THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Practice makes perfect! We are aiming for perfection in our
singing, particularly approaching the High Holy Days when
we will be revisiting some beautiful melodies which we only
get the chance to enjoy once a year. So come along and practice
on
Sunday 7th September
2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Carnon Downs Village Hall
Tea and Cakes to reward your endeavours!
Kehillat Kernow’s Kosher Kookery
This recipe comes recommended by Pat Lipert. She made
it last year for the festival and received many favourable
comments. So we can make our own at home and then go to Pat’s
for Rosh Hashanah to see if we have achieved her standard!
ROSH HASHANAH APPLE CAKE
Apple Mixture
5-6 medium Granny Smith apples
5 T sugar
2 T cinnamon
1/2c golden raisins
1/2c chopped pecans
Cake Mixture
3c all purpose flour
3 T baking powder
1c vegetable oil
1 T vanilla
2c sugar
1 T salt
1/4c orange juice
4 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325 deg. Grease a 10 inch tube or bundt pan.
Peel and cut apples into 3/4 inch pieces. Mix apples, cinnamon,
sugar, raisins and pecans together. Set aside. Mix remaining
ingredients together and beat by hand for about 5 minutes.
Pour half of the batter into the pan, and about a quater of
the apple mixture on top. Pour the balance of the cake batter
into the pan and cover with the rest of the apple mixture.
Bake between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool
on rack. Do NOT invert cake! Sprinkle with confectionary sugar.
Make the same day you use it. Serves 10 - 12.
Source: Arnie and Fay Oskin’s shul cookbook, Sisterhood
Temple Beth Israel .... bread from the earth.
Miriam Schlinger sends us this delicious fish dish
for the Days of Awe. She and her family have always enjoyed
this to break the Yom Kippur fast.
About 6 whole small fish such as rainbow trout
White (preferably unbleached) flour
Vegetable oil for frying
1/3 cup of water
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/3 cup raisins
2 to 4 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds, preferably
lightly toasted
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
spearmint leaves)
Lightly coat fish in the flour. In a large frying pan over
medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil that is 1/8 to 1/4 inch
deep. Fry the fish until they are golden brown on both sides.
Remove the fish from the pan and drain them on paper towels.
Discard any oil remaining in the pan.
Add to the pan the water, honey, vinegar, olive oil, raisins,
nuts and mint leaves. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook,
stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes to blend the flavours. Return
the fish to the pan and spoon the sauce over them. Simmer
the fish, basting often, about 5 minutes longer.
Source - The Jewish Festival Cookbook Gloria Kaufer
Greene
This ‘multi recipe’ has fed Lotte Frumkin’s
children and grandchildren over the years. Tried and tested,
it is always a favourite when the little ones visit!
Mock Salmon Rissoles
1 large onion, chopped
vegetable/olive oil for frying
medium matzo meal
1 tin chick peas, drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes
flavouring (I use a vegetarian stock cube crumbled in)
Fry the onion until transluscent. In a mixing bowl mash the
chick peas and add the tomatoes, onions, flavouring and enough
matzo meal to make a firm mixture. Form into rissoles and
bake in the oven at 180C for approx 30 mins.
To make Mock Tuna Bake, replace the chick peas with kidney
beans and press the mixture into a greased baking tin. Make
up as many ‘mock alternatives’ as you can - or create
something and let the children give it a name!
LIONS, LEOPARDS AND CHOLENT
‘How about going to South Africa for our winter holiday
this year?’ says she. Predictably I responded ‘You
must be meshuggah!! We can’t afford it, we’ll be
mugged, get malaria, beri-beri, and what about DVT? It’s
such a schlep!’
I knew I was beaten when the Weinbergs joined in to extol
the virtues of Cape Town and the Garden Route. Before I had
time to draw breath we had the tickets and an apartment in
the previously unheard of Plettenberg Bay.
We had four wonderful days in Cape Town. Table Mountain was
magnificent. The city itself was impressive especially the
restoration and improvements to the Victoria & Albert
Dock. The penguins at Boulder Beach were a sight to behold
although being a penguin seems to be pretty boring; they simply
stand around most of the time snoozing. Gloria said they reminded
her of someone - I wonder who she meant?
The Cape itself was so impressive; it was easy to see how
so many ships foundered in the Southern storms.
