September 2013Volume 3, Issue 5Website:www.nairobisynagogue.org

Special Interest Articles:

• Greetings to our new Rabbi and Rebetzin

• Announcements

- Mazel tov- Visitors- Condolences- Other

• Teshuvah

• High Holy Days

• Stolpersteine

• Nakuru Cemetery and Tribute

• Musings

• Fruitcake Recipe

• New Years Greeting

Calendar Shabbat Services

Friday evening 6.30 pmSaturday 8.30 am Sharp

2013-14 Holidays , September to June

Sept 4- 6 Rosh HashannahSept 7 Tashlich led by Rabbi Brachyahu right after

morning services Sept 13-14 Yom KippurSept 18-25 Yom SuccothSept 25-27 Shemini Atzeret/Simchat TorahNov 27 – ChanukkahDec 5Jan 16 Tu B’ShevatMarch 15-16 PurimApril 14-22 PesachMay 18 Lag B’OmerJune 3-5 Shavout

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EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Readers of Shelanu,

It is a great pleasure to be able to welcome our Rabbi Brachyahu and wife Rebecca and their baby Ori with this issue of Shelanu. They feel that many forces came together to bring them to Kenya, and we believe that they will make the life of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation richer.

We also welcome the New Year 5774 both with prayers, song, a Rosh Hashanah meal and Tashlich.

There have been many visitors to the NHC in the last few months. We are so happy to be able to share the special experience of being Jewish in Kenya, and they take away the experience and our books to share with their friends and family.

Once again, the production of Shelanu is a teamwork between Ashley Myers – layout and technology – and me – selection of material, editing and writing. A big thank you to Pesya Zelmanovich who has volunteered from Israel through Steven and Ahuva Stav to translate articles from Hebrew to English and to Ahuva for translating from Hebrew to English.

Please read the New Year’s greetings, rejoice in the Mazal Tovs and know that there have been deaths that have touched members and friends of our community.

I hope you will enjoy and be informed by this issue. The next issue will be just before Chanukah.

L'Shana Tova Tikatevu V'Tichatemu

Editor

ROSH HASHANA MESSAGE FROM THE ROSH KEHILAH This past year things have not gone easily for Jews, for Israel or the world. There has been a continuing campaign of demonization against Israel. Elsewhere terror and violence have reduced entire countries ‘the war of every man against every man’ in which life is ‘nasty, and short’. What is it that we are living through?

The answer is change. Of all things, change – massive, rapid and systemic – is the hardest to live through.

We need stability. Change is a form of bereavement. We lose the world we once knew. When epoch-making change occurs, there are violent upheavals. It happened in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries after the invention of printing. It happened again in the twentieth century as an after-effect of the industrial revolution. It is happening in our time in the aftermath of globalization, one of the most profound changes in the history of civilization.

 

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Change creates crises of many kinds, but of these, the most important is spiritual.

When timeless values are being threatened, do we react by fighting change, if necessary by violence? Do we simply yield to it? Or is there a third possibility? Strangely enough, that is the theme of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The Hebrew word for, year - shanah, comes from a root that also means two apparent opposites: ‘to change’ and ‘to repeat’. It embodies the paradox of time. On the one hand there are certain cycles – the seasons, the phases of life – that repeat themselves endlessly. On the other, there is change, sometimes profound and irreversible. We cannot go back to the way things were before computers, mobile phones or nanotechnology. Hence we need the inner resources to deal with the uncertain and the unpredictable.

Judaism’s answer is summed up in three words in one of the key prayers on these holy days: teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah.

Teshuvah, penitence, means that in an uncertain world we make mistakes, but we acknowledge them, apologize, set ourselves to do better next time, and move on.

Tefillah, prayer, means that we are not alone. God is with us as we journey to our unknown destination.

Tzedakah, charity and justice, means that we are there to help those who suffer as a result of change. Some benefit, others lose, and we are commanded to help those who lose.

Judaism is our internal compass, showing us the direction even when we lack a map. It is no coincidence that the holiest object in Judaism is a Sefer Torah, something portable. In the tabernacle and Temple, the carrying poles were never removed from the ark, so that the Torah was always ready to accompany the Israelites even if they had to move suddenly. Jews have long known insecurity, and we are prepared for it. For though the world changes, our values do not.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the two festivals of time itself, are an education in how to face the future without fear.

So, whether we face anti-Zionism or wider anti-Semitism or more personal difficulties, it is during these days that we gather the inner strength to do so in the confidence of trust and faith. The values Judaism taught – the sanctity of life, the dignity of the individual and the imperative of peace – remain as compelling today as they did when Moses first communicated them. We are not alone. God is with us. So we travel through the wilderness of time without trepidation, without anxiety, without fear. Our values, our faith, our way of life, do not change. That is why we can cope with change, neither fighting it nor being intimidated by it.

This year there are new efforts to negotiate peace again between Israel and the Palestinians, let us pray with added fervour for peace: for Israel, for our extended family the Jewish people, and for the world.

Let us open our hearts to the Divine presence, that we may face the future without fear. May the God of life write you, and Israel, and humankind in the Book of Life.

Rosh Hashanah 5774 "ג תשע

Albert Attias - NHC Rosh Kehilla

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ראש השנה תשע"ד 5774 השנה האחרונה לא היתה שנה קלה, לא ליהודים, לא לישראל ולא לעולם כולו. מסע גינוי מתמשך מתקיים נגד ישראל.

ברחבי העלום מדינות רבות מתמודדות עם טרור " מלחמה של כל אדם נגד כל אדם" שבה החיים "קשים וקצרים". מול מה ?אנו מתמודדים

.התשובה היא שינוי, הכל משתנה, שינוי עצום, מהיר ושיטתי. אנחנו זקוקים ליציבות לאחר המצאת הדפוס,17 ו 16אנחנו מאבדים את העולם כפי שהכרנו אותו ומתמודדים עם שינוי אלים, כך היה במאה ה

כתוצאה מהמפכה התעשייתית, וכעת בזמננו כתוצאה מאחד השינויים המשמעותיים ביותר בהיסטורית20ושוב במאה ה .האנושות הכלל עולמית. שינוי מייצר משברים רבים, השינוי הרוחני הוא המשמעותי ביותר

איך עלינו להגיב כאשר הערכים שלנו מאוימים ? להילחם בשינוי ובאיום? האם יש צורך להגיב באלימות? האם ישנה.אפשרות שלישית? למרבה הפלא זאת המשמעות של ראש השנה ויום כיפור

