A gift from friends. And an excellent read!
Whenever heated Karaite-Rabbanite polemics pop up these days, my initial reaction is to roll my eyes and sigh,”It’s not the Middle Ages anymore.”
Although such diatribes were once commonplace – and A Blue Thread has discussed some of them – I really try not to get lost in the rhetoric of yesteryear.
In that regard, I love finding information that turns these historical notions of strife upside-down.
Filed under Dr. Rustow, Jerusalem, Karaite Rabbanite Relations, Sukkot
Last night, April 17, 2013, the Board of Directors of the Karaite Jews of America reaffirmed the KJA’s commitment to hosting a conference on Karaite Judaism in 2014.
This is spectacular news. And for about seven years now, I’ve been dreaming about such a conference. I’ve always thought that a conference of this sort would be the first of its kind.
I am pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
Filed under Karaite Conferences, Karaite Jews of America
Shawarma? Should’ve Warned Ya.
My mouth was watering as I was getting ready to place my shawarma order. My friend, one of the founders of the Karaite Jewish University, politely said, “Shawn, there’s a problem. That fat on the top of the shawarma is chelev and it is forbidden to eat.”
I couldn’t believe that a restaurant in Israel with a kosher certification would serve something forbidden. So I placed my order and devoured some of the most delicious shawarma I’d ever had.
That was 2006 and it took me a few years to learn my friend was right; that shawarma probably wasn’t biblically permissible.
Filed under Karaite Jewish University, Kashrut
Let’s face it: it’s April 11, 2013, and the only viable Jewish movements are Rabbanite ones. Even secular Jews operate completely within the Rabbinic framework.
This lack of religious diversity doesn’t bode well for historically non-Rabbinic movements such as Karaites. At some level, non-Rabbinic movements can only survive if (religious) Jews are open to adopting interpretations that, while differing from mainstream views, are consistent with the Tanakh.
But, fundamentally, it takes much more than “open-mindedness” on behalf of the Jewish community. It takes clear resolve and dedication on behalf of minority Jewish movements.
Filed under Books, Breslov, Karaite Jews of America, Ruth Tsoffar, The Stains of Culture
Baking Matzah
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Matzah Photo Contest. It was a lot of fun for me to review the submissions.
And based on the number of photos I’ve received, it seems like other such contests might be in the future. Now that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is behind us, it’s time to announce this year’s photo contest winner and let you vote on the runner-up.
So without further ado, the winner is . . .
Filed under Holidays, Karaite Fact Cards, Passover, Photo Contests
How Would Count von Count Count the Omer?
For more than 40 years, Sesame Street has helped children around the world learn how to count. And as a child, I watched the famous Sesame Street character Count von Count: “One ha ha ha; Two ha ha ha; Three ha ha ha . . .”
Religious Jews everywhere are currently “Counting the Omer,” which is a fifty-day period leading up to Shavuot. But if Sesame Street were around in antiquity, Karaites and Rabbanites would still disagree about how to count to 50.
It turns out that Sesame Street can teach both Karaites and Rabbanites how to count; but we need to turn to a different source to know when to start counting.
Filed under Counting of the Omer, Holidays, Karaite Korner, Shavuot
Should we all refuse wine on Passover?
Source: http://www.afewbrixshort.com
As most Jews prepare their four cups of wine for their first and second seders, I ask whether Jews should even consume wine on Passover in the first place.
Most Karaites of Egyptian descent believe that wine is forbidden on Passover. These Karaites have pure, unadulterated raisin juice with their seders. (Editor’s Note: I previously had written grape juice; but I’ve since learned it is authentically made with raisin juice.)
But historically there was a debate amongst Karaites themselves as to whether wine constitutes hametz. If wine is hametz, it should be avoided during Passover.
Today, I do my best to lay out the contours of the debate.
Filed under Aderet Eliyahu, Elijah Baschyatchi, Hametz, Passover
