Moses in Calabria: A story of Sukkot

Calabria is the southernmost region of mainland Italy and the toe of Italy’s boot-like shape. Here it is on a map.
Within North West Calabria, by the shores of the Tyrrhenian secon of the Mediterranean Sea, there is a small area famous for one thing: Etrogs.
They call it the “Riviera dei Cedri”. That means “The Etrog Riviera” in English. The nearest big town is called Diamante, which means Diamond on English.
Etrogs (aka Citrons) are extremely difficult fruits to grow. Their trees are fragile and need a special soil and micro-climate of extreme heat and sea breezes, which is only found in a few areas of the world. They are strange trees for a number of reasons including that the Etrogs fruit at various different mes of the year and do not mature nor fall off the tree at the same me. Thus the same tree will have year-old mature Etrogs and baby Etrogs hanging on it at the same me.
My wife Corinna’s family comes from this Diamante/Riviera dei Cedri area of Calabria and we visited it this summer with our children Moses, Grace and Hector.
While we were in Calabria we came across some Hasidic Jews wandering around. Most of them had black hats, pesot, beards, glasses and black coats
and looked just like the “frummers” one sees in Stamford Hill.
They invited me to a shul they had made in the garage of the apartment block where they were staying. I went there, did my incompetent best to follow their Shacharit service as the sun came up and heard them leyn the Torah with strange pronunciation. They wore a special tallit that had sparkling solid silver atarah sewn into it.

It was a weird, exotic, powerful experience.

I got to know one of the Lubavitch rabbis, Yossi from Canada. Here he is picking the Etrogs. He told me that Jews have been coming to Calabria for hundreds of years to pick the Etrogs, which are thought to be the best quality, and the most beauful in the world. Although Etrogs grow in other places, mainly Israel and Morocco, the variees there are different there, and considered far less precious.

There is a legendary reason for that. The Chasidim believe that Moses, or angels sent on his behalf, came to Calabria to pick the Etrogs during Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert. Moses needed an Etrog to celebrate Sukkot. However, Etrogs cannot grow in the desert. They grow in Eretz Yisrael, but Moses was forbidden by God from entering Eretz Yisrael for his sin at Meriva, when he forgot to give God’s message to Israel before producing water from a rock. God therefore allowed Moses to obtain an Etrog from Calabria. Since then, according to the Hasidim, it has been a great mitzvah to celebrate Sukkot with a Calabrian Etrog. Indeed, it seems Hasidim will use nothing else. The rabbis apparently know each tree intimately. They look for Etrogs of a particular shape. Each Hasidic group has a particular preference for a certain rare shape and colour of Etrog, which increases the beauty and power of the mitzvah of shaking the lulav.

The lulav is made of four species each of which symbolises a different part of the body.
Here they are:
The four species also symbolise four different types of Jews. The Etrog, because it looks, smells and tastes good, is also the symbol of the best type of Jew- one whose life is full of Torah and good deeds. The palm produces dates but has no scent and represents Jews who study Torah but do not do good deeds. The myrtle has a strong scent but no taste. It is the symbol of Jews who perform good deeds but have little knowledge of Torah. The willow, which has neither taste nor scent, represents Jews who have little knowledge of Judaism and also do not perform good deeds. The lulav cannot work without all four species. Just as, in some mystical way, the Jewish people cannot continue without all four types of Jews.
At the end of our surprisingly Etroggy holiday, we got married, in a lovely garden overlooking the sea: The local mayor, seen in the photo, gave a little speech in which he said that this area of Calabria was, for hundreds of years, hundreds of years ago, the home of several substantial Jewish communities.

Simchat Torah

Rabbi Michael Standfield - Chatan Torah 

For 50 years, if not more, I was involved in the selection of Chatanim and Kallot for Simchat Torah, in the various Synagogues that I served. Yet, in all that time, I was never offered the honour, or was ever considered for it. Perhaps the belief was that, as I was involved in leading the Service, I required no greater honour. Or it could have been that I was a paid employee and, therefore, didn’t deserve it.

It was, therefore, a great surprise and an even greater pleasure to be chosen to receive this great honour of Chatan Torah, especially as I haven’t been a member for as long as many other people. However, I do see it as recognition for the time I, happily, served the community, and my general support since becoming a member.

 I wouldn’t be a typical Jew if I didn’t complain (ha ha), so my big disappointment? Where was my flag with an apple stuck on it?

I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Services, and was delighted to have some of our family members in attendance at the evening service, and one of our grandsons helping me to overcome a ‘loss of voice’ problem.

My certificate commemorating the occasion has now joined my other awards and, eventually, it will be framed and hung on the wall together with my S’micha certificate.

I should like to conclude by extending my sincere thanks to Rabbi Yuval and the Officers of the Synagogue for affording me this honour. I shall continue to be a supportive member of the congregation and enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere.


 Phil Zeligman - Chatan Bereshit 

Like so many things, it all began with a simple phone call…. In this case it was a call from Pearl who called to ask if I would like to be one of the Chatanim for Simchat Torah. I was stunned; surely there must be another congregant who is far more deserving of the honour? Nevertheless, I accepted!

Next up was to have a meeting with the Rabbi to determine if I would be Chatan Torah or Chatan Bereshit – I am Chatan Bereshit. Then the Rabbi drops the bombshell; there are no Junior Chatanim this year, so can I read both portions? I should have asked how much the Junior Chatan Bereshit would have to read but didn’t – I just said, “Yes, no problem”.

I received a copy of the Torah and Haftarah Readings for Simchat Torah and that is when I realised that I had 31 verses to read! Time to knuckle down and start learning my first Torah reading since my Confirmation (41 years ago). I knew that I needed help and that person was Gerry Ostermeyer. I could not have read my portion without his help and encouragement. Thank you, Gerry!

The next milestone was the rehearsal with the Rabbi, 3 days before Erev Simchat Torah! I am nervous and the read through does not go as well as I had hoped. Rabbi Yuval gives me the option of just reading the first half of the portion and then he would complete the remainder. Hmmm…. it would be easier but then I have said that I would do the whole portion. Thank you Rabbi Yuval for the offer but I think I will read it all.

Furious practicing over the next 3 days and then Erev Simchat Torah arrives. I sit as Rabbi Michael Standfield (who is Chatan Torah) impressively reads his portion and I’m getting more and more nervous. Rabbi Yuval calls me up and then the spotlight is on me. “Bereshit bara Elohim” and then I’m on autopilot and before I realise it, I’m saying “vayehi-erev vayehi-voker yom hashishi”.

Mazaltov to my fellow Chatan, Rabbi Michael Standfield. My thanks to Gerry, my wife Debi, Rabbi Yuval and everyone who came along to celebrate Simchat Torah. And of course, my thanks to Pearl - it all started with a simple phone call!

Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut

The evening started, in the nicely decorated Schindler Hall, with the lighting of the Memorial candles, which was then followed by a very moving rendition of the Last Post.

After this the Yom Hazikaron service began, during which the Rabbi mentioned his especial sadness for the loss of those comrades he had personally known whilst serving in the Israeli Defence Force. 

The mood changed dramatically when the time came for the Yom Ha'atzmaut service, celebrating the establishment of the Jewish State in the land of Israel, which ended with a spirited singing of the Hatikva.

Rabbi Yuval gave an audio visual on the theme 'the Jews are coming' - liking at Israeli society through satire. This showed in a fascinating way how Israeli society viewed, in a humorous manner, the many problems that it had encountered. 

At the end of the presentation the House Committee produced a delicious Israeli style meal that was hugely enjoyed by all.