המילה העברית "שנה" מקורה משני פירושים הפוכים "לשנות" ו"לחזור". המילה מכילה בה את הבלתי הגיוני. מצד אחד ישנם תקופות ושלבים בחיים אשר חוזרים על עצמם ללא הרף. מצד שני "שינוי" לפעמים משמעותי כל כך שלא ניתן לחזור ממנו. אנו לא יכולים לחזור לחיים כפי שהיו לפני עידן המחשבים, פלאפונים, טכנולוגית נאנו ולכן עלינו לגייס את המשאבים

.הפנימיים שלנו על מנת להתמודד עם חוסר הודאות הבלתי ניצפת,ליהדות תשובה להמתמודדות המתבקשת אשר מסתכמת בשלוש מילים בתפילות החגים

.תשובה, תפילה וצדקה, בעולם של חוסר וודאות אנו עלולים לטעות אך עלינו להכיר בטעויות לדעת להתנצל, ולשאוף לשיפורתשובה וחרטה

.ולהמשיך הלאה, משמעותה שאנו לא לבד. אלוהים איתנו במסענו אל הבלתי נודעתפילה .

, אנו כאן על מנת לעזור לאלה אשר סובלים מתוצאות השינוי. חלקנו מרווחים בעוד אחרים מפסידים ומצווה עלינוצדקה וצדק .לעזור למפסידים

היהדות הינה המצפן הפנימי שלנו אשר מפנה אותנו לכיוון הנכון גם כאשר אין לפנינו מפה. זה אינו צירוף מקרים שספר התורה הינו האובייקט הקדוש ביותר ליהדות. ספר התורה הנו נייד. במשכן ובמקדש עמודי הנשיאה לעולם לא הופרדו מן

.ההיכל כך שספר התורה היה תמיד מוכן לנשיאה להתלוות אל היהודים אם היה צורך במעבר פתאומי.ראש השנה ויום כיפור הינם מועדים חינוכיים אשר מלמדים להתמודד עם העתיד ועם הפחד

על כן, בין אם אנו מתמודדים עם התנגדות לציונות ואנטישמיות או קשיים אישיים, בימים אלה אנו אוזרים כוחות פנימיים להתמודדות בביטחון ובאמונה. הערכים אותם היהודות מלמדת הינם, קדושת החיים, כבוד הפרט וצווי לשלום הינם

משמעותיים בימנו כפי שהיו ביום בו משה ציווה אותם. אנו לא לבד, אלוהים' עמנו ולכן אנו נישאים בזמן ללא חרדה וללא.פחד

הערכים , האמונה ודרך החיים שלנו נישארו ללא שינוי ולכן אנו מצליחים להתמודד עם שינוי בלי להילחם בו ומבלי להרגיש.מאוימים

השנה אנו עומדים בפני מאמצים להשגת שלום בין ישראל והפלסטינים, בואו נתפלל יחד להגשמת השלום למען ישראל,.למען משפחתנו היהודית המורחבת, והעולם כולו

.נפתח את ליבנו ונקווה להתמודדות עם העתיד בהצלחה אלברט אטיאס

ראש הקהילה

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WELCOME TO OUR NEW RABBI AND FAMILY

OUR NEW RABBI AND FAMILY

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Brachyahu Schönthal, Rebecca Schischa and baby Ori – our new Rabbi family – to Nairobi. They come to Kenya via the USA, France and the UK and will call Kenya home for the next several years.

Brachyahu has recently completed rabbinical school in Riverdale, New York. He has studied and worked in France, Brazil, Canada, Israel and the UK. He is fluent in English, French, Hebrew and Yiddish.

His interests are travelling, cycling, hiking, French literature, current affairs as well as Torah and Talmud studies. And he has a great sense of humour.

Rebecca is a published journalist, and has also worked as an English teacher,  and in various roles in the non-profit sector. Rebecca especially hopes to get involved with arts and cultural programming in the community, as well as with children's activities.

She has a Master's in European Literature, Languages and Thought, and has worked in the UK, France, Israel, and the US. She has also travelled widely - across Asia, Europe and South America in particular. She is fluent in English and French, conversant in Hebrew, and has rusty Spanish. She enjoys the outdoors, camping, reading, writing, cinema, amateur dramatics and dabbling in art.

Ori is a very sociable nine-month-old who can do everything that a little boy of his age is supposed to do.

Some of us met Brachyahu and Rebecca in New York, others have met them in London and still more met them when they visited Kenya in June. They are eager to meet other members of the community. They arrive in Kenya on August 25, 2013.

NEW YEAR’S GREETING FROM RABBI BRACHYAHU AND REBECCA

Renewal this Rosh Hashanah takes on an added dimension for Rebecca and me. In anticipation of our new life in Kenya, we have packed the essentials and discarded most of the superfluous. The forthcoming High Holidays will see many of us in synagogue immersed in prayers, which have formed our liturgy for centuries. Some of these prayers still speak to us today as they did to the generation for which they were composed, whereas others appear to have lost all meaning and relevance. And yet by reciting these prayers we are forming new links in an unbroken chain of tradition and so preserving the continuity of our people’s religious and spiritual lives.   Wishing our new NHC family a happy and healthy new year.

Shana tova u’metuka.

Shelanu Page 6 of 27COMMUNITY NEWS

Mazel Tov Eli and Erit Alon for the Bar Mitzvah of their sons, Osher and Yoval in Israel

Ilan and Varde Baratz on the birth of their grandson in Israel.

Tikva and Emanuel Seri – a granddaughter Naomi Yona born on May 12, 2013 in Israel. Naomi is the daughter of Tikva and Emanuel’s son Lior and daughter-in-law Hadas.

Emanuel and Nitza Gagayev on the barmitzvah of their son Nitzan on 21st September. PLEASE ALL ATTEND

Get Well

Philip Samuels from a recent operation at Nairobi Hospital

Visitors MIKE AND ANDREA LEVEN

VISIT THE NAIROBI HEBREW CONGREGATIONMike and his wife, Andrea came to Kenya on July 19th with their family to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of their triplet grandsons Scott, Zack and David. Unfortunately one of the sons and four of the children were delayed in their arrival until after Shabbat. However, Mike, Andrea, and the rest of the family attended Shabbat services with us and had a lively dinner at home with the Silverstein’s and friends. Mike has made a very generous donation to the NHC for which we are grateful.Mike Leven is a committed Jewish philanthropist dedicated to helping those less fortunate. The CEO of the Sands Corporation in Las Vegas, Nevada (with hotels in Singapore, Macao and other locations) Mike is a world-renowned icon in the hospitality industry who has received numerous awards for his leadership in innovative and responsible hotel practices. Currently through the Sands Foundation his main endeavors provide support for organizations assisting youth, promoting health, aiding wounded veterans, and expanding educational opportunities within local communities. The foundation also supports causes that empower minority communities and improve underprivileged areas. They also assist in activities that encourage, educate and enrich the lives of those who live in the communities in which they do business.Mike’s other efforts have involved forming and supporting strategies in five main areas: free enterprise/entrepreneurship, children, medical research (traditional and integrated), community, and Jewish causes, including supporting Israel.

