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→ 19 December 2019
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Windy Chanukah celebration in Wellington | J-Wire

It wasn’t an equal contest today on the stage at Wellington’s Botanic Garden Sound Shell – Wellington’s wind v. a large Hannukiah. The wind toppled the candelabra, split it in half, smashed the glass candle-holders, and scattered the candles.

But the show went on. Wellington Mayor Andy Foster, Israeli Ambassador Itzhak Gerberg, National MP Alfred Ngaro, former Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, Jewish community and interfaith leaders were staunch with lighting the eight candles – lined up on a table – in spite of the continuing wind gusts. The Hanukkah ceremony continued with singing, Klezmer music provided by The Kugels, and Israeli dancing.

Earlier, when the dignitaries gave short addresses, Mayor Andy Foster made a statement that gave comfort and pleasure to the Jews in the crowd.

He said that he personally supports the adoption by Wellington City Council of the widely-recognised definition of antisemitism written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and will recommend it to City Councillors as a way of supporting the Wellington Jewish community, which he said had contributed a lot to the city over the years.

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→ 29 October 2019
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Being Jewish in New Zealand and the concerning rise of antisemitism | North & South

Juliet Moses

Growing up in Auckland, I knew I was a bit different.

Christmas wasn’t a big deal for me. My family didn’t have a Christmas tree and a wreath on our door, and 25 December was the most boring day of the year. Often, we would travel to a holiday destination on that day. Once, we excitedly discovered the movies were on, and had pretty much the entire theatre to ourselves.

Around Easter, my customary school lunchbox sandwiches got replaced with thin, dry tasteless crackers that my friends would ask to try, but only once.

On Sunday mornings, I begrudgingly went to a special school – listening to Bad Jelly the Witch on the radio as we carpooled there – where I learned a script we read from right to left. Sometimes I would use words I thought were part of every family’s lexicon, but when I was greeted with blank stares I realised they were Yiddish. When the subject of World War II came up, or what was happening in the world, I often sensed a raw and bitter pain in my grandmother.

Yes, I knew I was a bit different, but I was proud to be Jewish. My family, although not religious, was observant. I had a bat mitzvah (a coming-of-age ceremony) when I turned 13. Some of the highlights of the year for me were the Jewish festivals, when we took a day off school to attend synagogue and gather together with close family friends for a ceremonial dinner that included much rowdiness and hilarity.

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→ 7 October 2019
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Ask Me Anything with R Ariel Tal recordings available now

Rabbi Ariel Tal

Last September, Christchurch members were treated to an Ask Me Anything session with Rabbi Ariel Tal of the Wellington Jewish Community Centre.

An enthusiastic and engaging speaker, the crowd were quickly fascinated and intrigued with his answers to questions relating to himself, Judaism and what it is like to live as a Jew in New Zealand.

We’re pleased to announce the video recording of the event is now available. A separate audio file is also available in the same folder. Many thanks to David Allen for making the recordings.

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→ 26 July 2019
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Is Jesus Good for the Jews? | Wall St Journal

NZFOI: A particularly relevant and timely piece, after Golriz Ghahraman’s recent allegations that Jesus was a “Palestinian refugee.”

Was Jesus a Jew? The idea shouldn’t be controversial. Yet there have been plenty of attempts to challenge his connection to Judaism. Dissociating Jesus from his Jewishness has a dark history that continues to poison discourse today.

In the early 20th century, the anti-Semitic and racist German-British philosopher Houston Stewart Chamberlain argued that while Judaism provided the religious background for Jesus, he “had not a drop of genuinely Jewish blood in his veins.” The Nazis picked up on this thread. As Hitler consolidated power, German theologians insisted that Jesus was not a Jew but an Aryan, descended from Galilean gentiles.

In the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has sought to sever Jesus’ religion from his nationality or ethnicity. In a 2014 Christmas message, Mr. Abbas called Jesus “a Palestinian messenger of love, justice and peace.” This remains a common refrain from anti-Israel activists.

Sometimes this rhetoric is aimed at erasing Judaism from the religious and moral history of Western civilization. Other times it’s an attempt to undercut Jewish appeals to a uniquely ancient relationship with the land of Israel. Either way, these objections place Jews in a complicated position.

