The Jewish Wedding Now, by Anita Diamant

Since 1985, The Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant sees a new edition, aimed to include the latest changes and understandings of the Jewish life in the last years, including the acceptance of same sex marriages. 'Jewish weddings are grounded in the past, but they have always been the stuff of the irrepressible present'. 

Written in an accessible way, with many interesting Biblical and tradition-bounded examples, the book offers valuable insights into both the preparation process and the event as such, covering very important elements, such as the content of the ketuba, how to split the costs or dealing with tests for identifying possible genetic diseases. My list is considerably random and reductive but it is up to the reader to find out a lot of other intersting aspects. This is one of the many merits of this book: it is hardly an aspect of the Jewish Wedding left uncovered and I wish there are such valuable resources covering other important moments of the Jewish life circle too. 

It also doesn't matter if you grew up Jewish or not or if you are part of a conservative or more liberal congregation: it creates bridges between different traditions and interpretations of the Jewish law being also a hard work of anthropolotical-like research and inquiry. If you are a person who, regardless of your own background and personal choices, you want to learn, this book will open your mind to a whole range of diverse customs, many of them newly introduced following the new society trends. 

The book is mostly focused on the main checklist, without covering particular traditions and community rules, but such a particular focus would have divert from the main aim which is The Jewish Wedding in general, and not specific Jewish wedding(s).

A book recommended to anyone curious about how the Jewish Wedding are organised or just looking for a complete overview of this important life event. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Looking the everyday evil into the eye

Jordana, granddaughter of Shoah survivors, decides to embark on a one-week trip to Germany, to the city of Lüneburg, to be part of the first week of the legal proceedings against the so-called 'accountant of Auschwitz', Oskar Gröning. 

After taking part to the March of the Living and being involved in various projects related to the Shoah, the idea of taking part at the trial of someone who was close to the Nazi killing machine sounds as a natural outcome. Being able to look into the eye of a war criminal, who for so many decades after the end of WWII was able to live a normal life after being part of the murder of at least 300,000 people was a big opportunity to get a better understanding of events hard to understand. Ambitious and decided to overcome all the obstacles, Jordana will make it to Lüneburg, and this book is the account of her experiences not only of the trial, but also of her encounters with Germans and Germany.

During 4 years and a half of operation, 1,300,000 people were deported to Auschwitz and only 200,000 survived. 6,000 members of the SS served as guards, but only 43 of them were brought to trial, and only 9 received life sentences, it is mentioned in the Introduction. An extremely limited number, given the tragedy inflicted to millions of people, and more than one generation of survivors' relatives.

Gröning's job - at the time of the trial 94 years old - was to record the goods and money stolen from people brought into the camp. After a while, he realized what was happening there and he witnessed himself the murder of an innocent child. The innocent portrait of someone who was just part of the machine, without possibility of decision-making, or because there is no other option, shows in fact the 'banality of evil'. There was the bureaucratic account that the people couldn't challenge the system and they were just pieces into the system. Gröning describes in his deposition the situation of food and drinks supplies when he arrives at the camp while people were there starving and living in conditions hardly described as human. 

The system as such couldn't work without the compliance of so many people. On the other hand, it creates the urge to keep fighting for truth, justice and restoring the chance in humanity. Although Gröningen only received 4 years and spent most of his life enjoying freedom, the lesson of his trial is that if there is a will, anyone guilty of crimes can be taken accountable. However, the reality that so many of them died peacefully in their beds without ever being questioned about their involvement in terrible crimes is hard to be at peace with. 

Jordana's inquisitive spirit is contagious and she can be taken as a good example for many youngsters. She wants to understand with her own eyes and the emotional stages she is going through are more than expectable. One of the signs of growing-up is acknowledging nuances and her own experiences and the observation of other people's reactions at the trial - including of forgiving something only G-d can - is part of this process. Meeting people like Thomas Walter, the German lawyer who challenged and extended the area of war crimes prosecution, is an example that individuals can make a difference.

This book can be easily used in schools for history lessons, but its readership extends to anyone curious in Shoah stories and testimonies.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Exhibition about head - and body covering - at the Jewish Museum Berlin

It starts with shpitzel and ends with burka...

You can approach the issue of women head covering and woman modesty in general in different, more or less controversially. For instance, one can pledge for the way in which women are usually requested to submit to rules mostly elaborated by men or the historical perspective can be chosen, by outlining the religious and traditional reasons that lead to the adoption of a certain custom. 

The newest exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin is dedicated to exactly this topic. I had some mixed feelings about going there, particularly after being very disappointed about the simplistic - to say the least - way in which the fascinating topic of Golem was presented last autumn. 

But it seems disappointment can only go further. It a convenient way close to the multi-kulti concept usually associated to the city of Berlin, the Jewish head covering and modesty approaches are presented together with burqa and nun clothes. Indeed, there are approaches to modesty, but I dare to say that there are many different interpretation of the same concept, but the power of the curious mind is to outline and trace the differences, instead of creating simplistic versions.

In fact, I would have been very curious to explore the eventual similarities and synergies in the case of the attitude towards women in Oriental communities. Or a historical evolution about how the rules in the case of Jewish women head covering became stricter and more elaborated in the last decade. Or, I would have even accepted to see a rebelious approach on head covering, including the moment when women can chose not to cover their head, while adherring to the Orthodox religious principles. Or...or...The list is too long, but none of my curious inquieries were answered. Instead, I was offered an undefinite setting aimed at illustrating the topic, but without properly saying anything. More than being confusing, such a stance is disappointing and I have only to regret that (just) another interesting topic was destroyed willingly by a 'fast-food' like approach. Turning any topic into a popular culture (maybe one of the best exhibitions at this museums I enjoyed in the last years was about super heroes and comics so maybe there is an exclusive knowledge potential for such topics) issue doesn't work for any subjects. 

About the niggun

Recently, I've been told about a kind of project some modern Hasidim have to create instrumental version of niggunim loved by their group. (Yeah, it took me some diplomatic second thinking to create this sentence). Mostly, there are Shabbes and Yom Tov songs that were never translated into the 'rational' language of the scores.

Since the idea of the app with music for Shabbes and Yom Tov - I do have my own NCSY Bencher app, promoted by the Orthodox Union, which I do have too and I love the songs - it seems that we are slowly getting used with the mix between the usual things reserved only for the time of rest and the rest of the week. I don't think it is fine and I am curious enough to want to have or listen to them during the week or before Shabbes. 

But when it comes to niggun, the beauty of it is the sound of human voice, the lack of words which is like a deep cry from the human heart to the heavenly courts. There are no gates left closed after that. Nothing compares for me to the beauty of a Karliner niggun, sung by the innocent voices of children. 

The return to music into the synagogues in the 18th century is the work of the Baal Shem Tov, which considered songs another mystical layer of the prayer. The pace of the music can express various feelings and mystical stages, from meditation, to slow reflection and happiness and the recent-times Kabbalists are praising niggunim as an easier way to reach G-d.

Therefore, do we need instrumental versions of niggunim? One of the things I love more about them is how easy is to create improvisations and to develop some themes spontaneously, the power of the individual voice that can lead and change the pace entirely. Like life, sometimes you go on an unbeaten path and reach new symbols and values and reasons of growth. 

And I know that I will rather prefer that other things are becoming more modernised, while the raw beauty of niggunim is left unaltered.