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Dr Merrick Posnansky, a member of the Nairobi Henrew Congregation from 1955 – 1958, returned for services on July 19th 2013 and recites Kiddish with Rosh Kehillah Albert Attias

Shelanu Page 8 of 27Standing at the gate to the synagogue, Merrick Posnansky was explaining that he was a former member and

wanted to attend services. At that moment, I arrived, and asked if I could help. When he said he was a former member, I was more than happy to accompany him inside.

During the Rosh Kehila’s announcements, he welcomed visitors and invited Dr Posnansky to tell a little about himself – and what a story it is. Originally from Manchester in the UK, his interest through archaeology in the social, technological and cultural life of the people of Africa, brought him to villages principally in Uganda and Ghana as well as to almost two years at the Olorgesailie Stone Age site in Kenya.

Through all the years, his marriage to Eunice, a Ugandan, the raising of their three daughters Sheba, Tessa and Helen, Dr Posnansky also maintained an abiding interest in and understanding of the importance of Jews of Africa.

This latest trip to Kenya was to speak at an anthropological conference being held in Nanuki. In 2011, Dr Posnansky gave the Norwich Lecture that focused on outstanding Jews recent in African history; The fascinating text of the lecture is posted on the NHC website: www.nairobisynagogue.org

Dr. Posnansky is Professor Emeritus of History and Anthropology at the University of California where he has been a professor since 1976. Before that, he taught in Africa for 20 years, primarily at Makerere University as the Director of African Studies and the University of Ghana as Professor of Archaeology. He has recently published a biography Africa and Archaeology – Empowering an expatriate Life, published by the Radcliffe Press.Barbara Steenstrup

VISITORS FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

On July 12, 2013, 24 members of the Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, Washington visited the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation. The group was led by their Executive Director Larry Broder who had visited the synagogue twice before with other groups of Jewish tourists. Barbara Steenstrup briefed them about the Jewish community in Kenya and led them on a tour of the synagogue, the gardens and Vermont Hall where they had coffee and cookies served by Aggrey Muchene. The group swelled the minyan at services and then proceeded to Fairview Hotel for dinner. 

Our appreciation to Marica Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys for a generous donation made on behalf of the group after their visit. 

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LEFT Cindy Stratiner, Coltin & Matthew Stratiner, Marilyn Widlan & Larry Broder in the Vermont Hall. They are listening to Lawrence Mathenge, who Larry and Sue Broder know from their earlier trips to Kenya. Mr Mathenge is a former freedom fighter, who is among those who have just received compensation from the British Government.

RIGHT Michele Fingeroot, Mario Shaunette, Sue Broder & Alan Fingeroot, members of the group from Temple De Hirsch Sinai visit the NHC. 

Finding Home away from Home – in Africa

By Irene Shaland Photo: Alex Shaland

We were travelling all day: through the exotic strangeness of the Zanzibar Stone Town to the Nairobi airport’s thick mess of people and suitcases, sickening smells and deafening noises. Then again, through the traffic and dust and darkness of Nairobi streets, until all of sudden, like a mirage in the wilderness, we saw a brilliantly lit Jewish star. “Are you meeting with Barbara?” a voice asked. We were.

Barbara Steenstrup, beautiful and smiling, was waiting for us on the steps of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation synagogue. It was too dark to see the garden surrounding the building but we could smell it. It felt almost divine. For the first time that day, we deeply inhaled and smiled back.

IRENE AND ALEX SHALANDMonths ago Irene Shaland, a journalist who writes for Jewish newspapers, had asked to meet someone from the Jewish community when she and her husband were in Nairobi. They managed to come in spite of the airport fire that made it a circus for them on arrival at JKIA.

Irene and Alex with Editor Barbara in the Shul.

Shelanu Page 10 of 27Barbara gave us a detailed tour. I had read the book Bunnie Gordon sent me about the history of the

congregation, and I had studied the synagogue’s website. But to step into that beautiful building, live, was entirely different. There was something in the main sanctuary’s colors of warm wood, bright blue and gold that warmed a heart. I could not believe that here we were, in the shul right in the heart of African darkness, but it felt so familiar at the same time.

I am an art and travel writer and my husband Alex is a photographer. We have been traveling the world together for over 30 years, ever-attuned to the Jewish story that, more often than not, seemed to be an endless chain of persecutions, humiliations, mass murders: from century to century, from country to country. When we went to Africa, our friends joked: “It would be a challenge to find your Jewish story among the wildebeests!” Don’t you doubt, I said, you’ll see. I’ll find a happy one.

Barbara treated us to a delicious fruitcake and coffee. We met the synagogue’s facility manager, a delightful Kenyan, Aggrey Muchene. Two travelers from Cleveland, Ohio, a Kenyan originally from a village in Vihiga, Western Kenya, and a lady who grew up in Baltimore – we talked about the good and the difficult parts of life in Kenya and our families, the recent devastating fire in the airport and this beautiful synagogue.

I thought about the meaning of Jewish identity: expansive and inclusive, it may stretch much beyond what we think of as Ashkenazi or Sephardic. What is Jewish Diaspora? I asked myself. Could it be simply defined as a removal from one’s homeland? There is something in us, Jews, I thought, a truly eternal people, that moves us, no matter where we are, to always create a space of cultural solidarity and expression of community. A home away from home.

Condolences

Arie Smouha Family on the passing away of Arie’s mother in Israel

Abby, Eric, mother and father, and Paul Krystall, brother, on the passing away of Nathan Krystall. A beautiful memorial to Nathan was held in Nairobi on July 13, 2013 with Nathan’s music and messages of the good memories on his good works and many accomplishments

ShelanuPage 11 of 27 The Nairobi Hebrew Congregation sends its condolences to the family of David Gottlieb on the loss

of his mother Mrs. Rae Gottlieb. We pray that the Almighty comforts the mourners at this time of bereavement.

