Sheep in an artist's garden.
Geula Nachmias is the artist.
Moshav Nevatim in the Negev is the place.
.
You can much enlarge the pictures to enjoy the details of the "wool."
.
Showing posts with label Nevatim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nevatim. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Blue sheep
.
Sheep in an artist's garden.
Geula Nachmias is the artist.
Moshav Nevatim in the Negev is the place.
.
You can much enlarge the pictures to enjoy the details of the "wool."
.
Sheep in an artist's garden.
Geula Nachmias is the artist.
Moshav Nevatim in the Negev is the place.
.
You can much enlarge the pictures to enjoy the details of the "wool."
.
Monday, October 28, 2013
From India to Israel--a big change
.
For several days the blog has been showing Moshav Nevatim in the Negev desert.
Here is their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center.
Click to enlarge and start to plan your visit.
The walls of the lecture and video room are covered with wonderful old photographs of the Cochin communities.
Here above are the young men of Kehilat Ernakulam over half a century ago.
The left photo is from 1952.
About then the Jews starting leaving India in order to immigrate to Israel.
Our guide at the museum emphasized that the different religious groups in India lived together in sovlanut and savlanut, with tolerance and patience, and there was no anti-semitism.
And here the men are already at Nevatim, a moshav (a collective agricultural settlement) in the desert, working hard picking apricots in the 1970s.
The Cochin Jews were also settled on four other moshavim when they made aliyah in the mid 1950s.
Nevatim had previously been abandoned and the group found primitive and difficult conditions on their arrival in 1954, and they were not used to working in agriculture.
But they were dedicated to the homeland of Israel and they took up the task of working hard to make their little patch of desert bloom.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
.
UPDATE Nov. 12: A new article appeared today, very interesting:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-jewish-war-hero-and-the-last-vestige-of-a-dying-indian-community/
Lt. Gen. Jacob, an old hero living in New Delhi, says "India has always been very good to us. I am very proud to be a Jew, but am Indian through and through. I was born in India and served here my whole life; this is where I want die.”
“The only place I encountered anti-Semitism was from the British in their army,” he says. “Among Indians it does not exist.”
.
For several days the blog has been showing Moshav Nevatim in the Negev desert.
Here is their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center.
Click to enlarge and start to plan your visit.
Here above are the young men of Kehilat Ernakulam over half a century ago.
The left photo is from 1952.
About then the Jews starting leaving India in order to immigrate to Israel.
Our guide at the museum emphasized that the different religious groups in India lived together in sovlanut and savlanut, with tolerance and patience, and there was no anti-semitism.
And here the men are already at Nevatim, a moshav (a collective agricultural settlement) in the desert, working hard picking apricots in the 1970s.
The Cochin Jews were also settled on four other moshavim when they made aliyah in the mid 1950s.
Nevatim had previously been abandoned and the group found primitive and difficult conditions on their arrival in 1954, and they were not used to working in agriculture.
But they were dedicated to the homeland of Israel and they took up the task of working hard to make their little patch of desert bloom.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
.
UPDATE Nov. 12: A new article appeared today, very interesting:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-jewish-war-hero-and-the-last-vestige-of-a-dying-indian-community/
Lt. Gen. Jacob, an old hero living in New Delhi, says "India has always been very good to us. I am very proud to be a Jew, but am Indian through and through. I was born in India and served here my whole life; this is where I want die.”
“The only place I encountered anti-Semitism was from the British in their army,” he says. “Among Indians it does not exist.”
.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Honoring the Torah, the elder, and the females
.
Here is more from our visit to the Cochin Jewish Heritage Center in Nevatim.
(Please see my last few posts for more about the Jews of India.)
"Torah case adorned with chains (tali or niyali) and Torah crown.
Parur and Ernakulam,
late 19th - early 20th century.
Case: wood covered with silver sheet.
Crown and chain: silver repousse."
"In honor of [the Simchat Torah holiday], a manara (elevated platform covered with a canopy and decorated with Torah ark curtains) is erected in the synagogue, upon which the Torah scrolls are placed."
(Quotations are copied from the museum's signage.)
"The common practice of the community was to circle around the Torah ark seven times. . . .
The circling around was attended by songs from the Kolas, the songbook of the Cochin Jews, and by dancing before the Torah.
. . . The women participated more actively in this holiday than in others and even came downstairs to kiss the Torah. The girls, moreover, were permitted to join in the Shevah Hakefot [the circling] alongside the boys.