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→ 14 May 2019
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Bless Israel NZ 2019 Video Available

Nations Bless Israel held their nationwide event last Sunday. 

Around sixty communities from all over New Zealand connected in to collectively participate in the event via a livestream.  H E Ambassador Gerberg and Rt Hon Alfred Ngaro attended the event. 

Since its first event two years ago, the movement has started extended its reach overseas, with events planned in seven other countries.

For those unable to attend, the event can be viewed by clicking this link. 

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→ 6 May 2019
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Afghanistan’s one and only Jew | BBC

Zablon Simintov

The BBC has interviewed the last remaining Jew in Afghanistan.  It’s sad and poignant viewing.  

Sixty-year-old Zablon Simintov was born and brought up in Afghanistan’s Jewish community, but now he is the only one remaining.

Despite pressure to convert to Islam, he says he’ll keep practicing his faith.

Click here to watch the video.

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→ 18 April 2019
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How to Conduct a Passover Seder | My Jewish Learning

Participating in a seder at a table set for a traditional Passover seder.

This article provides a breakdown of the : each major component and the order in which it traditionally occurs. For more details, including readings, words to the blessings and other materials, you will want to consult a Haggadah.

Note: Before the seder begins, the host traditionally lights the holiday candles and says the blessing.

Barukh atah Eloheynu melekh ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lehadlik ner shel yom tov.

1. Kadesh — Kiddush

Blessing the wine at the start of the meal. On Friday, the biblical section specific to the Sabbath is added. On Saturday evening, add the section separating sanctity of Sabbath from the sanctity of holy day.

2. Urhatz –Wash

Washing preparation for eating vegetable entree (Karpas). Since the need for such washing was questioned, no blessing is required. It is good to go around to each of the participants, pouring water over the hands from a pitcher into a bowl.

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→ 15 February 2019
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Archaeologists Find First-ever Philistine Cemetery in Israel | Haaretz

Cemetery in ancient Ashkelon, dating back 2700-3000 years, proves the Philistines came from the Aegean, and that in contrast to the conventional wisdom, they were a peaceful folk.

A huge Philistine cemetery some 3000-years-old has been found in the Mediterranean seaport of Ashkelon. The manner of the burials proves, for the first time, that the Philistines had to have come from the Aegean Sea region, and that they had very close ties with the Phoenician world.

“Ninety-nine percent of the chapters and articles written about Philistine burial customs should be revised or ignored now that we have the first and only Philistine cemetery,” says Lawrence E. Stager, Dorot Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, Emeritus, at Harvard University.

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→ 14 February 2019
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We are anti-Zionist Jews, we are not anti-Semitic | NZ Herald

This is controversial, what are your thoughts on it?

When Defence Minister Ron Mark met Israel’s Prime Minister on January 27, Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as asking New Zealand to change its definition of anti-semitism so that it includes political opposition to Zionism.

Netanyahu’s office website reports that he told Mark, “The main attack against the Jewish people today is the attacks against the Jewish state and the attempt to delegitimise the very right of the Jewish people for a state of their own. This is called anti-Zionism, and we ask not only all our friends, but all decent countries everywhere to include [in] the definition of anti semitism, anti-Zionism as well. And so I’ve just made that request from you as well.”

We write as two committed Jews, members of a synagogue, engaging in regular prayer and daily study. We believe in the enduring, prophetic school of Jewish thought. As per our understanding of our religion, law and justice, we are not Zionists.

For that, Netanyahu would like you to call us anti-semites – pathological Jew-haters. He would deny us the right to challenge Israel’s actions, as we challenge the actions of any state (including our own). If New Zealand forecloses on political debate in this way, it will forfeit its potential role in seeking justice for Israel-Palestine.

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→ 17 December 2018
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Verses and Reality – What the Koran really says about Jews | AIR

The question of the Koran’s attitude toward Jews is not merely a theoretical-academic matter. Because of the centrality of the Koran in the life of the Muslim and of Muslim communities past and present, this question has had, and still has in our day, a fundamental influence on the formation of attitudes toward Jews. True, this is not the only factor and more everyday ones also come into play. But the topic remains an important one to study and become familiar with.

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