Left: Dr David Silverstein conducts the funeral service for Mrs. Rae Gottlieb In the photo, David Gottlieb and his wife Dr Judy Omumbo and others Right: Rae Gottlieb, a pilot in the Women’s Air Corps during World War II

A Son’s Tribute to his Momby David Gottlieb (The newest member of the NHC)

We are saddened that my mother Rae Gottlieb passed away on August 4, 2013, in Nairobi, Kenya. We miss her terribly and will always carry the love she showed us.

Mom was an incredible person and an inspiration to many she met. She had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, loved people and she loved animals. Although deaf for eight years as a child, she was awarded three gold medals in athletics and one gold medal in academic achievement in high school in upper Manhattan.

While serving in the US Army, mom was a cryptographer and then a member of the Women’s Air Corp, where she became a proficient pilot. Mom was playing craps with some of the airmen when a general walked by. “Private Berlin,” the general addressed mom, “could you please explain to me exactly what you are doing.” Mom, with a fistful of dollars answered in her typical mischievous way, “Just trying to make an honest living, sir.” Her leave was cancelled for 30 days, and she was ordered to learn to take apart an airplane’s engine. She recalled that none of the other male soldiers who were gambling were punished.

Following the war, she took up martial arts and studied a little-known Indian form of deadly self-defense known as Varmannie. When I was a child, I would watch mom practice and teach with the Swami at the Broadway studio in the Midtown North neighborhood of Manhattan. She was featured on a number of television shows demonstrating her prowess in martial arts and was interviewed by Frank Sinatra on his radio show. The New

Shelanu Page 12 of 27Yorker, in 1950, wrote a piece on the Swami and quoted mom throughout the story.

Mom worked as a lab technician in New York and after completing another degree at Columbia University became an electron microscopist and rare-disease researcher at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

Following retirement, Mom volunteered as an English teacher for foreign university students studying in New York. She loved telling stories, discussing history and science, and listening to the opera.

After 60 years of marriage, my father George Gottlieb died in early 2012 and Mom moved in with my wife Judy and I in our Palisades, NY home. She always intended to go back to her Washington Heights apartment, but looked forward to visits from her two teenage grand daughters, Dahlia and Lily, who she dearly loved. At the beginning of this year, Mom decided to move to Kenya with my wife and me. It was to be her last great adventure. Here, she witnessed lions in the wild and visited a school in the slums of Nairobi. Everyone who ever got to know Mom always mentioned her zest for life and her incredible knowledge. People were mesmerized by her many colorful stories.

My mother was born to Bessie and Hyman Berlin on November 23, 1917 in New York City. She leaves behind two sons, Keith in San Francisco and I (David) and two grand daughters, Lily and Dahlia. Family was very important to Mom, and she loved all her nieces and nephews and their children. In Kenya, she was lovingly known as ShoSho, Kikuyu for Grandmother.

Rest peacefully Mom. I love you.

Jacqueline Ann Mintz - Mother of Misha Mintz-Roth

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Jacqueline Ann Mintz (born May 26, 1946) died at her home in New York City, after a 6-year battle with cancer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she moved with her family to Los Angeles as a child and, at 18, settled in Berkeley, California.

Jackie was an amazing force both in the workplace and at home. She cared deeply for her work: she earned a PhD in comparative literature at University of California Berkeley; taught literature classes; founded and led the Graduate Student Instructor Teaching & Learning Center at Berkeley, and the McGraw Center for Teaching & Learning at Princeton; directed faculty development at the New School University; and, greatly expanded the number of medical schools training young doctors about humanism in medicine as Executive Director of the Gold Humanism Honor Society of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.  Jackie treasured her boys and family immensely.

Her beloved sons, Jesse Mintz-Roth of Brooklyn, NY, and Misha Mintz-Roth currently of Baltimore, Maryland and others survive her. She will be deeply missed. May her memory be a blessing.

Teshuva for the Modern Jew - Rosh Hashannah 5774

To Misha: The NHC sends its condolences to Misha who lived in Kenya in 2007/8 and again in 2011/12. Your PhD studies will bring you back to Kenya and to our community in the years to come.

Misha’s Mom and brother visited Kenya last year. She was such a warm, energetic, positive person. I remember dancing with her at Muthaiga Club at the evening for young members, and we fit right in. I loved shopping with Jackie, Jesse and Misha at Diamond Plaza. Jackie was so happy to see our synagogue and to meet Charles Szlapak. These are some of Misha’s happiest memories.Barbara Steenstrup

Jackie and Misha in Nairobi in 2012

FOR SALEAn original of Flavius Josephus 

The Whole Works of Flavius Josephus - The Antiquities of the Jews A few hundred years old!

Contact: oscar@iconnect.co.ke

Shelanu Page 14 of 27by Rabbi Aryeh A. Frimer

I often think that teshuva (repentance) is not at all easy for the committed Jew. After all, we are generally observant, relatively honest in business, try not to lie, cheat or steal. OK…So maybe we don’t go to the synagogue as often as we should, and maybe we ought to pray with greater intention. Perhaps, we should spend more time learning Torah, and yes, maybe we indulge in a bit too much gossip. But somehow teshuva would be easier if there were something major to focus on.

Well, I think there is something big we have to be concerned with and it has to do with our communal religious responsibilities. You see, our obligations toward our fellow Jews can be broken down into two categories. Firstly, we are required to maintain our fellow Jew’s physical and emotional well being. We know these obligations as gemillut chassadim – acts of kindness which come under the general rubric of: “Love thy neighbor as thyself": charity, caring for the needy, comforting the mourners, burying the dead, rejoicing with the bride and groom, etc.

But there is a whole second category of obligations that requires me to be concerned with my fellow Jews religious and spiritual well being. It is the principle that allows me - nay obligates me - to say kiddush and havdalah or read Megilla and Haggada for my fellow, even though I have already fulfilled my own obligation. All this stems from the concept of “Kol Yisrael A-REI-VIN zeh la-zeh,” briefly known as “areivut.” An areiv is a co-signer to an obligation or loan. Each Jew at Sinai accepted their Torah obligations using the plural “Na’ase ve-nishma”. We thereby assumed responsibility not only our own mitzvot, but for those of other Jews as well.

This situation reminds me of the famous joke: How many Habadnicks do you need to change a light bulb? Two. One to change the light bulb and the other to convince the rest of the neighborhood that they should be changing light bulbs too! Indeed, that’s what areivut is all about - it’s about taking religious/spiritual responsibility for what’s happening around us.

“Now, that’s a tall order,” you say, “and besides I believe in live and let live.” That’s true, but there is much we can do by personal involvement and example. What I would like to suggest is that we start with education and concern ourselves with our family and friends.