. . .
At the conclusion of the day, all members of the community escorted the eldest member to his home, whereupon they received his blessing and then continued in the dancing and celebration."
.
Miri, our wonderful guide at the Heritage Center, said they still do all these in Nevatim, their moshav in the Negev where the museum is located.
.
Here is more from our visit to the Cochin Jewish Heritage Center in Nevatim.
(Please see my last few posts for more about the Jews of India.)
"Torah case adorned with chains (tali or niyali) and Torah crown.
Parur and Ernakulam,
late 19th - early 20th century.
Case: wood covered with silver sheet.
Crown and chain: silver repousse."
"In honor of [the Simchat Torah holiday], a manara (elevated platform covered with a canopy and decorated with Torah ark curtains) is erected in the synagogue, upon which the Torah scrolls are placed."
(Quotations are copied from the museum's signage.)
"The common practice of the community was to circle around the Torah ark seven times. . . .
The circling around was attended by songs from the Kolas, the songbook of the Cochin Jews, and by dancing before the Torah.
. . . The women participated more actively in this holiday than in others and even came downstairs to kiss the Torah. The girls, moreover, were permitted to join in the Shevah Hakefot [the circling] alongside the boys.
. . .
At the conclusion of the day, all members of the community escorted the eldest member to his home, whereupon they received his blessing and then continued in the dancing and celebration."
.
Miri, our wonderful guide at the Heritage Center, said they still do all these in Nevatim, their moshav in the Negev where the museum is located.
.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Moving up
.
In the previous posts we've been talking about the synagogue of Nevatim in the Negev,
the one built by the resident Jews, who originally immigrated from Cochin, India.
Now come up the stairs to the women's section of the synagogue.
What surprised me to hear from Miri, our guide, was that in their Cochin tradition, women have long been taught to read Torah!
So the Torah scroll in taken from the holy ark on the main floor and brought up to the upper gallery to this table where the Torah portion of the day is chanted for all to hear--both the women in the balcony and the men below ("out of the depths I cried to You . . . ").
I am not saying that women chant the Torah on Shabbat (our guide did not say that), but with their learning it is natural for them to want to be close to the scroll.
The vertical blinds of the mechitsa screen look quite see-through and easy to open, if the women are so inclined.
Our tour group from Meitar learned a lot of good things at Nevatim, both in their synagogue and at their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center.
.
UPDATE: The Times of Israel just now published this article about a new historical novel about the Baghdadi Jews of Kolkata (Kolkata/Calcutta being on the opposite side of the Indian sub-continent from Cochin).
.
In the previous posts we've been talking about the synagogue of Nevatim in the Negev,
the one built by the resident Jews, who originally immigrated from Cochin, India.
Now come up the stairs to the women's section of the synagogue.
What surprised me to hear from Miri, our guide, was that in their Cochin tradition, women have long been taught to read Torah!
So the Torah scroll in taken from the holy ark on the main floor and brought up to the upper gallery to this table where the Torah portion of the day is chanted for all to hear--both the women in the balcony and the men below ("out of the depths I cried to You . . . ").
I am not saying that women chant the Torah on Shabbat (our guide did not say that), but with their learning it is natural for them to want to be close to the scroll.
The vertical blinds of the mechitsa screen look quite see-through and easy to open, if the women are so inclined.
Our tour group from Meitar learned a lot of good things at Nevatim, both in their synagogue and at their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center.
.
UPDATE: The Times of Israel just now published this article about a new historical novel about the Baghdadi Jews of Kolkata (Kolkata/Calcutta being on the opposite side of the Indian sub-continent from Cochin).
.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
India in the Negev -- the synagogue
.
In the previous post we arrived at a small moshav/village in the Negev called Nevatim.
I promised to show you more than just the food.
But first I want you to see this top photo of the Paradesi synagogue in Cochin (or Kochi), India.
The Times of Israel, in its series "See in Cochin," says
The rest immigrated to Israel, beginning in the early 1950s.
Wiki says Israel has over 70,000 Indian Jews; and our guide, Miri, said 6,000 Cochin Jews now live in Israel (counting those who "married in").
Now look at the synagogue built by the Cochin Jews of Nevatim in Israel!
The same almost!
Standing by the bima is Mira, who welcomed our Meitar group and guided us in their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center and in their synagogue.
Here is the Torah ark (aron kodesh).
The view from up in the women's gallery.
Close-up of the doors of the holy ark.
(All my photos can be much enlarged with two clicks.)
