The Kosher Eater Nation Blog - The Rohr Chabad at UC Irvine

Honoring the Fogels

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - 9:55 PM

On March 15th, Chabad hosted a candlelight vigil in honor of the 5 members of the Fogel family who were tragically murdered in their home on March 11th. Students as well as community members attended the vigil, and people lit candles in honor of the family. Several students, along with Rabbi Zevi and some community members, said a few words about the catastrophic event and how it's effecting us here. At the end of the event, they handed out Shabbat candles for women to light this Friday in honor of the Fogel's. Over 15,000 women have become members of the facebook page "Women Unite by Lighting Shabbat Candles in Memory of Family Murdered."

Although this terrible occurrence happened thousands of miles away, it was very humbling to realize that the Jewish community here in Irvine still feels so connected and so effected by this event. Our support and desire to honor the Fogel family demonstrates our strength and unity as a Jewish people. We will always keep the memory of the Fogel's in our hearts.

Chinese Shabbat

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - 10:48 PM

Chinese Shabbat was a welcoming and delightful occasion, as is every Shabbat evening at Chabad. Chinese Shabbat was an insightful night as well. Rabbi Zevi reminded us of the many Jewish people that lived in Shanghai who escaped the Holocaust, including his own relatives. Shanghai accepted over thirty-thousand Jewish refugees during World War II. After Rabbi Zevi's reminder, the night felt like a time to appreciate the Chinese and what they had done for our people. It is important to experience other cultures and be able to adapt to the world around us especially when times of change do strike, while still retaining our Jewish identity.

Chinese Shabbat made a few changes to the usual Shabbat menu, such as wonton soup in lieu of matzo ball soup and large egg rolls instead of a more familiar dinner side. Courtesy of Miriam's hard work in the kitchen, Chinese Shabbat conveyed the ability to still have a beautiful traditional Shabbat, despite the bit of delicious, cultural change in food and all around feel.

Coffee and Conversation

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - 7:09 PM

Connection is the word that comes to mind when I think about the Chabad Women’s Circle meeting. For me, the meeting was a timeout from my busy schedule when I could connect with other women over learning, traditions, coffee, and of course our passion for our Jewish identities. My Jewish knowledge up to this point in my life comes from my years spent in Hebrew school, a few stays in Israel, and my own family traditions, but coming together with other women gave me the chance to see the important role a woman plays in Judaism, something I did not learn as much about in my elementary Jewish education.

Three Coffee cups.jpg Each meeting focused on one of the three mitzvoth required of women. Through learning about these, connections were forged not only among us in the group, but with the centuries of Jewish women who have carried out these same mitzvoth. My favorite that we discussed was the lighting of Shabbat candles, because at the same moment one woman lights candles on Shabbat, women all over the world are doing the same. A beautiful picture, a la Fiddle on the Roof pops up in my mind of homes lit up across the community, all in celebration of Shabbat, connecting Jewish women as they carry out the traditions of their female ancestors.

I recently traveled to Israel where I celebrated Shabbat with a host family. Before sundown the mother, daughter and I lit candles. It was a time to reflect on welcoming Shabbat, to think about how in ten hours the women I knew back home would be doing the same, and how connections can be made with the simplest of gestures, such as candle lighting, braiding a loaf of challah, or coming together to lean with other bright, young, Jewish women. The women I have met in the Women’s Circle are the ones I can learn with, learn from, and share inspiration, all in the name of deepening our connections with our Jewish roots, and cementing our place as women in the modern Jewish world.