(1) Many of us have been blessed with a wonderful Jewish education. And yet, when the community turns to us to give a dvar Torah, a class, a lecture - we hesitate, we’re shy or unsure of ourselves, we feel we don’t know enough. But, as we say in the morning prayers (“Ahavah Rabbah”), we are obligated to learn, understand and teach Torah, each to his or her capabilities! Judaism, and certainly Torah, were never meant to be spectator sports!

(2) Make sure to show gratefulness to those who do indeed invest the time and effort to prepare divrei Torah and Shiurim. They may have spoken a hundred times before, but everyone likes being appreciated, and feeling that their time and effort have paid off.

(3) Support the shiurim that are already being given. There is nothing more depressing, more deflating, than investing hours in preparing a well-researched, organized and constructed quality lecture or class - and have to give it to an enthusiastic group of maybe two or three.

(4) The next project I would suggest is setting up study-groups. These are usually 8-15 couples that get together once a month or so to discuss a text or topic of Jewish interest. The group can have a given leader, or have a rotation among the couples. The importance of a study-group is that it creates Chevrashaft

ShelanuPage 15 of 27- friendship and a sense of community - centered on Torah.

(5) Alternatively, find yourself a Chevruta - a partner in learning. You can even schedule it so that when the wives learn together in one home, the husbands learn together in the other - so all the kids are covered. Remember, there is much more to Torah learning than just Gemara. There’s Chumash with Ramban or Tanach with commentaries, philosophy and midrash, History and halakha. And so much has been written or translated into English that there aren’t any real language barriers anymore to sophisticated, intellectually stimulating material. Make sure your children know about these chevrutot. There is nothing that speaks more eloquently to a child or grandchild about the importance of Torah learning in the life of a Jew, than to see a parent or a grandparent give up of their precious time to learn themselves.

(6) The last thing you can do is to take out time to learn with your own children. Set aside special time on Shabbat or during the week. We often err in thinking that our Rabbis and teachers are entrusted with that obligation. But it was not until the time of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai towards the end of the second temple period that a grade school system was set up. The fundamental mitzvah of teaching Torah is, and has always been, parent to child, based on the verse “ve-shinantam le-vanekha” - Teach thy children. Rav Goren Zatsa”l noted that both Torah and Erets Yisrael are referred to as Morasha - rather than yerusha. A Yerusha is an inheritance, passed on after one’s death. But a Morasha is a precious heirloom - a cherished item that is shared happily during the life of both generations. Torah Tziva lanu Moshe, morasha kehilat Yaakov - the Torah was given to us by Moses with the proviso that we would share it with our children and enjoy it together.

I trust that I have given you a few ideas of how each of us can strengthen our religious obligation of areivut - of improving the spiritual well being of our community. May the New Year find us and Klal Yisrael inscribed be-Sefer hayyim, berakha ve-shalom, u-parnassah Tovah - in the book of good life, good fortune, blessing and Peace. Amen!

*Rabbi Dr. Aryeh A. Frimer is the Ethel and David Resnick Professor of Active Oxygen Chemistry at Bar Ilan University. Email: Aryeh.Frimer@biu.ac.il.

The High Holy Days by Anna Sundquist

Shelanu Page 16 of 27Anna (pen name Anna Yardeni) is originally from New York City and is a member of NHC.

If you Google Anna Yardeni, you can read about her books, most significantly ‘EXIT GENESIS’. Anna has written the poem below for the Shelanu.

THE HIGH HOLY DAYS

Another year has passed and it’s Rosh Hashanah againThe time to be inscribed in the book of life once againIt is the year 5774 on our Hebrew calendarAnd we will eat apples dipped in honeyA symbol of our wish for a sweet new yearAnd hear the sounding of the shofar in the synagogueRosh Hashanah leads to Yom Kippur which means Day of AtonementIt is the holiest day of the yearAnd the day God seals His judgment of us

In the “books” in which are inscribed all our namesShana Tova everyone! Shana Tova!

Anna Sundquist

Stolpersteine in Presov by Vera Somen

ShelanuPage 17 of 27

LEFT - Vera with her cousin and the Deputy Mayor of PresovRIGHT – Vera and family

The historic Main Street (Hlavna Ulica) of Presov, my parents' hometown, escaped any destruction in the Second World War. After the demise of Communism it was renovated and restored, and today looks very much as it did when my parents grew up there in the early 20th century. The building that was once my grandfather's hotel, the Cierny Orol (Black Eagle in English) is still there. Although it is now an office block, the facade is unchanged, as is the first floor window of the room in which my father and many of his siblings were born.

It was here, in front of the entrance arch, that my brother Andrew and I, and our two Slovak cousins gathered with members of our families, friends and town dignitaries, to commemorate our grandparents, Emanuel and Hermin Gellert, and five uncles and aunts, who were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Seven brass plaques, called Stolpersteine, which means stumbling blocks, each bearing a name, the date of birth, the date of deportation and the fate of each relative, were laid into the pavement, by Gunter Demnig, the German artist who has been creating these memorials for the last twenty years. Another two were laid at the site of the home of our maternal grandparents, Ludovit and Helena Preisz, whose home no longer exists.

The ceremony opened with a greeting from the deputy Mayor of Presov, followed by speeches from my brother and I, both of which were translated into Slovak by our cousin. Led by a rabbi from Andrew's shul in London, we then sang psalm 121 - I lift my eyes up to the hills - followed by a short and moving address from Rabbi Josh, El molei rachamim and then a Kaddish. We then walked to the other house and carried out a similar ceremony there, except that this time the speech came from my cousin Ivan, in Slovak; and this time I was the one to read the translation. Here my niece sang my

Shelanu Page 18 of 27grandfather’s favourite Yiddish song, Oifen Pripitchik. Miri, together with a musician friend, before Rabbi

Josh sang El molei rachamim once more, and we again said Kaddish.

Our family, along with many millions of others, suffered a terrible and anonymous death. They were mercilessly wiped out, deprived of life long before their time. No grave marks their passing. We, their descendants, remember them, even though we never knew them, and with this simple act we have brought them back to their home, and restored to them their dignity and their humanity.

The artist Gunter Demnig remembers the victims of National Socialism by installing commemorative brass

plaques in the pavement in front of their last address of choice. There are now STOLPERSTEINE (lit.

“stumbling stones or blocks”) in over 610 places in Germany as well as in Austria, Hungary, the

Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Norway and Ukraine.

