The first night of Passover and Shabbat were celebrated with gusto on Friday, the 30^th of March by members of Kehillat Kernow and many visitors from around the world and greater England.

It was more than sufficient and an exuberant first night of Seder from start to finish.

Beginning with the lighting of the Shabbat and Yom Tov candles, the welcoming words from Chairman Jeremy Jacobson, the leading of the Haggadah reading with Life President Harvey Kurzfield, the four questions delivered by our children, to the after dinner service led by Adam Feldman, KK Vice Chairman, it is no wonder that our Pesach celebration is so popular.

It was a night to remember our past, a time to rejoice in all we have, and a hope for a safe, auspicious new year.

Many thanks to Anne Hearle who organises our first night of Pesach along with her family, David, Noah, Leah and Elisha to perfection, to all the chefs who catered to everyone’s needs, to our service leaders, Harvey and Adam and to Jeremy and Leslie Lipert who see to so many of the necessary details.

Hag Sameach! Next Year in Jerusalem and Cornwall!

To see pictures click here.

On 2nd April, Godfrey and Winifred Simmons’ son, Bernard, together with his wife, Barbara and daughter Rachael came to Penzance from Bristol to see the recently installed memorial plaque.

Thirteen members of Kehillat Kernow took a trip to the Courney Library at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro on Sunday, the 25^th of March, to see their collection of Jewish manuscripts. The various scrolls, sedurim and related documents of the Jews of Cornwall, were arranged especially for private exhibition for the community by Angela Broome, librarian.

Of special interest were three Torah scrolls once used by the Falmouth Jewish Community until the end of the 19^th century. A fourth scroll, now in Kehillat Kernow’s possession having been donated to our community from the Museum, is used in special services. A minute Megillah, a scroll of The Book of Esther, written in impeccable handwriting by a very gifted sofer, was remarkable for its condition and almost microscopic perfectly lettered script. In addition, an 18^th century Italian Haggadah for Pesach, along with a personal prayerbook of Alfred De Pass, a major donor to the museum’s art and cereamic collection, was seen.

Many other items of historical interest were also on display.

Following the visit, members were given a tea in the adjacent café courtesy of Kehillat Kernow. Arrangements for this special visit were done by Chairman Jeremy Jacobson, Secretary Rachel Brown and Angela Broome.

Click here to view pictures in the Gallery

The value of KK’s Arnold and Leatrice Levine Library was more than amply verified on Saturday, 10^th of March when members of the community, armed with their reading fare, mostly borrowed from the KK Library, convened at Malpas Village Hall.   A four-hour discussion of the books we had read not only provided vast amounts of Jewish information we didn’t know before, but also provoked much thought and lively discussion while feasting over a vast array of gourmet goodies.

All subjects from Jewish history, anecdotes, archaeology, fiction and non-fiction to commentary on man’s relationship to God through the ages were covered.

We began with the musical adaptation of liturgical music composed by Isaac Feldman and went into the intricacies of Abraham’s affect on Christianity and Islam,, the Jewish position in a myriad of societies from 1492 to 1900, heard about some of the more fascinating finds at Masada, spoke of Amoz Oz and Herman Wouk, and ended up with a multitude of examples of cultic and non-cultic deific worship in human beings search for spirituality.

If you are missing out on our Film-Book-Food Club, make sure you re-arrange your schedules because the next event is already in the process of being organised.

To see photos of the evening click here.