Then we moved on 400 miles to Plettenberg Bay, down the aptly
named Garden Route, staying overnight in the historic old
town of Swellendam. Plett, as it is known to the locals, is
an excellent holiday destination with great natural beauty
and many things to say and do. And it was within a comfortable
days drive to the remarkable Addo Elephant reserve. Here we
saw in excess of 200 elephants who were totally undisturbed
by the game trucks and came so close to us that you could
almost reach out and touch them. It was rather like being
marooned on a small island with several mountain ranges on
the move around you.
However, down to the necessities of life. We were terribly
impressed by the large range of kosher food available in all
the supermarkets. Some two weeks into our stay we spotted
in the local paper an announcement that Friday evening services
were held at the Beacon Isle Hotel. So we sallied forth and
guess what? At least 150 attended. The local community has
a small schul but it’s obviously not big enough to cope
with services. There was a tremendous enthusiasm in the congregation
and the service was led by a lay chazzan with a glorious voice.
Their cheder has some 50 pupils. It was clear to us that the
Jewish community of Plettenberg was not only alive and well;
it certainly didn’t hide its light under a bushel. They
sported the largest illuminated menorah that we had ever seen
on the roof of their tiny schul.
What next you may ask. Well we are smitten and so we are returning
this winter. Maybe this time we shall be able to sample the
Plett cholent which is a feature of every Shabbat.
Milton & Gloria Jacobson
Community matters
KERAN GILMORE REPRESENTS KK AT FAITH FORUM
On the 15th July a meeting was held in St. Ives, forming a
group representing most religions in West Cornwall. The aim
of the meeting was to discover whether such a body could make
a difference in decision making at local and at government
policy level. Keran Gilmore, a member of Kehillat Kernow,
represented our Jewish community.
Called the West Cornwall Community Network, members who attended
highlighted the fact that religious groups individually, have
problems gaining grants and funding since most sponsors of
such funds will not promote any particular religion. By meeting
as a unit which represents the various religious groups, the
WCCN believes it will have more impact. Most funding on the
local and higher government levels is allocated to large projects
and secular groups which already have their own facilities.
Individual religious groups, no matter how small, often have
equally important and pressing needs.
The people who attended this meeting (about 55 representatives
in all, mostly from the Christian community), were asked to
‘brainstorm’ and offer suggestions around four pivotal
questions:
1 How do we work with other organisations/agencies and how
can the faith communities work in partnership with other agencies
to benefit the wider community (i.e. police youth services,
social services)?
2 What barriers exist which prevent faith communities from
serving the greater community?
3 How can faith communities contribute to change at policy
and practical levels?
4 In what areas would you need more advice and support to
enable your community to engage and work more effectively
with the greater community?
WCCN will meet quarterly and Keran has agreed to represent
the Penwith area. Bonnie Rockley has offered to represent
the Kerrier district, making the Jewish representation more
balanced.
We are very grateful to Keran for attending the meeting and
bringing the information back to the community and also to
Pat Lipert for précising Keran’s notes.
The visit of Rabbi Dr. Jonathan
Sacks
The largest gathering yet of Kehillat Kernow welcomed the
Chief Rabbi on his recent visit to Truro. Dr. Jonathan Sacks
impressed us all with his sincerity and warmth and we felt
strengthened as a community by the words he spoke as well
as by his presence.
Having greeted everyone personally, Rabbi Sacks joined us
in reciting Kaddish for John Starr. He then spoke to us at
some length about the importance of small communities such
as ours, emphasising that, as he sees it, the way forward
is in sharing our strengths and growing together as a Jewish
community from a variety of traditions. He was appreciative
of the presence of all of us, orthodox, progressive and searchers.
He then went on to talk on his chosen topic - Israel - and
we were impressed by the content of his talk and also the
energy and enthusiasm with which he spoke.
Some of our younger members wrote down their thoughts shortly
after the event:
Before the Chief Rabbi arrived, there was a great amount of
tension building up in the room. As the car pulled up outside
everyone ran to the window and watched the police and different
guards approach the hotel. Jonathan Sacks (the Chief Rabbi)
was accompanied by Malcolm Wiseman. David Hampshire (my Dad)
introduced everyone to these important visitors.