Gunter Demnig cites the Talmud saying that "a person is only forgotten when his or her name is forgotten".

The Stolpersteine in front of the buildings bring back to memory the people who once lived here. Each

“stone” begins with HERE LIVED… One “stone”. One name. One person.

For 120 euros, anybody can sponsor a stone, its manufacture and its installation. Please contact:

info(at)stolpersteine.eu for more information.

Nakuru Cemetery and a Tribute by Amos Hadar

ShelanuPage 19 of 27

בקנייה התחלתי לבדוק מקומות מעניינים בניירובי ומצאתי, בין היתר, שקיים SBI שחתמתי הסכם עבודה עם .בית כנסת שידעתי על קיומו רק משמועות.. לא רק שיש בית כנסת מסתבר שקיים מאה שנה

(לאחרונה חגגו מאה שנה לבית הכנסת בטקס יפה ומכובד)

.בהיותי אדם מסורתי החלטתי בשבת הראשונה ללכת להתפלל בערב שבת

שנכנסתי לבית הכנסת הרגשתי "אוירת קודש" כאילו מלאכי שמים מרחפים מעל , כאילו משק כנפי היסטוריה . משמיע זמירות של תפילה

. יופיו של בית הכנסת כבש את ליבי , התחלתי לדמיין כיצד נערכו תפילות שבת וחגים שהאולם מלא מפה לפה,

.נשים בעזרת הנשים וילדים רצים בין ספסלים התפילות והשירה נשמעים עד מעלה לחשוב שבמדינה אפריקנית יש בית כנסת שקיים כל כך הרבה שנים , לא האמנתי שבית הכנסת הזה יכבוש את

.ליבי

בית הכנסת הוא העדות לפעילות דתית ותרבותית ענפה שהתקיימה במשך שנים רבות במשך שנות חיי התפללתי בהרבה בתי כנסת וחוץ מאשר בימי זיכרון להורי לא עברתי התפללתי לפני התיבה כשליח ציבור (חזן) אך שהזמינו אותי לעבור לפני התיבה רעדו רגלי , הרגשתי כאילו איני ראוי לכבוד הזה, אבל

שעמדתי מול התיבה הרגשתי התרוממות רוח שאני ממשיכם של יהודים שהחליטו לעזוב את בתיהם ממקומות שונים בעולם ולהגיע לארץ זרה ולא לשכוח את יהדותם ,לפתח ולשמר את תרבותם ודתם, שראיתי את התמונות

..כיצד היה נראה בית הכנסת בימי תפילה עבר בי רעד

אני גר בישראל וטיילתי בעולם ראיתי בית כנסת רבים חלקם גדולים יותר וחלקם אולי מפוארים יותר אך איני חושב שאי פעם הרגשתי הדרת קודש שכזאת כמו בבית הכנסת בנירובי .יופיו ואוירת בית הכנסת יכולים

.ל"התחרות" בבתי כנסת רבים.שבעולם לחשוב שבאזור בית הכנסת יש מסביב כנסיות ומסגדים ובין כל זה עומד ניצב ללא מורא ופחד שנים רבות בית

כנסת לתפילת יהודים לחשוב שבין כל אלה יהודים עם טליתות מתפללים, שרים ומקיימים אורח חיים יהודים זה.לא מובן מאליו

"אני משתדל להגיע לתפילות ככל יכולתי כי המניין אינו "מובן מאליו

Shelanu Page 20 of שהתחלתי להכיר את אנשי הקהילה אחד מהם בלט במיוחד מר צארלס סלאפק היום שאני מזכיר שמו או שנפגש27

, איתו יש בי יראת כבוד אדם ענק מדור שהולך ונעלם , אדם שמקדיש את כל כולו לקהילה , מקפיד לבוא כל שבת לתפילות , איש התורם

.מזמנו ומכספו לקהילה ולא בכדי נתנו לו תואר כבוד של ראש קהילה לחיים באחת הישיבות שהתקיימה בביתו בנושא הקהילה אמר דברים בעניין בית הכנסת שאיני יכול לפרטם אך גרמו לי

. להעריצו עוד יותר

. .החומה שמול הכניסה לבית הכנסת אינה החומה המקורית היא נבנתה רק לפני מספר שנים לפני מספר שנים החליטה עירית ניירובי לסלול כביש בסמוך לבית הכנסת ולצורך כך החליטה לקחת חלק

מהמגרש של בית הכנסת. מר סלאפק הרגיש כאילו חותכים מגופו .הוא ואחרים "נלחמו" בעירייה על כל סנטימטר , הביאו מודדים שוב ושוב עד שהגיעו להסדר עם העירייה למקם את החומה במקום שהיא כיום , הנזק

היה מזערי. בעזרת תורמים שגייס מר סלאפק הוקמה החומה החדשה שלקחו את פיסת הקרקע שהיתה שייכת.לבית הכנסת משהו נקרע בו

. בחגיגת מאה שנים השתתפה הקהילה ומר סלאפק היה גאה ומאושר

מאחר ורוב הזמן משפחתי לא היתה איתי בניירובי דאג מר סלאפק להזמין אותי לסעודת ערב שבת , כמובן, שהגעתי ברצון, ארוחה שהזכירה לי את בית הורי . ככה במשך שנים הייתי בן בית בארוחות ערב בימי שישי אצל

.מר סלאפק , ארוחה עם אוירה יהודית , שרים את "שלום עליכם" , קידוש אוכל טעים ושירי דת

. ולשמר את בתי הקבורות היהודייםתמר סלאפק דואג לא רק לחיים אלא גם למתים , לקח על עצמו לדאוג ללוויו

באחת השבתות לאחר ארוחת הערב אמר לי מר סלפאק שהוא רוצה לשוחח איתי ועם חבר לעבודה ושנבוא.לפגוש אותו במקום עבודתו

שהגענו לפגישה הוא סיפר לנו שקיים בית קברות יהודי בנקורו שזמן רב ואף אחד לא ביקר ולא דאג לו ויש לו החשש שהוא מוזנח. והוא מבקש ( אמר בצניעות ) בהזדמנות שנעבור בנקורו ניגש לראות את בית הקברות

.ולבדוק את מצבו. באחד מימי ראשון נסעתי עם החבר לנקורו ואיתרנו את בית הקברות ומה שראינו היה מזעזע

בית קברות מוזנח, חלק מהחומה נפל והמקומיים באזור משתמשים בחלקת הקבר כשירותים ,חלק מהמצבות.נפלו וחלקן האחר לא במקומן