.
In the next few days I will take you upstairs to where the women pray and tell you about a Cochin tradition that will surprise you.
.
Meanwhile, if you want more information se
http://cochinsyn.com/page-cochin-heritage-ctr.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochin_jews
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_India
http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-planet/cochin/locations/jewish-heritage-tour/
http://www.cochin.org.uk/tourist-attractions/jewish-synagogue.html
.
UPDATE Nov.16, 2013: Prince Charles and his wife spent his 65th birthday today being welcomed in the Pardesi synagogue in Cochin. See the video.
(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday meme.)
.
In the previous post we arrived at a small moshav/village in the Negev called Nevatim.
I promised to show you more than just the food.
(Photo credit: CC BY Wouter Hagens/Wikipedia public domain)
But first I want you to see this top photo of the Paradesi synagogue in Cochin (or Kochi), India.
The Times of Israel, in its series "See in Cochin," says
This synagogue was first built in 1568 and is the oldest synagogue in India as well as the entire British Commonwealth. The interior is beautifully decorated with clear influence taken from the Indian trade routes of Europe, China, and the Middle East. This foreign influence is a direct reflection of the varying origins of the Jews of Kochi.I might add that only a few dozen Jews remain today in Cochin.
The Paradesi Synagogue is one of seven in Kochi, however it is the only one still functioning. The original synagogue was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 17th century and later rebuilt with the help of the Dutch.
The rest immigrated to Israel, beginning in the early 1950s.
Wiki says Israel has over 70,000 Indian Jews; and our guide, Miri, said 6,000 Cochin Jews now live in Israel (counting those who "married in").
Now look at the synagogue built by the Cochin Jews of Nevatim in Israel!
The same almost!
Standing by the bima is Mira, who welcomed our Meitar group and guided us in their Cochin Jewish Heritage Center and in their synagogue.
Here is the Torah ark (aron kodesh).
The view from up in the women's gallery.
Close-up of the doors of the holy ark.
(All my photos can be much enlarged with two clicks.)
.
In the next few days I will take you upstairs to where the women pray and tell you about a Cochin tradition that will surprise you.
.
Meanwhile, if you want more information se
http://cochinsyn.com/page-cochin-heritage-ctr.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochin_jews
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_India
http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-planet/cochin/locations/jewish-heritage-tour/
http://www.cochin.org.uk/tourist-attractions/jewish-synagogue.html
.
UPDATE Nov.16, 2013: Prince Charles and his wife spent his 65th birthday today being welcomed in the Pardesi synagogue in Cochin. See the video.
(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday meme.)
.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Through a sandstorm to the Cochin Jewish Heritage Center
.
Two van-loads of Meitar folks drove through a desert sandstorm this morning to reach this place in the Negev.
What's under the big top?
A circus??
No!
Something better--a lunch prepared by the women of Nevatim!
Nice chicken, rice, salads.
Thankfully, not with TOO much Indian spices.
Tapioca pudding-type dessert with silvery pearl tapioca "beads."
Lunch was served after we had a fascinating lecture and video about the Jews of India, a guided tour of the Cochin Jewish Heritage Center, and a visit to the moshav's beautiful synagogue built in the Kerala style.
I'll try to post those photos over the coming days (grandchildren permitting).
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors and to Our World Tuesday.)
.
Two van-loads of Meitar folks drove through a desert sandstorm this morning to reach this place in the Negev.
What's under the big top?
A circus??
No!
Something better--a lunch prepared by the women of Nevatim!
Nice chicken, rice, salads.
Thankfully, not with TOO much Indian spices.
Tapioca pudding-type dessert with silvery pearl tapioca "beads."
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
These two women are part of the Cochin Jewish community who started to leave Kerala in the early 1950s and immigrate to the young state of Israel.Lunch was served after we had a fascinating lecture and video about the Jews of India, a guided tour of the Cochin Jewish Heritage Center, and a visit to the moshav's beautiful synagogue built in the Kerala style.
I'll try to post those photos over the coming days (grandchildren permitting).
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors and to Our World Tuesday.)
.
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
In
the framework of the Agriculture and Tourism Ministries' 'Village 2000'
program, Nevatim was recognized as a 'Tourism-oriented Village' with
the aim of developing tourism as an alternative to the declining economy
of family farms. - See more at:
http://www.ica-is.org.il/en/projects/bnei-shimon-regional-council#sthash.Eka8Df1G.dpuf
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