Harvey Kurzfield (the Chairman) made a little speech, then
we had a small prayer from the community. Dr. Sacks did a
small speech, then a longer speech with questions at the end,
after Malcolm Wiseman had said what a pleasure it was to be
there. To me, what Dr. Sacks was saying was that you have
to be aware of what is happening throughout the world and
to see what we have got and what we do not need. Then to give
the poor people what we do not need so that everyone has enough
to live with.
It was a great pleasure to have met the Chief Rabbi and I
would like to say thankyou to everyone in the community and
to Jonathan Sacks, not forgetting Malcolm Wiseman. Ruth
Hampshire
There were policemen looking for bombs so the Chief Rabbi
could come in. He stroked my cheek and then he said really
funny jokes.
And then we had something to eat. I didn’t eat anything
but I had a chocolate biscuit when I got home. My dad was
up at the front with him. Reuven Hampshire
Before he came, Dad was asked to go for a meeting with some
policemen to ask about security. When he came a security man
came and checked under the tables and chairs for bombs. When
he was sure that the room was safe, he (the Chief Rabbi) came
in, he was not how I imagined him. I thought that he would
be tall with a long white beard and old but in reality he
was short with a small cut beard and no more than fifty-five.
He came around and shook our hands and asked us what our names
were. I told him mine (Seth) and he said that it was a brilliant
name! As I was one of the first to have my hand shaken, when
he had gone off to shake other peoples hands I went and talked
to one of the security men. He said that he had been with
the Chief Rabbi for around twelve years and it was brilliant
to work for him as he got to go all around the world with
him. Some of the places that he best remembered were Hong
Kong, South Africa and Israel (he went there three times a
year).
Then I went and sat down and the Chief Rabbi started to talk.
He said about Israel and how for the last 2.5 years with all
the terrorist bombings it equalled out at one bombing per
hour every day for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and also
that we have not had women’s votes in this country until
very recently but Israel had women voting since the first
Prime Minister. He also told some very funny stories, then
at the end (after the questions that is) he had some food
and talked to people individually. At the end when he went
I watched him go; the security guards checked the car boot,
underneath and under the seats. After all of this and when
they were sure it was safe, he got in and they drove off.
Seth Hampshire
I shook Jonathan Sacks’s (the Chief Rabbi) hand and talked
to Malcolm Weisman. We have a signed copy of “The Dignity
of Difference” by Dr. Jonathan Sacks. There were forty
odd people there, he gave a long talk. There were three policemen
outside and one in the room. When he came in the whole room
was checked for bombs and they checked all the cars. It was
very enjoyable, my dad gave a speech and so did Harvey and
Malcolm Weisman and we all clapped. One of his stories was;
The Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Canterbury who were
both Arsenal fans went to a football game and Arsenal lost
to Manchester United. So someone said that G-d did not exist
whereas the Chief Rabbi said G-d does but he is a Manchester
United fan!
Jacob Hampshire
MEMBERSHIP:
If you would like to become a member of Kehillat Kernow or
have not yet set up a standing order, the following information
is for you. The annual fee is £60 and can be paid in
one lump sum or at £5 per month. This is a minimum fee;
do not feel constrained by it! A standing order must be started
from your own bank.
If you would like any advice or help in this matter please
ring our Treasurer, Anne Hearle, on 01736 731 686
Book borrowing scheme.
Many members of the community lend books to one another on
an informal basis. This means that we can try new authors
on personal recommendation,broaden our reading experience
on the advice of those whose opinion we respect and also have
access to more books without cluttering our own shelves even
further.
We would like to extend this arrangement so that any member
of the community can benefit from our shared reading experience;
not to mention being able to reclaim our books which may be
lying discarded on someones bedside table, miserably covered
in coffee stains under a pile of forgotten magazines or even,
heaven forfend, lost in a literal dustcover under someone’s
bed.
(Please note; none of the above has ever happened to a book
belonging to any member of our community, to my knowledge,
and there was intended no reference to any person in the editor’s
experience. This was simply a literary device intended to
drive the narrative, thus capturing the reader’s imagination.)
For the princely sum of £2.50 you can register yourself
as part of the Kehillat Kernow Book Sharing Scheme. Upon registration
you will be sent 10 cards with the KK logo and your name printed
on them. There will also be a space for you to enter the name
and author of the book which you intend entering into the
scheme. A plastic pocket bearing your name will also be put
into the KKBSS file which will be kept in the cupboard at
shul with all the books which are registered. If you want
to borrow a book, simply peruse the list of registered books
in the front of said file, (or look on the website if I get
really organised) and select one to your taste. If the book
is available it will be in the cupboard and it will have the
registration card inside. Simply remove the card and place
it in the plastic pocket named after you. In this way it is
possible to trace any book to the last person who borrowed
it officially. Therefore it is important that you bring the
book back and replace its card rather than simply handing
it on to someone else.