. שחזרנו לניירובי סיפרנו למר סלפק וזה העציב אותו מאד אבל הבטחנו לו שנטפל בשיקום בית הקברות התקשרנו עם קבלן לתקן את החומה ,להגביה את החומה , לסגור את שער עם מנעול ולתקן את המצבות וכן

.התקשרנו עם גנן כדי לנקות את השטח וכן לשתול שיחים מסביב לגדר

אחרי כחודש חזרנו ומצאנו כי בית הקברות שינה צורה נקי מלכלוך המצבות שוקמו וניתן לראות את המצבות ואת . שמות הקבורים בו צילמנו את המקום והראנו למר סלאפק זה שימח אותו מאד

כמו כן ישנה מצבה כללית לכל הנופלים1964 קברים שהאחרון שנקבר בה היה בשנת 20בבית הקברות יש כ , שנפלו על מלחמתם על שמירת אמונתם

מאז אני דואג ליידע אנשים שיש בית קברות בנקרו שכדאי לבקר. כפי שסיפרו לי מאז ביקורו בו לא מעט יהודיים ..כולל נכד של אחד היהודים הקבורים בנקורו

. דאגתי שגנן ינקה את בית הקברות2012מאז ועד שעזבתי את נירובי וקנייה באוגוסט ..שעזבתי את נירובי היה צר לי ועצוב כי ידעתי שבית הקברות יהיה שוב מוזנח כי העשב גדל מהר מאד

ShelanuPage 21 of 27 לאחרונה , באחד הביקורים בנירובי, הזמין אותי,כרגיל, מר סלאפק לארוחת יום שישי ופגשתי בחור נחמד בשם

. גייסון שסיפר שלמחרת הוא נוסע לנקורו , סיפרתי לו על בית הקברות והדרכתי אותי כיצד להגיע לשם שפגשתי את גייסון שבוע לאחר מכן סיפר לי שהחליט להמשיך את מה שהתחלתי ולהיות אחראי לנקיון בית

.. הקברותשמחתי מאד ומר סלאפק שמח עוד יותר

"לא אלמן ישראל"

. הודות לגייסון בית הקברות נוקה

בהזדמנות זאת אני רוצה להודות למר סלאפק על כל ארוחות ליל השישי בהם נתן לי הרגשה של בית ובכלל על.העזרה שנתן לי בכל שנות שהותי בקנייה בעצה טובה ובהדרכה

ישראל–עמוס הדר

Upon signing a working agreement with Solel Boneh International in Kenya, I began to check interesting places in Nairobi and discovered, among other places, that there is a synagogue of which existence I had only heard vague rumors. Not only is there a synagogue, but also it has been there for one hundred years.

Being a traditional Jew the first Shabbat to I decided to go and pray there Friday evening. When I entered the synagogue I felt a holy atmosphere as if angels were fluttering above, as if I were witnessing voices of prayer made by a unique historical moment.

The beauty of the synagogue conquered my heart. I began to imagine the prayers of Shabbat and the Holy Days with the hall was full with men, the ladies section with women, children running between the benches and the songs reaching heaven. To think that for so many years there would be synagogue in an African state, I could not believe that such a synagogue would conquer my heart.

The synagogue is proof of a vast and highly intensive religious and cultural life that has taken place for so many years. During my life I have prayed in many synagogues and except for the memorial prayers for my late parents I never lead the prayers (as a cantor). When they asked me to lead the prayers my legs were shaking. I felt as if I were not worthy of such an honor but when I stood before the Ark, I felt such a spiritual uplifting – I was the successor of Jews from many parts of the world who had decided to leave their homes, come to a foreign country and not forget their Judaism; Jews who had decided to develop and preserve their religion and culture. When I saw pictures of the synagogue in past days a trembling gripped me.

I live in Israel, have travelled in the world and have seen many synagogues, some bigger some maybe more magnificent but I don't think I have seen such awe-inspiring grandeur as in the synagogue in Nairobi. The beauty and ambience of this synagogue can compete with those of many synagogues around the world.

To think that among churches and mosques stands without fear a synagogue for so many years where Jews covered in prayer shawls can pray, sing and conduct a Jewish way of life is not to be taken for granted.

I try as much as I can to attend the prayers because the Minyan too is not to be taken for granted.

Shelanu Page 22 of 27When I got acquainted with the members of the congregation one of them stood out in particular, Mr.

Charles Szlapak. Today whenever I mention his name or meet him, I feel great awe and respect. He is a great man of a vanishing generation, a man who dedicates his entire self to serving the community. He insists on attending all the prayers and contributes time and money to the congregation. Not in vain has he been granted the honorary title of President for Life.

During one of the meetings regarding the congregation that took place in his home, Mr. Szlapak said things about the synagogue that I cannot elaborate on but made me admire him even more.

The wall facing the entrance to the synagogue is not the original one. It was built just a few years ago when the municipality of Nairobi decided to pave a new road next to the Synagogue and for that purpose expropriate a part of the Synagogue's land. Mr. Szlapak felt as if part of his own body were being cut off. He and others fought the authorities for every inch. Again and again they brought people to survey the land until an agreement was reached to build the wall where it is today and thus the damage was minimal. With the help of donors whom Mr. Szlapak was able to engage, the new wall was erected. When the piece of land was expropriated Mr. Szlapak felt as if something within him was torn away.

At the celebration of the Synagogue's 100-year anniversary the entire congregation participated, and Mr. Szlapak was proud and happy.

As most of the time my family was not with me in Nairobi, Mr. Szlapak invited me over for Friday night meals. I accepted the invitation gladly. The meals reminded me of my parents' home. So, for many years I was one of the family in Mr. Szlapak's home. The meals bore the Jewish atmosphere with the singing of 'Shalom Aleichem', the Kiddush, the tasty food and the Shabbat songs.

Not only does Mr. Szlapak care for the living he cares for the dead too. He took it upon himself to take care of funerals and preserve the Jewish cemeteries.

One Shabbat after dinner Mr. Szlapak told me he wanted to talk with my colleague and I in his office. When we arrived he told us of a cemetery in Nakuru. For a long time, no one had visited there or taken care of the place. He was afraid it was very badly neglected and asked us humbly, if on our way we could stop at Nakuru, visit the cemetery and check in what condition it was in.

One Sunday I travelled there with a friend. We located the cemetery and indeed what met our eyes was shocking. The cemetery was badly neglected, part of the surrounding wall had fallen apart and the locals were using the graveyard as a public toilet. Some of the tombstones had fallen and others were misplaced.

