shira Trip to Spain which will end in the land of Israel. We will explore and see first hand our Jewish Sephardic Roots and learn about some of the greatest Jewish leaders in our history who were Sephardic Jews living in Spain (we will be visiting places such as Madrid, Toledo and Cordoba). If you are interested in experiencing a different and unique opportunity to see who we are as a Jewish people, this is a trip that you do not want to miss. The deadline for registering for the trip is the beginning of March. If you have any questions, please contact me at the office. The trip dates are June 3-June 18, 2007 and will be an unforgettable experience! Spain has a respect and a love for the Jewish people today and we will certainly see that on our trip!
King Juan Carlos of Spain once said the following in a 1987 address he delivered to the Sephardic Jewish Community of Los Angeles:
"The search for an identity and respect for the traditions that characterize the Jewish people have been forged in the setting of countless adverse and difficult circumstance: unjust and unnecessary expulsions (referring primarily to the expulsion from Spain in 1492), persecution and intolerance, culminating, more recently, in the tragedy of the Holocaust. From all this adversity, the Jewish people were able to draw teaching with a view to consolidating their faith and their traditions, in an exemplary struggle for their survival. Today's Spain is proud of its close kinship with the Jewish community. The Jewish people have contributed in a very special way to the prosperity of our great country."
The Jewish people both of the Ashkenazic and Sephardic worlds have given life to our Judaism with customs, rituals, traditions and foods that are like no other. We must never forget where we came from. We must read about our past, "VISIT" our past, and never forget our past, because we have the obligation to remember and never forget.
Kol Tuv, See you In Spain and Israel This Summer,
Rabbi Micah Caplan