This ingenious method will obviate the need for writing, thereby
allowing us to use it on Shabbat, our most regular and populous
meeting time.
BOOK REVIEWS
We would like to make this page a regular feature. When you
have read a book and your thoughts and reactions are fresh
in your mind, e.mail or write them to Kathleen and they will
appear in future editions of KKK. Don’t wait ’til
an edition is due: write when you feel the urge and avoid
being nagged into contributing!
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AN IN-DEPTH INSIGHT INTO 17TH CENTURY LONDON: SAMUEL PEPYS,
THE UNEQUALLED SELF BY Claire Tomalin
Covering the years in England from 1633 to 1703, Claire Tomalin,
winner of the 2002 Whitbread Book of the Year, has written
a perceptive biography of the man who gave us detailed insight
into that turbulent era, Samuel Pepys.
Born into modest circumstances, the son of a tailor, Pepys,
through sheer perversity, intellect and a grinding capacity
for hard work, achieved status, influence and power in an
age when class and connections meant everything. Tomalin’s
biography is painstakingly researched and, to its merit, is
an honest, unsentimental account of the man and the world
in which he manoeuvred. Pepys would have approved since The
Diaries for which he is so justly remembered, records
life in London with astounding openness. So open was he, that
it took three centuries before The Diaries could be
printed in unexpurgated form. His genius, charm, originality,
knowledge and successes are wonderfully counterbalanced by
his ego, selfishness, hypocrisy, duplicity and lechery. Remarkably,
most of his good and bad aspects are revealed by the man himself.
Not only does this biography give valuable insight into the
man, but perhaps more importantly, it offers a context in
which the reader can understand how it was to live in such
revolutionary times. From monarchy to Cromwell and back to
monarchy again, through religious, political and military
upheavals, plague, fires and several wars, it is a wonder
the country or anyone in it survived. Pepys, like the times
in which he lived, seesaws back and forth between these changes,
sometimes with honour, often without, as he does battle with
three kings, the aristocracy, his own and extended family,
Cromwell supporters, religious persecutors, disease, fluctuating
finances and a tempestuous wife. Never placid, always feisty,
Pepys meets each challenge with resilience and foresight.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Pat Lipert
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* * * * * * * * * * *
Let’s Not Go to the Dogs Tonight - by Alexandra
Fuller
This book reminded me so much of my time in Zambia. It is
not a novel but neither would I classify it as a straight
autobiography. Alexandra Fuller, or Bobo as she is known by
her family, gives a fascinating account of her childhood and
school years in Zimbabwe and surrounding countries as the
child of white settlers. She recounts her experiences and
observations objectively and without moral outrage or affirmation
of the sometimes shocking apparent racism which her parents
and their contemporaries exhibit. She writes with immediacy
and a liveliness which invites the reader to share the emotions,
fears and excitements of the young girl growing up. Her account
of her mother’s shattering experiences and subsequent
depression is gentle and sympathetic.
By the end of the book I had a much better understanding of
the political history of the central and southern African
countries as they struggled for independence and then struggled
with it.
Reviewed by Miriam S. Schlinger
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Everything is Illuminated - by Jonathan Safran Foer
What a brilliant first novel! This book unfolds layers and
surprises constantly, moving horizontally between seemingly
unrelated stories and vertically across the centuries until
finally all becomes clear. Safran has an amazingly inventive
and imaginative style, and he leads the reader into the intricacies
of eighteenth century shtetl life in eastern Europe as well
as into the depths and struggles of the emotions and relationships
within a fairly dysfunctional family, wounded by silence,
guilt and remorse. It deals with a well known topic (World
War two and its victims) in a wonderfully new and vital way,
using language creatively and excitingly so that not only
the tale but also the reading of it is an adventure.
It is original, funny, heart-breaking and energetic. A tremendous
achievement for such a young writer and a book which leaves
the reader richer and wiser.