Upon our return to Nairobi we told Mr. Szlapak all that, and it saddened him very much but we promised to take care of the restoration. We contacted a contractor to fix and raise the wall, close the gate with a lock, and repair and restore the tombstones. We also contacted a gardener to clean and plant bushes around the fence.

After a month we returned and found a clean cemetery. The stones had been restored, and the names of the deceased were clear and visible. We took pictures and showed them to Mr. Szlapak. It made him happy. There are about twenty tombstones in the cemetery. The last to be buried there had died in 1964. There is also a tombstone in memory of all those who lost their lives for their faith. Ever since I try to inform people

ShelanuPage 23 of 27of the cemetery in Nakuru and tell them it is worthwhile visiting the place. I have been told that quite a few

Jews have visited, among them the grandson of one of the deceased.Since then and until I left Nairobi and Kenya in August 2012 I saw to it that a gardener should clean the cemetery. When I left Nairobi I was sad because I knew the cemetery would once again become neglected as weeds grow very fast.

Lately, on one of my visits to Nairobi Mr. Szlapak invited me, once again, for the Friday night meal and I met Jason Eisen, a nice young man who told us he was going the following day to Nakuru. I told him about the cemetery and gave him directions how to reach the place.

A week later when I met Jason, he told me he had decided to continue what I had begun and be responsible for the maintenance of the cemetery. I was so happy and Mr. Szlapak even more so.

"Jewry still has some reserves."Thanks to Jason the cemetery was cleaned.

I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Szlapak for all the Friday night meals where he gave me the feeling of a home and in general for all the help, good advice and guidance he extended to me during the years when I stayed in Kenya.

And we say thank you to Amos Hadar for his devotion and action. Please come back often.

Daniella's friend Sheera's little fruitcake:Barbara Steenstrup’s friend Carol Troen sent this recipe as an alternative to traditional honey cake.

1.  In a bowl lightly stir together until mixed (as for pancakes or muffins)

2 eggs1 Cup self-rising flour3/4 Cup sugar1/2 Cup canola oil1-teaspoon vanillaApricot halves or other sliced summer fruitGrated zest of one lemon 2. Lightly grease a large (12 inch or more) pie pan (she used an aluminum foil pan and a little canola oil) and spread the batter in it. 3. Arrange apricot halves or other sliced summer fruit (apple slices would be good too) all over batter. Sprinkle on some slivered blanched almonds and a Tablespoon or so of brown sugar. 4. Bake at 170 C for about 55 minutes and serve warm

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Musings by David Marks

Behind us here in France lives a young Dutch couple – Yoke and Peter de Moors. They are born-again Christians but Christian Zionists! They go to Israel every year, have bought an apartment in Caesarea and are learning Hebrew. Wow! An English friend was here to tea and said that he thought all Zionists had to be Jews. Au contraire I said to him – plenty of Jews are not Zionists and plenty of Zionists are not Jews. Yoke and Peter were here for tea and I asked them when they were going to live in Israel permanently. Their reply? “Why aren’t you living there?” I was and remain speechless. Why aren’t I?

Puymaurin July 2013

New Year’s Greetings

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As we stand at the threshold of a New Year, I take pleasure in sending NHC members and their families, the State of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide warm greetings and hope that the eternal city of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, will remain undivided.

The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is one of introspection and atonement.  We must look back and learn from the year which has passed and integrate these lessons as we look to the future.

For many years, researchers and leaders have spoken of the dangers facing the Jewish people – whether in the form of hatred and anti-Semitism, or because of the issues of intermarriage, assimilation and erosion of Jewish identity and affinity with the State of Israel.

The State of Israel must work hard with the Diaspora communities to ensure that the Jewish people continue to grow stronger and become more unified. And encourage and support the next generation of Jewish leadership in this important endeavour.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, Jewish people have been partners in the Zionist enterprise, and we must now be partners in ensuring our future as a vibrant inclusive people in the world and in Kenya.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are Jewish, nor can we forget the role the State of Israel plays in our identity.  One cannot exist without the other,

In Kenya we must work together to strengthen both halves of the whole. The community needs all its members’ efforts to continue supporting its existence through volunteering, contributing to its activities and supporting the community with your financial contributions.

We wish you and your esteemed families Shana Tova,

May you be sealed in the book of joy, love, and health And prosperity

Albert and Rina Attias and familyNHC Rosh Kehila

 

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ראש השנה תשע"ד 5774הקהילה בפרוס עלינו שנה חדשה אני מתכבד לברך את כל חברי הקהילה היהודית בקניה' לכל המשפחות במדינת

.ישראל ולכל העם היהודי ברחבי העולם בברכת שנה טובה התקופה שבין ראש השנה ויום כיפורים היא תקופה שבה ניתנת לנו האפשרות להתבונן פנימה, להסתכל

.לאחור ולהביט קדימה לעבר העתיד במשך שנים רבות חוקרים ומנהיגים דיברו על הסכנות העומדות בפני העם היהודי עקב שחיקת זהות, שנאה

.ואנטישמיות מדינת ישראל משתפת פעולה עם הקהילות היהודיות בתפוצות על מנת להבטיח את הזיקה למדינת

ישראל, לעודד ולתמוך בדור הבא של מנהיגות יהודית ולהבטיח שהעם היהודי ימשיך להתחזק ולהיות.מאוחד למען קיומו

אנו חייבים להיות שותפיםכעתמאז הקמתה של מדינת ישראל יהודים היו שותפים במפעל הציוני ו.בהבטחת עתידנו כעם

הקהילות בתפוצות זקוקות לכל המאמצים של חבריה להמשיך ולתמוך בקיום הקהילה. להתנדב בפעיליות.השונות ולתמוך בתרומות כספיות. בקניה עלינו להמשיך לעבוד יחד כדי לחזק ולהתחזק

בשמי ובשם משפחתי אני מאחל לכם ולבני משפחותיכם שנה טובה , בריאות, אהבה, שמחה ושגשוג

שתכתבו ותחתמו בספר החייםאלברט אטיאסראש הקהילה

Albert and Rina Attias Wish you and your Families A happy, healthy and joyful New Year Shana Tova

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Wishing the Council and all the Members of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation A HAPPY and PEACEFUL NEW YEAR, and a meanighful Yom Kippur - wherever you are!From Adinah Zola – in Perth, Australia

To everyone at the NHC with very best wishesfor a Happy and Healthy New Year

from Ashley, Maxine, Emma, Sasha and Talia

From David and Channa and all the Silverstein sons to the entire community:  L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem. "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

Happy and Peaceful New Yearfrom

and family in the US and Costa Rica