Reviewed by Kathleen Hampshire
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The Edge Chronicles - by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddle
Stormchaser
This book is about a boy named Twig. He and his dad leave
Sanctaphrax to find Stormphrax, the magical substance that
is created in the heart of the great storm which comes every
fifty years. They want this substance because it weighs down
the floating rock which the town of Sanctaphrax is built on,
otherwise it will float away as the anchoring chains are breaking
due to the evil deeds of Vilnix Pompolnius.
This is the second book of a trilogy and I would recommend
them all. They are action-packed but still have a really good
story and the illustrations are brilliant. Some of them are
really scary and are just as I imagined most of the characters
would be.
Reviewed by Seth Hampshire
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We are all warriors, for we each harbor the conviction
that we were born to make a difference
Yanki Tauber
A New Experience
Do you feel excited at the thought of deepening your understanding
of our tradition?
Do you have a thirst for knowledge of the texts which form
the basis of our faith?
Do you have a desire to commit yourself to a programme of
study which will lead you further on the path of self discovery?
Then our Chavruta programme is for you!
Chavruta study is a traditional method of one-to-one Jewish
learning. ‘Chavruta’ means ‘friendship’
or ‘partnership’ and involves two people of similar
levels of ability and knowledge sitting and studying text
together.
This seemingly simple idea can open up texts in ways which
conventional teaching methods cannot. The exchange between
two people, each with their own unique perspective, leads
to greater insight and appreciation of the text. When we ‘learn
with a chavruta’, we engage with our tradition and try
ourselves to grasp some of its meanings.
Jewish learning is not about digesting vast amounts of factual
knowledge. It is meant to be a transformative experience.
When two people sit down to study, they enable each other
to think and grow. Without this we stagnate, for our very
lives depend on such growth. Hence the Talmudic saying, “Either
chavruta (one-to-one fellowship) or mituta (death)”
Our Chavruta programme will run from October (after the festivals)
through to February with fortnightly evening meetings. There
will be a charge of £10.00 to cover the venue and the
book which each participant will receive. Partners are welcome,
or come as an individual and find a partner in the group.
Details will be finalised once we know how many participants
we have. Registration is a commitment to the whole programme
rather than the odd evening here and there. All dates will
be published before we start so that you can arrange your
diary accordingly!
Seize the day! Accept the challenge! Register for the Chavruta
programme!
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch
The Rebbe sat in a state of d'veikut for a long
while. Then lifted his head and said with great feeling: "You
speak of all that you need. But you say nothing of what you
are are needed for"
Kehillat Kernow Komedy Korner
The year is 2012 and the United States of America has recently
elected the first woman as well as the first Jewish President,
a Susan Vineberg.
So the President-elect calls up her mother a few weeks after
election day: ‘So Ma, I assume you will be coming to
my inauguration?’
‘I don’t think so. It’s a ten-hour drive, and
you father isn’t as young as he used to be, and my gout
is acting up again.’
‘Don’t worry about it Mom, I’ll send Air Force
One to pick you up and take you home. And a limousine will
pick you up at your door.’
‘I don’t know. Everybody will be so fancy, I don’t
know what on earth I would wear.’
‘Oh Ma,’ replies Susan, ‘don&’t worry
about it. I’ll make sure you have a wonderful gown by
Christian Dior.’
‘Honey,’ Mom complains, ‘you know I can’t
eat those rich foods that you and your friends like to eat.’
The President-to-be responds, ‘Don’t worry Mom.
The entire affair is going to be handled by the best caterer
in New York: kosher all the way. Mom, I want you to come.’
So her mother agrees and on January 21st 2013, Susan Vineberg
is being sworn in as President of the United States of America.
In the front row, dressed in a fabulous Dior gown, sits the
new President’s mother, who leans over to a Senator sitting
next to her and whispers, ‘You see that woman over there
with her hand on the Bible, becoming President of the United
States?’
The Senator whispers back, ‘Yes I do.’
‘Her brother’s a doctor.’
* * * * * * * * * *
Four young novice nuns were about to take their vows. Dressed
in their white gowns, they came into the chapel with the Mother
Superior, and were about to undergo the ceremony to marry
them to Jesus, making them ‘Brides of Christ’.
Just as the ceremony was about to begin, four Chassidim with
shtreimels, payyos and long beards came in and sat in the
front row. The Mother Superior said to them, ‘I am honoured
that you would want to share this experience with us, but
do you mind if I ask you why you are here?’
One of the yidden replied, ‘We’re from the groom’s
family’.
